This post is sponsored by Joann Store’s. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used in this blog post. This means that when you purchase through one of these links, this site will earn a small commission.
With heavy holiday shopping on the horizon, I usually do a quick sweep of the kids’ toys to get rid of the clutter and to make space for the new. There is one type of toy, though, that has stayed put throughout the years, even when it’s ‘broken’. I’m talking about the most iconic and nostalgic toy of all time, LEGO®! It’s no wonder then that the LEGO® Dots sets are on top of my list this year and why it’s also my most highly recommended toy to add to your shopping list too!
LEGO DOTS
As a mom of 4, I’ll be honest… I’m in that stage of my motherhood journey where I’ve become really picky on toy purchases. Gone are the days where I would purchase random toys that end up unused days later. I’m selective and only make purchases that I know will stand the test of time and that will grow with my children’s interests.
LEGO Stands The Test Of Time
We’ve built countless sets over the years and part of the beauty of LEGO bricks is being able to build and rebuild (and rebuild some more) to create something brand new from all those wayward pieces. That’s probably one of the reasons the love of LEGO has stood the test of time (and my children’s changing ages.)
One thing that amazes me most about Lego Dots is that it captures my 7-year-old’s interest just as much as it captures my 12-year old’s interest too! 12 is a hard age to please and seeing my 12-year-old daughter smiling and creating her own unique version of each activity was heartwarming! Even better, my 12-year-old and 7 year old worked together happily chatting away (and bonding) while building their creations. I love that Lego Dots provides the foundation for a sibling activity, while also being wonderful as an independent quiet time activity too!
Why LEGO DOTS Are The Perfect Pick For The Perfect Gift
This holiday season, I’m obsessed with the legendary brick-makers arts and crafts themed line, LEGO DOTS. Like other LEGO sets, they’re colorful, creative, and offer tangible results, but the real beauty is in the customization. Featuring 1×1 tiles in multiple shapes and sizes, LEGO DOTS sets are all about self-expression that isn’t instruction-heavy and doesn’t require a lot of guidance making DOTS the ideal kid-led project. DOTS invites kids to be bold, add color to their world and never stop creating. It’s arts and crafts for kids, with a unique Lego twist.
Benefits of LEGO Dots
What other toy can fit so many perks into a single package? Let their creativity run wild with imaginary play while constructing creations that can range from simple towers to complex scenes.
- Building with LEGO is a great way to incorporate STEM basics into playtime.
Balancing bricks for stability, designing details, doing simple math to figure out how many blocks are needed, finding out-of-the-box solutions to bring their vision to life.
- Teaches a child how to follow instructions – children will likely begin their project by creating the Lego DOTS piece as per the instructions. They will learn to work with visual directions.
- Encourages out-of-the-box thinking – after creating the version in the instructions many children will break up the piece and start again, this time infusing their own thoughts into the building process.
- Helps develop fine motor skills – building those Lego Dots sets works a child’s fine motor skills. These fine motor skills are important for school when it comes to writing.
- Extends a child’s attention span and focus – it takes concentration to build these sets and I’m always amazed by how Lego has really helped my children learn to sit down and work on a task at hand.
- Improves a child’s self-esteem – once the Lego Dots set is created a child is left with a sense of accomplishment.
- Allows children to infuse their own creativity and artistic thoughts – the dots are amazing for turning the Lego set into a fun and unique piece of art that represents a child’s thoughts. Children will place the dot pieces according to their own preferences.
- Lego Dots turns a Lego STEM activity into a STEAM activity by incorporating an artistic twist.
More about the LEGO DOTS range
LEGO DOTS features large and small sets.
One of our favorite LEGO DOTS sets is the LEGO DOTS Picture Frames.
I did this project with my daughters as a mother-daughter activity. It left us ooh-ing and aah-ing over each other’s creativity and how we all expressed our artistic abilities in such unique ways.
Let me give you a closer look at what the project looks like:
The frameset comes with 3 frames. We each picked a color and followed the instructions to build the frame base.
Once we built the frames it was time to add the Lego Dots. We could opt to follow the examples in the book or we could create our own unique version.
Once we decorated our frames, we chose the pictures we wanted to add. I measured out the required sizes, added them to a Word Document and printed them out. Then we cut out the pictures.
The frames come with an easy opening to slip photos into making for a memorable memento. Talk about time well-spent bonding and creating lasting memories.
Other LEGO DOTS sets we love include:
- LEGO DOTS Jewelry Stand: Featuring 5 hooks to hang jewelry and a tray for accessories, this rainbow-theme DIY room decor project isn’t just creative, it’s functional too! Prefer something that will fit into a drawer for safe-keeping? – the LEGO DOTS Jewelry Box is an excellent alternative. You can get the Jewelry Stand here.
- LEGO DOTS Cupcake Party Kit: Have a little one with a birthday coming up? Need an out-of-the-box activity to keep the kids busy at a birthday party or holiday celebration? Then this set is the one I recommend. With 8 customizable cupcakes, the Cupcake Kit is an amazing creative-craft pick that gives each little one an individual cupcake to decorate with tiles and stickers to their heart’s content. Remove the icing to reveal a small secret compartment, the perfect place to surprise them with a hidden treat!
You can find the Party Kit here.
The set even includes candles so children can pretend to blow out the candles too.
- LEGO DOTS Creative Designer box: The largest set in the LEGO DOTS line, the Creative Designer Box is the ultimate gift for any arts and crafts-crazed kiddo. While the set does include a magazine loaded with ideas, inspiration, and instructions to create complex pieces. Children can build a desk organizer and hanging message board using the 650 tiles included. The options for personalized fun are endless. There’s no better way to turbo-charge their creativity, imagination, and design skills.
Encouraging kids to custom-decorate their creations, smaller LEGO DOTS sets include constructed objects such as the LEGO DOTS Pineapple pencil holder, perfect for storing your little artist’s crayons and markers.
For a little fashionista, wearables like the LEGO DOTS Power Bracelets can be endlessly customized according to their outfits and moods. The line also includes crafty collectibles such as the LEGO DOTS Bag Tag and room decor like the LEGO DOTS Mini Frames. You can find the Power Bracelets here.
Need a Stocking Stuffer for the holiday season?
Some of these adorable little packages are the perfect size to slip into Christmas stockings? The Lego Dots Bracelets, Extra Dots Packs and Unicorn Bag Tag will fit perfectly into holiday stockings. Plus, these stocking stuffers won’t wind up in the trash in a couple of days!
My girls loved the bracelets. They weren’t hard to put together, allowed them to express themselves, kept them busy, and provided a good amount of creation time.
I actually plan to keep a set of these aside for restaurants and times when I need a boredom buster! Just throw some into the trunk of your car and bring them out whenever you need them.
Educational Ideas for Lego Dots
Not only are you working on those fine motor skills, but Lego Dots also allows you to extend the learning by incorporating more educational aspects to your Lego Dots playtime.
- Work on a child’s visual perception by having your child copy a design from the book or copy from within their own design.
- Children can work on patterns too. Try out an ABAB or AAB AAB pattern.
- Count pieces
- Sort by colors
Snag Your LEGO DOTS Sets, NOW!
LEGO® DOTS make a wonderful solitary project for kids that prefer independent play but work just as well for the kind of social activity that gets kids to band together and work as a group. Add that to the boost in their imagination and creative freedom and you’ve just found the perfect gift for every kid on your list this holiday season.
Leave a Comment