Lego/Duplo Ideas

Lego & Duplo Preschool Lesson Plans

Art

Lego Prints
Have the child dip Legos or Duplos in paint and press onto a sheet of paper.

Math

How many can you grab?

Have the child trace their hand onto a piece of paper.  

Write at the top: "I estimate that I can hold __ Legos in my hand."

Under the hand write: "I can hold __ Legos in my hand."

Have the children estimate how many Legos they can grab with one hand.  

Record their answers.  

Then have them reach into a bucket of Legos and grab a handful.  

Count and record how many they grabbed.

Let the child use crayons to draw Lego shapes on their hand shapes.  

Graphing

Have the children each grab with two hands some Legos (make sure they are all the same shape).  

Have the children make a tower using all the of the bricks of one color, then another until they have used all of their bricks.  

Have the children lay the Lego towers on a sheet of paper according to color, creating a bar graph with the Legos.  

Have the children trace their towers with coordinating crayons or markers.

Talk about the graphs.  Which is the tallest?  Shortest?  How many blue did you have?  Who had the most red?  What color do you think is the most popular?

Sorting

Have the children each grab with two hands some Legos.  Each child should have a large muffin tin.  Ask the children to sort their Legos into the spaces of the muffin tin.  Most will sort by color, some may sort by size or by shape.  

Shape Estimation

Trace a shape onto a sheet of paper.  Ask the child to estimate how many Lego bricks will fit in the shape.  Record their answer at the top.  Then have them fill the shape with Legos.  Count the bricks and record the answer.

Patterning

Create a pattern with the Legos and ask your child to continue the pattern.  Start with easy patterns with just two blocks and progress based on the child's ability.

Counting to 6
Cut out 6 small shapes from a variety of different colors of card stock. Write the numbers 1 through 6 on the shapes. Tape each shape to the bottom of a muffin tin space. Have the children place 1 Lego in the "1" space, and two in the "2" and so on.

Balance Fun 1
Provide the children with a balance and Legos. Have the children place Legos on both sides of the balance. Show the children how they can tell which side weighs more. See if they can balance the balance. Count the Legos on both sides.

Balance Fun 2
Place an object from the class on one side of the balance, something light like a small block. Have the children estimate how many Legos will balance with the block. Add Legos to the other side until balanced or the Lego side is heavier. Count the Legos.

Adding Legos
Use the Lego bricks for math manipulatives. Have the children do simple addition problems , like adding two green bricks and one red brick.

Estimation
Place Legos in a clear jar. Have the children estimate how many hearts are in the jar. To help with their estimate they may count out ten Legos to hold or set out so they have a feeling of what ten looks like. Record each child's estimate, then count the Legos together.

Estimation Jar for Schoolagers
Provide three identical jars with pre-counted Legos of 20, 30, and 40. Label these jars 20, 30 and 40. Place 20 to 40 Legos in a fourth identical jar. Allow the children to examine all four jars before they guess. Record the children's approximations. Count the Legos.