10 fun LEGO challenges for the summer holidays – at home, on the road and at the campsite

The summer holidays are a wonderful time to go outside, travel and enjoy new experiences together. However, they also come with long car journeys, quiet afternoons at the campsite and rainy days when children are not quite sure what to do.

A small box of used LEGO bricks can provide plenty of entertainment during those moments. You do not need a large or brand-new LEGO set. A mixture of loose bricks, a few wheels and some minifigures is often enough for hours of creative play.

In this article, you will find ten practical LEGO challenges for the summer holidays. They can be completed at home, while travelling, at a campsite or in a holiday home. Every activity includes an additional challenge, allowing children to make the assignment as easy or difficult as they like.

What do you need for these LEGO holiday challenges?

You only need a small collection of LEGO bricks for most of the activities. You could prepare a holiday building box containing:

• standard LEGO bricks in different colours;

• a few plates;

• wheels and axles;

• windows and doors;

• sloped roof bricks;

• transparent elements;

• several minifigures;

• small accessories such as cups, spades, binoculars or backpacks.

It is best to choose loose parts that do not belong to a set you want to keep complete. Loose and pre-owned LEGO is ideal for travelling because children can build freely, without worrying too much if an ordinary brick is accidentally lost.

1. Build your ideal holiday home

Where would you most like to spend your holiday? In a tent, a tree house, a hotel, a caravan or perhaps even a house under the sea?

Let every child build their own holiday accommodation.

The challenge

Build a holiday home with enough space for at least one minifigure to sleep. It must also include:

• an entrance;

• a bed;

• somewhere to eat;

• somewhere to relax;

• one feature that makes the holiday home special.

This could be a rooftop swimming pool, a secret playroom or a slide leading from the bedroom to the garden.

Extra challenge

Build the entire holiday home on a base measuring no more than 16 by 16 studs. This encourages children to think carefully about the space available.

Build together

Let every family member construct one part of a holiday park. Afterwards, place all the builds together and add roads, footpaths, a swimming pool and a reception building.

2. Design a vehicle for a long journey

We usually travel by car, train, boat or plane. But what would the perfect holiday vehicle look like?

The challenge

Build a vehicle that can carry at least two minifigures. It must also have room for:

• one suitcase;

• food and drinks;

• somewhere to sleep;

• one unusual holiday feature.

You could build a campervan with a fold-out swimming pool, a train with a playroom or an aeroplane with a rooftop terrace.

Extra challenge

Use at least four wheels, but make sure the vehicle is no taller than a standing minifigure.

Test your vehicle

Create a small obstacle course at home or at the campsite. Drive the vehicle across a towel, around a cup and underneath a chair. Does it remain intact, and do the minifigures stay inside?

3. Build a LEGO campsite

A campsite consists of much more than tents and caravans. There may also be a reception, playground, campsite shop, swimming pool and restaurant.

The challenge

Build a campsite containing at least:

• two camping pitches;

• a tent or caravan;

• a reception building;

• an activity area for the minifigures;

• one campsite guest and one employee.

Extra challenge

Create three campsite rules and include them in the story.

For example:

• everyone must be quiet after 10 p.m.;

• bicycles are not allowed near the swimming pool;

• rubbish must be separated.

Now let a minifigure accidentally break one of the rules. What happens, and how is the problem solved?

For several children

Divide the campsite into different sections. One child can build the swimming pool, another can create the pitches and someone else can make the reception or playground.

4. Take a LEGO holiday photograph

A minifigure takes up very little room and is therefore easy to bring along on a day out. Choose one minifigure to become your family’s official travel companion.

The challenge

Choose a minifigure and give it a name. Take photographs of the minifigure in different places during the holiday.

Try to photograph it:

• beside the tent or caravan;

• in front of an interesting building;

• during a walk;

• next to an ice cream;

• at the beach;

• beside a sign showing the name of the destination.

Photography tip

Place the minifigure close to the camera and keep the holiday location in the background. This can make it look as though the minifigure is really visiting the destination.

Extra challenge

Take three photographs that tell a complete story:

1. the minifigure starts its journey;

2. something goes wrong along the way;

3. the problem is eventually solved.

At the end of the holiday, you can use the photographs to create a small digital travel story.

