MUST Have Basics for Starting Your LEGO Collection

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LEGO Must Have Collage

My boys are just getting to the age where LEGO sets are cool – except that they just don’t have the desire (or the attention span!) to put together a set that consists of a few hundred pieces! OR more likely than not the kids lose the instruction manual and then they are left with a small bag of random pieces that they can’t build anything out of because they don’t have enough pieces.

So one year for the holidays we decided that our children’s Christmas gift will be just our LEGO start collection – and it cost us UNDER $56. I have spent literally HOURS searching and hunting and coming up with the perfect sets of LEGOS that will help my younger boys have the pieces they need to boost their creative juices and not need to follow manuals for specific sets.

LEGOs are expensive – and you can almost never find them secondhand – I’ve looked for 2 years to no avail! I have searched many sites for the best prices and best LEGO sets and here is what we are purchasing for our kids to start their LEGO collection – the stress-free way!

LEGO Deluxe set

Bricks are definitely a basic necessity when it comes to LEGOs and I find that any large quantity generic large brick box is the best price for what you get, especially if you’re purchasing it around the holidays. This set is a great choice for a once and done starter box. It includes a variety of colors and is just a simple box of bricks – nothing fancy. A box of plain bricks is step #1!

LEGO Doors Windows

Step #2, you’ll need a box of LEGO doors and windows. This is the next step to a PERFECT set for starting your LEGO collection. And it’s just $12.99. There are plenty for both boys to share and plenty to build houses with.

LEGO Wheels

The 3rd and last important set you’ll need to complete your LEGO starter collection is a box of LEGO wheels! This gives you an awesome start to building those LEGO vehicles. Kids LOVE to build cars and this comes with all sorts of sizes, “hubcaps”, “axles”, and everything else a kid needs to build the right sized car for him.

Depending on the season and sales, the three types of sets above will cost about $56 and will include around 856 pieces. It includes the best variety for building your own LEGO creations without needing a specific kit or instruction manual.  

It is the most basic “needed” LEGO collections to give kids the best variety. They have a good core selection of bricks, wheels, and doors/windows so they can build everything from cars, zoos, houses, and more. This way you aren’t paying for a specialty brand name like Disney, Harry Potter, etc. but your building ideas are still endless!

Below are some more ideas that I recommend to include in your starter set if you can afford a little bit extra.

  • LEGO Building Plates – These run $4.99 each (I recommend starting with 4). These are probably the only thing I’d consider a generic of if you are looking to cut a few bucks.

A special note about Minifigures – Minifigures are SO much fun to have and really boost the creative play for kids but can easily cost $5-$10 PER figure! Ouch! I highly recommend saving up and checking out the LEGO Education sets which have awesome minifigure sets which have about 22 figures + 200 accessory pieces including the Community Worker set, Fairytales & Historcial Figures Set, and others which run about $45 a set.

BONUS – Check out our DIY LEGO Table on a budget AND our extensive LIST of FREE LEGO apps for Kids of ALL ages or click on the image below!

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5 Comments

  1. This is awesome! With all of the Lego options out there, it’s hard to know where to start. Thanks!

  2. Thank you so much! My son is 6 and loves lego!!! he loves the minifigures, but I never knew there were huge lot sets you could purchase!!! I believe I’m in heaven! and thank heavens it doesn’t require me to build Star War Lego ships! 🙂 lol

  3. I’m curious about your findings. I’ve been searching, like you did, for a basic set of bricks. All the reviews I’ve read lead me to believe the bulk sets, like the first one on your list, include mostly small (1×2 and 2×2) pieces. People have commented that there aren’t many larger (6×2 or longer) for what it costs. Were you pleased with what you got for the money? Did you buy directly from the Lego website, or from another site, like amazon, or a brick and mortar store??

    1. I bought the sets that I have linked to in the post based on the price and amount (IE – the cheapest for the best quantity). I was very happy with the sets that I got together. It gave us more than enough bricks, wheels, windows, mini figures, etc. for my 2 boys to have a really nice full “starter” set up for them to be creative with!

  4. I know this post is old, but I’m a long time AFOL and I had no idea about the Education Sets that contained so many cool minifigs. Great tip, Thanks!

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