Boredom Buster: Lego Challenges

Every now and then, with four boys in our house, things get just a little loud and crazy.  They have forgotten that they own about a thousand toys, and everyone fights over one or two.  There is shouting, pushing, and tears.  Lately I've found that they respond really well to timed challenges or goal-specific challenges!

These ideas would be great with Christmas break coming up, or for a snow day activity.  It would also be fun for a Lego party.

These work well on their own, or with a small prize for certain categores.

Timed Lego Challenge
Set a timer for 15 (or 20) minutes or longer, send the kids to the Lego, and see what kind of creations they can come up with.  At the end, make a big deal of describing each vehicle, giving kids a chance to name it and tell all about it.

Random Lego Challenge
Scoop up a cup full of Lego for each child.  Give them some space and about 10 minutes or so.  See what kind of creations they can come up with.

Specific Lego Challenge
Give the kids a theme to work with.  The easy ones are things like space, travel, or vehicles  The more fun and challenging ones could be anything from circus to camping to the zoo to a party.  Again, give a time limit, and give kids a chance to present their finished product.

Height Challenge
Give a cup full of lego (as with the random challenge) and see who can build the tallest tower that can stand for at least a minute.

Bridge Challenge
This is always a fun one.  Have them build a bridge that can fit a certain car underneath it, and can also hold the most weight (check afterward by adding one book at a time onto it).

And if they're really proud of their creation, take a picture, and display it!

There are so many other great ideas out there!  Let me know if you have any more to add!

For more great lego ideas, check out:

Lego Board Storage

Lego Manual Storage