5. Build something you saw outdoors

During the holidays, you may see all kinds of interesting things, such as butterflies, castles, boats, mountains, shells or flowers.

The challenge

Choose something you saw that day and recreate it with LEGO bricks. It does not need to have exactly the same shape or colours. The main goal is for someone else to be able to guess what you built.

Build it step by step

1. Look carefully at the shape.

2. Divide the object into simple sections.

3. Choose LEGO pieces that could represent those sections.

4. Start by building the main shape.

5. Add recognisable details afterwards.

Extra challenge

Let the other family members guess what you have built before revealing the answer.

Other ideas

Build:

• an animal you saw during a walk;

• a building from a nearby town or village;

• an attraction from a holiday park;

• an unusual vehicle;

• a landscape containing mountains, trees or water.

6. Design an amazing water park

A water park is an exciting place to visit on a hot summer day. With LEGO bricks, children can design their own swimming pools, slides and water attractions.

The challenge

Build a water park containing at least:

• a swimming pool;

• a water slide;

• somewhere to sit;

• an employee;

• a safe entrance and exit.

Extra challenge

Create a slide that a small round LEGO element can actually roll down. Experiment with different heights, slopes and bends.

Think about safety

Ask children to consider how the water park can remain safe. Where should the lifeguard stand? How can the minifigures avoid slipping? Is there a separate pool for younger children?

This adds storytelling and problem-solving to the building activity.

7. Build a boat and test whether it floats

This is a fun challenge for a warm day. Only use a washing-up bowl, tub or small paddling pool and always supervise children around water.

The challenge

Build a small boat that can carry one minifigure.

Before building, think about the following questions:

• should the boat be wide or narrow?

• where will the minifigure sit?

• how can you prevent the boat from tipping over?

• will the boat have an engine, a sail or oars?

Test and improve it

Carefully place the boat on the water. Does it float? Add extra items one by one.

Try adding:

• one minifigure;

• two minifigures;

• a small suitcase;

• several loose bricks as cargo.

How much can the boat carry before it sinks or tips over?

Important tip

Do not use rare, valuable or electronic parts for this activity. Never test the boat in a river, lake or large swimming pool where lost pieces would be difficult to retrieve.

8. The twenty-brick challenge

This is an easy activity for moments when children say they do not know what to build.

The challenge

Place a selection of LEGO elements in an opaque bag or container. Let every child pick twenty pieces without looking.

They must build something recognisable using only those pieces.

Every element must be used, and no bricks may be exchanged once the building has started.

Possible themes

Choose a theme in advance, such as:

• something that can fly;

• an animal;

• a holiday vehicle;

• a house;

• a robot;

• something you would find at the beach.

Group challenge

Give everyone the same amount of building time. Afterwards, let each child explain what they made and how it works.

The winner does not have to be the person who created the most attractive build. You could also recognise:

• the funniest idea;

• the smartest solution;

• the strongest model;

• the best story;

• the most unexpected use of a LEGO element.

9. Recreate a special holiday memory

At the end of a day or week, it can be fun to look back at everything you have experienced.

The challenge

Choose one special, funny or exciting moment from the holiday and recreate it using LEGO bricks.

For example:

• your first jump into the swimming pool;

• visiting a castle;

• getting caught in a sudden rain shower;

• an animal appearing near the tent;

• walking to a beautiful viewpoint;

• a funny moment in a restaurant;

• riding a roller coaster.

Make it recognisable

Include at least three details from the real event. Think about clothing colours, the weather, the surroundings or an object that played an important part in the story.

Tell the story

Use the model to explain:

• what happened;

• who was there;

• why the moment was special;

• how the event ended.

The finished model becomes a physical reminder of the holiday.

10. Design your dream holiday destination

Nothing needs to be realistic in this final challenge. Anything is possible.

The challenge

Build a destination you would love to visit.

It can be a real place or something completely imaginary, such as:

• an island filled with dinosaurs;

• a campsite on the moon;

• an underwater hotel;

• a village made entirely from tree houses;

• a castle in the clouds;

• a holiday park for dragons;

• a city where all the roads are slides.

Include at least five features

Think about:

• somewhere to sleep;

• transport;

• an activity;

• a restaurant;

• an unusual resident or employee.

Become a tour guide

After finishing the model, give everyone a guided tour. What can visitors do there? How much does an overnight stay cost? What should every traveller bring?

