Let’s be honest: parting with LEGO bricks is hard. Whether you’re an adult collector clearing space for a massive new set or a parent finally reclaiming the living room floor, saying goodbye to those sets is the end of an era.
Before you tuck them away in a dusty attic or worse, throw them away, consider passing them on. We’ve put together the ultimate guide for donating your LEGO sets and loose pieces. That way, your favorite LEGO bricks will find a new home where they’ll be actually played with or displayed with love and awe.
Why Donate Your Used LEGO Sets?
When it’s time to clear off the shelves, you have plenty of options, but donating offers something unique.
At Brick & Minifigs®, our motto is Rebuild, Reuse, Reimagine®. We believe the magic of LEGO bricks shouldn’t sit in a box or wind up in a landfill; it should be passed on to fellow builders who’ll appreciate them.
And the LEGO bricks themselves make that even easier.
No matter what decade or set your pieces are from, they’re still compatible with LEGO pieces made today! No brick is obsolete.
Donating old LEGO pieces is a great way to live out that mission and give your once favorite bricks a second life. By gifting sets to local schools, charities, and libraries, you’re providing the tools for a child in your community to build their own stories.
After all, your donations are a chance to pass on the LEGO magic to someone else.
How to Donate Your Old LEGO Sets
If you’re ready to pass on your used LEGO bricks but aren’t sure who can use them most, here are the best places in your community that request or need LEGO donations or gifts.
Schools Accept LEGO Donations
Many teachers are always on the lookout for more classroom materials, and LEGO products can actually help with that. Your old LEGO pieces can be repurposed and used for fun, indoor recess in elementary schools; classroom organization or decoration at any grade level; and even art projects for teachers thinking a little outside the block.
Additionally, LEGO bricks are very useful for STEM projects. From beginning robotics activities to physics experiments, there’s no shortage of the way LEGO products can be used in lessons. And the kids will be even more engaged, thinking they get to play, all while learning something new.
Libraries Love LEGO Donations
Your local library may have a play area in the kids’ section that could benefit from some extra toys. Some libraries even have after-school programs and may use them for STEM projects just like schools, so contact your local head librarian to find out if they’re in the market for old LEGO sets.
Daycares and Preschools Use LEGO Donations
Like schools and libraries, daycare centers are probably looking for new toys to add to their collection, and they’re a great place to donate old Duplo® sets that you or your kids have outgrown. So, call around and see if any daycares or pre-k schools want more of the best toy in the world.
It’s the perfect way to let a new group of kids reimagine your old favorites into something entirely their own.
Hospitals & Doctor’s Offices for LEGO waiting rooms
The waiting room of a hospital or doctor’s office can be a stressful place at the best of times, especially for children. A bin of LEGO bricks can serve as a much-needed distraction, giving kids – and parents – the chance to turn a nervous wait into an opportunity for creativity.
For children who have to stay in the hospital for days or longer periods of time, your old LEGO sets can be a fun activity to keep them busy and help them focus on something besides the hospital or their illness.
Before you drop off a donation, make sure to call the facility to check their specific health and safety guidelines. Some hospitals may require sets to be brand new to prevent possible contamination, while others can have dedicated play areas that would be happy to take lightly-used LEGO pieces.
Either way, your donation could help provide a welcome escape for young patients and visitors.
Local Toy Charities Accept LEGO Pieces
Different children’s charities could also be very grateful to have toys they can find good homes for. Consider looking into local organizations or branches of national charities like The Salvation Army.
If you happen to have unopened LEGO sets that haven’t been built, you could also donate them to charities like Toys for Tots around the holidays.
LEGO Programs
If you’re not really looking to do a lot of research on charities or other organizations, then there are options created by The LEGO Group to keep bricks in play.
One of these services is LEGO Replay, which allows you to donate your old LEGO bricks to LEGO Group by mail. They’ll then be given to the next generation of LEGO lovers to build with.
Wherever you choose to donate, know that you’re helping build something for others. And that’s just another great part of the LEGO magic!
If you’re not totally sold on donating your sets, but want to try something new with your old bricks, check out our post about 5 Things to Do with Old LEGO Bricks and Sets.
Keeping the Cycle Going with Bricks & Minifigs
While donating to a local school, library, or hospital is a wonderful way to give back, we know that sometimes a collection is more substantial or more for display than play. If you have rare or retired sets, sometimes they aren’t exactly made for play.
The Death Star™ or The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr™ sets might not be the best fit for a doctor’s office waiting room.
If you find yourself with a collection or specific sets that feel like they need a more specialized home, consider bringing them into your local Bricks & Minifigs.
Through our trade-in process, we ensure that every brick and minifigure finds exactly the right builder.
By selling or trading with us, you’re still participating in the Rebuild, Reuse, Reimagine cycle – giving those sets a second life with a collector who will cherish them, while perhaps earning a little credit to start your next building project.
It’s just another way to make sure the LEGO magic keeps moving, rather than gathering dust in your garage.
A New LEGO Life
Rebuild, Reuse, Reimagine informs so much of what we do in Bricks & Minifigs stores. It means that we’re more than just a store, we’re a community of LEGO fans who want to share that passion with as many people as possible, especially when that love can give new life to old sets.
At the end of the day, LEGO bricks are meant to be shared across generations, classrooms, and communities. Whether you choose to donate to a local school or trade them in at Bricks & Minifigs, you are doing more than just clearing off a shelf, you’re helping someone else build their own LEGO story.