More Than 50 LEGO Building Ideas

There are many LEGO safe builds out there. We have chosen this one because it is a good beginner’s build. There are no specialist LEGO bricks involved, and even builders with a relatively limited range and number of bricks can make this safe.

If the gray is too plain for you, you can take it up a notch by using different colors or making patterns with your bricks.

If there is a trickster in your home, they are sure to adore this LEGO puzzle box.

It looks just like a basic LEGO house, and when you shake it, you can hear something rattle inside. This is the treat you must retrieve. However, the door doesn’t open, so the person you give the house to must work out how to open the box.

As a variation, if a puzzle box seems too advanced for your beginning builder, start with a simple drawer that uses common LEGO pieces many builders have. As a newbie, your child won’t have a lot of pieces lying around to work with. But all they need are some mismatched pieces and a few simple drawer-building rules to get started.

This simple LEGO house is an ideal starting point for kids who want to start creating their own buildings, but do not yet feel confident in their ability to transform the mental image of their design into an actual model.

And at five minutes long, this is an easy to follow video.

A more complex model for the mid-level LEGO builder, this house does not have a step-by-step video. Instead, the video assumes a certain level of building knowledge and focuses on showing the detail of the build.

This allows you to make either an exact replica or use the unique building details on a model of your own.

Whether you have built a house from a LEGO set, or you have created your own, you might still want to “decorate” to make it unique.

This pair of videos take you step-by-step through a total of 20 pieces of furniture and home accessories, such as a bedside table with lamp and a grandfather clock.

This is not a working LEGO vending machine. Instead, we have chosen this starter item for LEGO beginners because it is easy to create and requires only basic pieces.

The model will make a great addition to a store, school, or other city building. It can also be customized using different colors.

Only basic pieces are needed for this vending machine. The best part is that it truly works. Any younger child will be amazed by that.

The build itself is easy. Under the video, there is even a link for you to get the decals used on the machine. This can also be upscaled, so instead of using Tic Tacs you could use Skittles or similar candy.

For older, more experienced LEGO experts who have an extensive variety of pieces, plus some non-LEGO accessories to use, there is this working breakfast machine.

You can toast your bread, squirt some Nutella on top, and then pour yourself a nice fresh shot of OJ all in one LEGO-tastic spot.

Robots are a popular LEGO build. They can be found in a wide range of sizes and difficulties.

So, to begin with, here is a simple, step-by-step, beginner’s robot build. It even lets you know that all of the pieces can be found in the LEGO Classic 11003 box of bricks.

This larger robot has articulated arms and a head that can spin, but it doesn’t need any specialist LEGO pieces from either Technic or Mindstorms. The entire robot is completely mechanical.

This is a challenging build for new builders, but those with more experience, including adults, will find it enjoyable.

If you have a Transformers fan, or a kid who enjoys LEGO builds they can fiddle with, this is an excellent choice.

First, you build a stylized version of the iconic yellow and black Bumblebee from the Transformers series. Then, with a deft flip of a few bricks, you have Bumblebee, the robot.

Yes, you can buy and build a LEGO set that either features a bus, or has a bus as one of the items.

However, once your child is comfortable creating with LEGO, they may want to build vehicles that are different, but still work with a regular scale LEGO town or city.

For kids with some LEGO Technic, this pneumatic gumball machine is straightforward enough to build, but without being overly simple or complex.

The video begins with the finished product and a demonstration of how it works. There is then a deconstruction of the machine so you can see how it was built and how it works.

This garbage truck is a mid-level build. The video uses LEGO Digital Designer software to illustrate the steps of the build, although you don’t need the software to view the video or understand the instructions.

The free software can be downloaded from LEGO and it can be used to map out your builds ⁽¹⁾.

If your child is a fan of Fortnite, they can recreate some of the most iconic items from the franchise, in LEGO.

The creator of this video specializes in designing builds that have been requested by fans from a variety of digital universes. They even keep a public running list of their completed, and up and coming builds ⁽²⁾.

Even a LEGO mini-figure has to get away from it all from time to time, and this is how they can do it in style.

This model is especially satisfying as it is not too complex, but you do end up with a large travel trailer that has plenty of detail.

