How to Design With Legos

Lego blocks are not just kids toys. Lego enthusiasts build intricate designs and replicas of buildings, locations and people. In addition to standard building blocks, Lego also manufactures an array of other building products including simpler Lego building blocks for preschoolers and Mindstorms programmable robot kits, used by students of all ages. The basic Lego building blocks are still a popular choice for builders of all ages, and there are several methods to design and build with them.

Basic Building

Step 1

Get to know your Legos. Snap some together. Study the different sizes and shapes. See which ones fit together in sturdy or flimsy connections. You'll have a better idea of what you can build once you know what you have to work with.

Step 2

Organize your Legos. Place larger bricks with larger bricks, thin bricks with thin bricks, and flat bases together. Organize Legos into groups. Depending on what you want to build, you might also want to organize the bricks by color.

Step 3

Jot down ideas on what you want to build. Have fun tinkering around, but if you want to make a specific object, you've got to know what it is going to be.

Step 4

Use only as many parts as you need to build a sturdy and secure structure. Make your construction stable, but if you use too many parts, you may run out of blocks.

Step 5

Build complex constructions in stages. Build separate parts and then combine them, or build one structure in a series of consecutive steps.

Step 6

Look at what you have designed. Consider improvements or changes that you may wish to incorporate if you build it again.

Step 7

Coordinate the colors in your structure. This may make your design seem more artistic, elegant or realistic, depending on what the construction is.

Step 8

Disassemble it and build it again. If the design is something you will recreate, practice makes perfect.