Everyone loves Lego! Here are the best sets, mugs and games for all Lego fans

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• Their favorite themed set

  One of the reasons Lego sets are so popular is the countless licensing agreements. No matter what you’re passionate about, Lego has signed a deal to create a Lego set about it. (And then, in an ouroboros of advertising, the company will then make a movie about the Lego set about franchise.) Anyway, this is a long and roundabout way of saying that my son and I are obsessed with Lego Formula 1 sets. I even got to see the Lego cars take to the track at one Formula 1 racing. Since then we have been watching races and Netflix shows Drive to survive. It’s a perfect collaboration because Lego bricks and Formula 1 engineers are on the same page when it comes to precise engineering and tight tolerances. Plus, once construction is complete, the cars work as toys as well as sets.

• Lego

  Star Wars Smart Play Duel and A-Wing in the Throne Room

  If you are curious about the new Lego Smart gaming systemthe Star Wars Throne Room Duel and A-Wing set is a great way to dip your toes in the water. This fun build lets you recreate the climax of Return of the Jediwith Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker facing off as Emperor Palpatine looks on and a space battle raging outside. Smart bricks add lightsaber sounds, lasers, explosions, heavy breathing, and even a rendition of “The Imperial March.” They also light up, but you will have to remember to charge them. —Simon Hill

• A Lego centerpiece

  Lego

  Bouquet of pink roses

  My daughter and my husband love it Lego Botanicals Collection. These beautiful tree and flower sets work well as holiday centerpieces once you’re done building: you can leave them right on the table, instead of hiding them in your Lego basement once you’re done. My 11 year old son built this cute bouquet of roses with hinged heads so you can arrange them in the box. For winter holidays we also recommend the Lego poinsettia set ($40)which was our centerpiece last year.

• A Lego Christmas present

  If you have a colleague who likes Lego and you want to give him something small and thoughtful, I suggest this little notepad. It’s very cute, with 224 pieces of paper, and one side looks like a brick. The notes themselves are approximately 5 inches long, which is quite large for a fairly substantial note! Chronicle Books has a whole range of Lego books, puzzles and stationery for your Lego obsessed friend. You can also add a bunch brick erasers ($17) to make a little care package.

• Lego playing cards

  If you also have an 8 or 10 year old, let me recommend a simple tip: instead of giving in to their demands to let them look at your phone while you’re away, always carry a deck of cards in your bag. It’s crazy how many times my kids have sat and waited patiently in a doctor’s office or restaurant until they could start a game of Crazy Eights or Go Fish (I don’t recommend Speed). These Lego playing cards are beautiful and brightly colored, feel sturdy, and have withstood several rounds of shuffling around a table. The box comes in a set of two, so your kids can divide it.

• Ornaments for your tree

  I wish we were a family that kept precious heirlooms, all wrapped in tissue paper, ready to marvel at when decorating next year’s tree. Unfortunately, every year we face a Christmas tree disaster or something else. Our new puppy chewed the stuffed animals an uncle sent us; my son sent a baseball crashing into the ceramic horse head I had as a child. We always need new ornaments, so why not new Lego? They are very cute and my son put them together in minutes.

• A big Lego book

  

  Courtesy of Page Street Kids

  Street children page

  The Big Book of Amazing Lego Creations with the Bricks You Already Own

  All your decor is now dismantled and do you need inspiration looking at the giant wheelbarrow of Lego bricks on your porch? This is my kids’ favorite book for getting ideas on what to build. It was difficult not to “lose” him from the library.

  All the builds are pretty easy and so far I haven’t seen any that require specialist parts. However, you’ll probably need more than 12 red bricks or 14 yellow bricks to complete most builds, so you’ll want to make sure your Lego loved one already has a substantial collection. If you want other sources of inspiration, we also like The art of brick ($30)and I would be remiss if I didn’t include our own Brian Barrett’s book, Figurine art ($28).