This custom Iron Man suit requires some of the pieces that are only found in the LEGO sets which feature Marvel’s Iron Man.

So, this build is only suitable for kids who already have a set that can be ransacked for Iron Man bits, or you can order the parts from LEGO Customer Service ⁽³⁾.

One of LEGO’s all-time most popular sets, there are endless videos showing people build their roller coasters. However, if you don’t have the roller coaster set, you can build your own using this video, but you will have to keep pausing to catch up.

You don’t need to have the Batwing set to run on it — that’s just for this video.

Although not especially complicated, this is a marble run best built by those who have confidence in their LEGO skills. The video is especially clear with navigation on the viewing bar to help you find the right points to pause and rewind.

This is also a good learning experience as the techniques shown allow you to build bigger, more complex marble runs of your own.

Hamster, rat, and other pet mazes are popular projects, but we have only seen one hamster house as good as this.

The vibrant colors of the bricks in this build come from the LEGO Friends sets, but they are the same sizes and shapes as bricks from other sets. So, you can use whichever bricks you have at home.

Rather than making this list all about models, we thought we’d throw a curveball and suggest you build a LEGO movie. It is much easier than it sounds.

This tutorial will guide you through the techniques for creating a LEGO stop-motion video. The same techniques can be used for stop motion animation using anything, not just LEGO.

Again, pinball machines can be found all over the internet. However, many videos show the pinball machine working, but do not have instructions or the machines require Technic or Mindstorms LEGO.

This working pinball machine does not need any specialist parts, has all of the instructions, and is accessible for confident beginners.

We like the simplicity of this desk organizer — both the building process and the end result.

Kids do not need a lot of experience to recreate this project as it uses the most basic of techniques. The build can also be easily customized, so your child can give it the personal touch, without much effort.

Rather than recreating another of the many phone and tablet stand ideas, why not try another simple, yet fun LEGO building idea? This “working” LEGO TV is awesome for beginners who want a cool, but easy, design.

This was a popular one in our house as it is far less complicated than you would think, looking at the finished item.

Fans of HexBugs will know that half of the fun comes from watching the little battery-powered insects as they come up against obstacles.

This HexBug LEGO maze can be built by even the newest builder and for those that know their way around a brick, it is straightforward to customize.

If you and your child are not averse to pulling the head off of a mini-figure or two, then this could be the build for you.

Using the head from any mini-figure, it’s easy to make these tiny bobble-heads which can be displayed as part of other builds or on their own.

While this LEGO building idea is fun, the best thing about this video is that it explains how to build items that move with an uncomplicated crank system. These techniques can then be applied to create your own moving models.

The build does assume some basic understanding of how to build with LEGO.

Rather than making a large but pedestrian Pug-shaped money box, confident beginners can try their hand at this building idea.

Turn the crank and the pug’s tongue comes out. Place your coin on its tongue, turn the crank again, and it “eats” your coin. Money can be left inside or removed via a drawer.

An extremely satisfying build, this LEGO infinity cube is far easier to make than you think. Kids who think “I couldn’t build that” will get an instant confidence boost when they discover that, yes, they can.

As a bonus, the fidget spinner stands up to hours of use.

This trebuchet not only looks fantastic, but it has a range of approximately 20 feet.

The video shows the trebuchet in detail as well as demonstrating how it works. For confident builders this will be enough, but for those who want a little more information, there is also a link to detailed step-by-step instructions.

Fans of spinning toys and Beyblade, in particular, will enjoy building these LEGO spinning tops. Each one has a different design, and once you master the basic build technique you can move on to designs of your own.

For the “arena” you need a sheet of poster board as well as the LEGO.

Although overly simple, we included these targets for four reasons:

They are a great first “freestyle” build if your builder lacks confidence.

The targets can be upscaled and personalized.

They can be used with LEGO Nerf guns.

Once they’ve finished, your little builder can take this outside for some fresh air and exercise.

Once your child has finished this LEGO building idea, they can enjoy some learning experiments.

Begin by tying one end of your line higher or lower and trying different angles to discover how to make the zipline carriage speed up or slow down. Then you can use different “rope” materials to learn about friction.

Younger children deserve some LEGO building ideas of their own, and we are huge fans of this LEGO Duplo shadow theater.

