We just had the Christmas that Lego built. The Kid received something like 6 Lego sets over the holidays to add to his growing collection. It really is the perfect gift for him as he LOVES building any sort of vehicle out of Lego and it engages him more that most toys. He’s been having a terrific time but it has introduced a new organizing challenge for me. What to do with all of this Lego?!?

We originally started out with one of the Lego starter kits that conveniently came in a blue bin with a snap-on top. As a few more sets were introduced to his collection, everything went into the bin and the booklets of step-by-step instructions on how to put together specific vehicles, were stored in a Ziploc baggie that slipped inside the bin, too.

Now over a year later, we’re overrun with Lego and needing a new storage solution. He has too many blocks to fit into that bin and we’re overflowing with instruction booklets. And he’s getting more complex sets with smaller and more specialized pieces to build specific things.

Sometimes he likes to follow the instructions and other times he builds his own creations. I want to encourage both types of play. So I’ve been thinking about what will be the best way to store it all for him so that he can get the most out of his “Lego-ing." I’m really on the fence and can’t decide which direction I want to try first.

Here are the options I’m considering, including the pros and cons as I see them:

1. One Big Bin

A possible next step from our blue bin is to find another lidded bin that is larger and that fits all of the pieces we have, with a bit of room to add some more. I like the idea of keeping everything together in one place. But the more Lego he gets, the harder and harder it is to find that particular piece he is looking for from the huge pile. One big bin doesn’t help with this.

2. Several Small Containers

I like keeping small toy sets in little containers, like these from Ikea. So another option is to keep the main blue bin for standard and larger Lego pieces and then store other individual sets separated in little containers like these. I think this would work for the times when the Kid wants to follow the instructions but I’m afraid that his creativity will be hampered by separating everything. And I’m pretty sure that everything will get mixed up in no time!

3. Size Sorter

This Christmas season, this Lego head sorter was one of the hot toys. It has a few levels with differently sized screens, allowing the smallest Lego pieces to fall to the bottom and keeping the larger ones at the top. I love the idea of this and it is super cute but I’m not so sure if all of the Kid’s Lego would fit inside. I’m also more of a fan of storage items that are modular and this seems like more a display item than useful storage. So I looked online for other sorters and found Box4Blox. This square style is much more appealing to me and it looks like it is bigger, too.

4. Compartmentalized Case

Another option is to find a case with little compartments, like something you would use for storing fishing tackle or to sort out screws, washers, nuts and bolts. I like the idea of having everything together in one case but have the option of *trying* to keep similar types of blocks sorted out in the compartments. If I were to go this route, I would need to have adjustable compartments to be able to adapt to the differently sized pieces.

So…the jury is still out. I’m leaning towards either option 3 or 4 but I can’t decide.

Do you have a kid who loves Lego? I’d love to hear how you are storing your Lego and what is working for you. If you have any ideas or insight to share, please leave me a comment below. Thanks!

And if you have a birthday party to plan soon, you should consider having a Lego party like Lisa did. I’m sure hosting one of these is in my future…