Today we are featuring our original LEGO mat for LEGO play and LEGO storage written before these were available to buy. I have updated it with some of the amazing LEGO storage bag and LEGO mat options that are now available…enjoy! Oh, another great thing about this LEGO pick up mat is that it’s great for at home, classroom, or if you have toys in you business’ waiting room.
DIY LEGO Storage Play Mat
As you may have noticed, we are a little LEGO crazy around here. I love this project because if you don’t have the space for a dedicated LEGO table, this LEGO play mat is a great play and storage solution.
Related: Make a LEGO table
We use this for LEGO bricks, but your child’s favorite toy set would work as well!
How to Make LEGO Mat for Pick-up & Storage
To create your LEGO pick up and play mat, you will want to decide how large to make the area. This might depend on the age of your kids or the number of toys that will regularly be part of your set.
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Supplies Needed for DIY LEGO Bag
*We chose a sturdy fabric that would stand up to hours and hours of wear. The standard width of a bolt of fabric is 45 inches, but many of the decorator fabrics used for upholstery and design are wider at 60 inches.
Instructions To Make Lego Mats That Store Bricks
Step 1
Our fabric is a wider one cut into a circle with a 5 foot diameter.
Step 2
My kids helped me figure out the length of the rope we would need by finding the circumference of a circle.
The circumference of a circle is it’s diameter times pi. See how we snuck a little math in there?
Since our circle has a diameter of 5 feet we found that we needed nearly 16 feet of rope to just go around the circle.
Step 3
A 2 inch pocket was sewn around the circle edge and the rope was knotted and threaded through the pocket.
Step 4
We tied the rope ends together and then trimmed off the ends.
LEGO PickUp Mat Notes
Can you use cotton fabric or flannel fabric? Yes, you can, but you will have to sew a few yards together to make something big enough to use as a LEGO pickup mat. That actually may be better for a certain age group, like younger kids, who need softer textures.
Finished LEGO STorage Bag & Play Mat for LEGO Bricks
The kids were excited to try it out. In no time, it was filled with LEGO bricks and half-created sculptures and buildings. I love that at the end of play time, the rope can be pulled gathering up all the bricks inside and it can hang on a hook on the back of our entry closet door!
Why We Love LEGOs and This LEGO Pick Up Mat
First and foremost…we like it because it makes picking up LEGOs easy. If you’ve cleaned up LEGOs before or really any building bricks, you know how tedious it can be. But this LEGO rug changes that and is a fun way to play and clean up.
This simple designed toy bag let’s you put, not only your LEGOs, but other items your kids need. Plus, LEGOs is one of my favorite fine motor activities. Your child can built these small toys and building blocks and expand their own imagination. This is the most durable toy bag that will last after many play dates and some serious play! And it makes this a cleanup dream because you just have to tighten the rope.
This pickup LEGO play mat also helped us keep all their LEGO sets together that we got at various Legoland discovery centers. Like their Lord of the Rings set, Star Wars set, Super Mario, Indiana Jones, and other stuff we got at the Lego store like our big brick blocks too.
LEGO Bag + LEGO mat
This LEGO mat is perfect for spreading out your LEGO bricks and building for hours. Then pull the drawstring of the LEGO play mat and it turns into a LEGO storage bag within seconds. What a great LEGO storage solution for small spaces or to take LEGO play on the go.
Materials
- Sturdy fabric*
- Rope
Tools
- Scissors
- Sewing Machine
- Thread
Instructions
- Cut your fabric with scissors into a large circle - we used an upholstery fabric that was wider allowing us to make a 5 foot diameter circle.
- Measure the outside of the fabric circle with your rope length. For a 5 food diameter circle, we needed 16 feet of rope. Pssst...you can use C= diameter x 3.14 to find your rope length and then add just a little.
- With your sewing machine, sew a 2 inch pocket around the edge of your circle.
- Knot your rope and thread through the pocket and then tie ends together securely.
More Play Mats with Drawstrings or Storage Baskets
Originally, I found this one activity playmat on Amazon that is similar in case sewing isn’t your thing. Over the years, more and more activity mats with toy storage have popped up in different configurations including a storage basket that works great in your play room or child’s room:
- Play & Go Drawstring Play Mat storage bag has adorable whimsical patterns for any decor.
- This black and white striped toy storage basket with play mat is big and durable.
- This large storage container has a window so you can see inside and comes with an attached play mat.
- And this is a more traditional play mat with draw string bag like we featured here in this article.
MORE TOY ORGANIZATION & FUN FROM KIDS ACTIVITIES BLOG
- We have the best toy storage ideas for those remaining toy items!
- How to make toys <–with less stuff around the house, kids will have time, energy and creativity to have some fun!
- Toy storage ideas for small spaces…yes, we mean even your small space!
- Homemade rubber band toys.
- And don’t miss these kids organization ideas.
- Try an escape room for kids!
- I was surprised to learn about LEGO Fortnite–Here’s why…
Do you have a LEGO play mat with storage?
I’m still a lego loving mum of 8 & 10 yr olds. I’m 43ys old. my nanna made this mat for me out of some gabardine fabric she had when I was 10, copied from a lego catalogue (33 years ago). I finally replaced the original with a new homemade one 4 yrs ago. still best thing eva!
We make theses great toy storage bags plus even your Lego tables plus more. If you feel you can’t or don’t have the time. We can make it for you. Have a look https://m.facebook.com/madepryor
Awesome idea and thanks for taking the time to post such an easy to follow tutorial. I know what I’ll be whipping up on the weekend 🙂