Ouch! No more stepping on LEGO pieces in the dark!

Toys with lots of small parts (like LEGO and other construction toys) are an ongoing storage and organization problem. The pieces tend to spread themselves about during play, and then it takes a long time to gather them all up to put them away. And if you’ve ever stepped on a LEGO brick on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you know why I headed this post “Ouch!” (The actual words used in this situation are not suitable for a family-friendly blog… )

The LEGO company used to produce an item which is perfect for this situation -a large circular playmat with a drawstring round the edge.

When it’s time to play, the pieces (well, most of them!) stay on the mat, then at the end of the session, it’s easy to scoot any strays back onto the mat, draw up the edge string to turn it into a bag, and hang the bag from a hook.

You could easily make one of these from a bedsheet cut into a circle, with a casing sewn around the edge, and a looooong string run through the casing.

If your kids need to keep some parts separate from the rest of the collection, use clear screw-top plastic jars (like peanut butter jars) or other sturdy containers with lids that won’t come off inside the bag. The kind of plastic boxes with multiple compartments inside are really great for storing lots of tiny detail parts, or LEGO people - look for well-made fishing tackle or tool boxes with positive locking clips instead of just a lip to hold the lid closed.

Resources:

The LEGO Company Shop-at-home service: more LEGO pieces than you could ever need (don’t show your kids this site!)

Lions Gate Models custom LEGO city and town models - free building instructions for LEGO cars and trucks and a huge hospital, and many more instructions to buy.