Not only is it a fun build in itself, but once finished, your child can learn about light and shadow before moving on to enjoy exploring storytelling and performance.

You don’t need to have an extensive collection of Duplo bricks to make these basic animals.

Each is an uncomplicated build in itself. Then, once they have learned which bricks can be combined to create the shapes of various creatures, your child can move onto making some of their own.

For younger children who are too old for Duplo, but are still new to LEGO, this basic dragon project is ideal.

While the eye bricks are a nice detail, it does not matter if your child doesn’t have any of them. You can swap out a plain color brick and still have an excellent dinosaur toy creation.

Near the beginning of this video, there is a useful piece showing the colors, shapes, and sizes of the bricks you need. It also shows how many of each brick you need.

This is useful for teaching the importance of planning what you need, before you start a project, of any kind.

Moving on from the dinosaur, this LEGO dragon building idea introduces how to use bricks to add fun details, such as the flames coming from its mouth.

The video clearly lays out each step and moves slowly enough for a child to follow along, without the need for repeated stopping and starting.

If your child is a LEGO expert who is looking for more of a challenge, but they do not want to move into LEGO Technic, this is a build that will appeal to them.

It’s a hospital, with an interior including an x-ray machine and wards. This build is four stories, but you can easily make it taller by adding more floors.

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This mini project is for children who find it easier to learn when they are doing something active, with their hands.

Not only does it help some children learn their alphabet in a way that works for them, once your child has built the letters, you can use them for spelling and reading.

This tutorial provides all of the steps for seven easy magic tricks, using LEGO bricks, as well as the building instructions for each of the props used.

Now your child can spend the morning putting these straightforward creations together, the afternoon rehearsing the tricks, and the evening entertaining the family.

A cute project in itself, this pull toy will be especially appealing for die-hard LEGO fans who know about the history of the company.

LEGO founder Ole Kirk Christiansen was a carpenter, and this is a recreation of one of the most famous wooden toys his company made many years before the LEGO brick.

LEGO Boost is a line that allows children to build models with premade motors and sensors. The free LEGO Boost app then walks children through the process of making their projects move through simple icon-based coding.

This bunny is a cute introduction to building and coding with LEGO Boost.

Rather than make little model LEGO gifts that will look pretty in a LEGO scene, why not build an actual gift box made from LEGO?

This video shows you how to create a hinged LEGO gift box that is as much of a gift as the item it eventually holds.

An incredibly complex looking LEGO build, this Narnia Wardrobe “book nook” can sit neatly between the tomes on your shelf where it will harbor two secrets.

The first is the miniature Narnia scene inside the wardrobe, the second is that it is relatively easy to make for the confident LEGO fan.

For the times when you need a LEGO building idea that will baffle all those who look at it, there is this amazing LEGO tensegrity sculpture.

It is straightforward to build, fascinating to look at, and you’ll have the bonus of watching everyone’s face as they try to figure out how it works.

This nightlight is built from Duplo, but it might be too challenging for a little one to build themselves. Instead, we used this as a LEGO building idea for one of our sons to build with his little brother.

This also provided an opportunity for our son to practice the art of explaining a process to someone else.

These vases are simple to build, but they are also a useful teaching tool.

When your child has built one, ask them to build another but in different colors or with a specific pattern of stripes. Then have them list the parts they will need, using only what they learned from the first vase build.

Children may like a variation with LEGO flowers included.

Some LEGO building ideas provide a kind of meditative therapy, and this is one of them.

Making coasters may not be the dynamic project that will appeal to high energy kids, but the more sedate child in your life may enjoy the challenge of putting together a coaster with pleasing color combinations, or a repeating pattern.

This Battleship-style game is not only a fun build, you also end up with a cool, portable game. If the idea of sinking battleships doesn’t appeal, no problem. One of our children recreated this game, used flowers on the “ships,” making them into gardens to dig up instead of ships to sink.

We have an admittedly, extremely specialist build which unlike our other building ideas, is not intended as an instructional video. Instead, this video introduces you to David Aguilar who built his first prosthetic arm when he was nine.

See, you can create almost anything with LEGO, even a functional prosthetic arm. It’s a great message to share with your young builder — that anything is possible with a little imagination.