• A family activity

  Lego

  Christmas tree puzzle

  If you’re having loved ones over for the holidays, I suggest putting together a little puzzle like this while everyone waits for you to put the finishing touches on dinner. These are not one big puzzle, which can seem overwhelming and make it difficult to get off the table, but four separate smaller puzzles. Your kids, or your parents, or your fun uncle can work on each little puzzle separately and put them together later. Each of the spines is structured differently, allowing you to distinguish the different puzzles when you put them away or reassemble them.

• A Lego head cup

  As the Lego brand toys arrived in my house, I must warn you that my children were very confused. (“Why are all these Lego gifts coming when none of them are Lego?”) However, my son was immediately thrilled and delighted with this mug and asked me to wash it every morning so he could drink from it.

  There is several faces to choose if your children don’t want to match. It’s ceramic and holds about 17 ounces of liquid, so big enough for a 7 year old, but nothing their little hands can’t handle. It is dishwasher safe. We also received These off-brand Lego cups ($13) as gifts, but again, the adhesive power of off-brand Lego bricks is not satisfactory and the bricks do not stick very well.

• The best Lego notebook

  Lego

  Lockable notepad for stationery

  Do you have a little artistic Lego lover? My daughter is obsessed with this notebook and takes it everywhere she goes. It measures about 6 inches square, so small enough to fit in a backpack or tote bag, with 176 decent lined sheets. It has a wonderful vanity: the Lego gel pen matches the color of the binding and snaps right onto it, so it locks the notebook and ensures you never lose your pen. Unless you are 10 years old and leave your enclosure on the kitchen table, where your puppy finds it and eats it (see below).

• Add Lego pens

  

  My daughter was so heartbroken when her puppy destroyed her Lego pen that my husband decided he needed to replace it immediately (plus the pen was very cool). This is a pack of 10 licensed Lego gel pens. They come in 10 distinct colors and fit Lego bricks, which is great fun if your child decides to build their own homemade desk organizer while they draw. The ink flows easily and lasts several weeks. For more paper and pen ideas, check out our guide to Best paper notebooks.

• A luminous key ring

  Lego

  Luminous keychain figurine

  Far be it from me to tell you what to add to your bag charmsbut Lego night light keychains are weird And useful. If you’ve ever dropped something in the dark in the back of a car, while walking down the street, or even dropped something into the depths of the black hole of your own bag, then you know that having a little light can come in handy.

  Lego makes a ton of different light-up keychains, and all the figures are very sturdy and posable. (I like Banana Guy mainly because of his description: “He likes two things: Bananas and party. “) They also work as a fun little item if you’re sitting in a waiting room with your son.

• Little Lego Messages

  This discussion forum is awesome! This is the best idea ever! This is a decent sized set with 1,793 pieces intended for children over 9 years old, but my then 7 year old son had no problem following the building instructions (he’s quite experienced, I suppose).

  You build the framework, then write your personalized messages by making letters. There are even instructions for adding umlauts, accents, and other special characters if you’re writing in different languages, and it includes different stickers to punctuate your message. I wake up every morning to my kids greeting me with different messages, which is very, very cute.

• A fun video game

  

  Courtesy of Warner Bros. Interactive

  Lego

  Ninjago movie video game

  Disclosure: We are playing this game as part of our PlayStation Plus subscription, but you can buy it à la carte. I was quite surprised by how much fun this game was. The graphics are rich and immersive. The gameplay also hits that fine balance between being easy enough to master for 8- to 10-year-olds, while still being enjoyable for 40-year-olds who push their kids aside to take turns fighting in the dojos. I am also very interested in Lego Lord of the Rings Series ($21) for PlayStation.

• The little face of a Lego lover

  I haven’t been able to hang any artwork or pictures in my kids’ playroom. With the number of stuffed animals, soccer balls, cheap drones or the occasional spaghetti noodle thrown around, I already have a painting with broken glass in the frame. I don’t want it anymore. Do you have a similar problem when trying to display photos of your rambunctious little Lego-loving trolls? These photo frames might be the answer. These picture frames are made from sturdy plastic with a sliding slot for displaying photos or artwork. They come in a wide variety of colors, and those made of wood come in much larger sizes.

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