Sisters, Friends & Lego

My sister and I played for hours, sprawled out in different positions on the floor. Sunday afternoons were dedicated in this fashion: a large sheet rumbled on the ground with piles of Lego around us. It’s one of my strongest play memories, and we still talk about those times to this day. Now I’m the parent, and it’s my turn to watch my kids form friendships through play.

Toys that encourage a special bond are at the top of my list, and Lego in particular, is fabulous. I’ve purchasedLego Friends sets before because my daughters resonate with the designs and characters, and the cute collections have become a wonderful addition to our extensive Lego collection. 

Lego Friends are designed to engage girls with relatable stories that facilitate friendships, and encourage the joy of creating and building with Lego. Set in Heartlake City, the five main characters are Mia, Stephanie, Emma, Andrea and Olivia. Below is a snapshot of their personalities and interests:

• Olivia is friendly and intelligent; she likes reading, hiking, nature, and science.
• Mia is helpful and caring; she likes animals, magic, sports and playing the drums.
• Stephanie is confident and down to earth; she likes baking, ballet, soccer and organising parties.
• Emma is kind and fashionable; she likes designing clothes, cars and horseback riding.
• Andrea is practical and dramatic; she likes singing, dancing, acting and cooking.

I’m featuring some of the new sets for 2015:

• Heartlake Lighthouse (41094)
• Vet Clinic (41085)
• Mia’s Roadster (41091)
• Little Foal (41098)
• Olivia’s Garden Pool (41090) 

You can find individual mini reviews over on my YouTube Channel.

There’s an attention to detail in these sets which my daughters adore. It’s the chain that holds the boat to the lighthouse and the indoor toilet. They LOVE the toilet. Ha! It’s the cherry for the glass and the different ice-cream flavours. It’s the heart shaped pool and the way the x-ray machine in the animal clinic moves. It’s so fun to play with!

Heartlake Lighthouse

Set on the lake, there’s ice cream to eat and fun to be had in the water.

* This set comes with 2 figures, Kate (on the far left) and Stephanie (second from the right)

Vet Clinic

Groom, care and play, the clinic has it all.

Mia’s Roadster

Fill the car with petrol; wash and fix it.

Olivia’s Garden Pool

The pool is a heart shape! Refreshments, music and a slide means a fun time.

Little Foal

All you need to feed and care for the foal.

Figures

Figures come with cute flowers, sunglasses and hats so you can change up the looks.

Now, I’m not exaggerating when I say the girls played with the sets for 7 hours straight, with a 10-minute break for lunch. It started with creating, and then playing, and later, I set up a tent in the backyard and gave the girls afternoon tea there. I had to go out and drag them in for dinner. The girls agreed it was “the best day”. The fun and enjoyment continues, and that’s the beauty of Lego.

I’m sharing five ideas on how to facilitate friendships with Lego Friends below. 

1. Play Dates

Make a backyard tent for play dates or just for somewhere different to play. This is deceptively easy to set up, and friends could take their Lego bricks outdoors and have a cute picnic. Find step-by-step instructions for setting up a simple sheet tent here.

2. Travel

Create travel sets for holidays, parks and playgrounds. Print a paper play mat, throw it in a cute box and take Lego Friends anywhere. Download the printable lake for the boat here.

3. Parties

Have a Lego Friends inspired birthday party.

• Lego Brick Cake with mini cardboard flat bunting.
• Make mini Lego Brick gift bags by attaching 6 circle shapes with double sided mounting tape to a paper gift bag. This makes it look like a Lego brick. Inside the bags you could include a Lego Friends Mini Figure, a lollipop and gel pens
• Build a Lego brick cutlery holder. This is easy to make – simply build a box shape with an empty centre and pop your cutlery in.
• Download lego Friends colouring pages and set up a table with drawing items.
• Serve cheese blocks: cubes of cheese with a pretzel stick handle.
• Bake brick biscuits: rectangle iced biscuits with the same coloured smarties on top.
• ‘Paint’ a favourite Friend character on marshmallows (tutorial here).

4. Craft

Couple play with craft and make cute matchbox beds. Printable here.

5. Room Set Up

I notice my daughters enjoy setting up Lego in their room as decoration (and for play). The Heartlake Lighthouse in particular looks absolutely adorable and you set it up on a blue paper to extend that water look.

You can find a range of Lego Friends sets to buy on Amazon.

The heart of Lego Friends is friendship. It’s about building, creating, imagination, and bonding through play. And that is why it’s a top gift idea and on that note, here’s a giveaway!

Giveaway

GIVEAWAY ENDED

I’m giving away 3 Lego prize packs over the next three weeks (1 winner per week). Each pack will contain:

• Lego Friends Bunny & Babies
• Lego Friends Olivia’s Garden Pool
• Lego Friends Vet Clinic

To enter, simply leave a comment below with the answer to this question: Who would you give the prize pack Lego set to and why? and end your entry with #LegoFriendsLove.

Open from 9:01 am Australian Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday 29 April 2015 and ending Sunday 17 May 2015 AEST.   Please read the full terms and conditions here.