Taking LEGO bricks in the car, train or plane

LEGO is great for travelling, but loose pieces can easily disappear underneath seats. A little preparation helps keep everything organised.

Take a limited selection

Do not bring the entire LEGO collection. A small box containing around 50 to 100 varied pieces is usually enough.

Include mainly:

• standard bricks;

• small and medium-sized plates;

• a few hinges;

• two or four wheels;

• several transparent elements;

• two minifigures.

Too much choice can sometimes make building more difficult. A limited selection encourages children to find creative solutions using the pieces available.

Use a secure sorting box

A sorting box with several compartments can prevent all the pieces from becoming mixed together. Choose a container with a strong lid that will not spring open when dropped.

A flat lunch box, bead organiser or small tool organiser may also work well.

Before travelling, check that:

• the lid closes securely;

• small parts cannot move between the compartments;

• the box fits on a lap or train table.

Build on a tray or non-slip mat

A tray with raised edges prevents LEGO bricks from falling onto the floor every time the car turns. You can also place a thin non-slip mat, towel or piece of felt on the tray.

Building in the car is mainly suitable for children who do not become travel sick easily. Keep the activities small and simple so they do not need to look down continuously.

Prepare small building bags

Divide the LEGO parts between several resealable bags.

You could prepare:

• a vehicle-building bag;

• a minifigure story bag;

• a bag containing twenty random bricks;

• an animal-building bag.

Add a small card with the building challenge to every bag. This means children do not need to search through a large container while travelling.

Leave valuable and complete sets at home

Do not bring rare minifigures, valuable elements or collectible sets that need to remain complete. Choose LEGO bricks where losing one standard piece would not cause a serious problem.

Loose pre-owned LEGO is particularly suitable because the parts no longer need to be returned to one specific set. They can be used for a different creation every day.

Choose challenges that require little space

Useful building challenges for travelling include:

• build an animal using no more than ten bricks;

• create the smallest vehicle that can hold a minifigure;

• build a chair for a minifigure;

• design a suitcase;

• make an imaginary creature;

• use only one colour;

• build something you can see through the window;

• create a vehicle without wheels;

• build a tower that fits inside the storage box.

These challenges can be completed on a small table, tray or lap desk.

Agree on a tidy-up time

Do not wait until the moment everyone needs to leave the car or train before putting everything away. Agree to stop building around ten minutes before arrival.

Pay particular attention to:

• minifigures;

• hairpieces and hats;

• small accessories;

• wheels;

• tiny transparent elements.

Never search underneath car seats while the vehicle is moving. Wait until the car has safely stopped.

Playing with LEGO at the campsite or holiday home

A fixed building area can help keep LEGO pieces together at your destination. Use one table, a large tray or a play mat with a clear edge.

Building outdoors is possible, but be careful around:

• long grass;

• gravel;

• gaps between decking boards;

• sand;

• drains and channels;

• younger children.

Build on a smooth surface whenever possible. Do not leave small elements loose on a campsite table when it is windy.

After playing, place the entire model inside a storage box. This means it does not need to be taken apart at the end of every day.

You do not need a perfect set to build something wonderful

It does not matter whether all the bricks are the same colour or originally belonged to the same set. A mixed collection encourages children to invent their own solutions.

A red roof can just as easily be blue. A part from an aeroplane can become part of a boat. A window from an old house can suddenly appear in a space station.

That is the strength of LEGO: every element can be reused in a different way and become part of a completely new story.

At Gebruiktspeelgoed.nl, pre-owned LEGO bricks, sets and minifigures are given a second life. At ’t Kastheel, residents and participants carefully sort, check and prepare the LEGO. This creates new opportunities for play while also providing meaningful work, structure and opportunities to connect with others.

Which LEGO challenge will you try first?

Whether you are staying at home, preparing for a long car journey or spending several weeks at a campsite, a small box of LEGO bricks can inspire countless new stories.

Choose one challenge, collect a few pieces and simply start building. It does not need to be perfect. The most enjoyable model is often the one that changes into something nobody expected when they started.

Have you built a special holiday destination, campsite or summer memory? Share the result with us. We would love to see the adventures created with LEGO that has been used and enjoyed before. Do you need extra parts and items? Our Used LEGO collection fits perfectly for this kind of occasions