Did you play with LEGOs when you were growing up? We always had a huge bucket of random bricks lying around the house and spent many rainy afternoons coming up with lopsided and structurally unsound buildings.

LEGOs are one of those things that—like jigsaw puzzles and board games—We still find relaxing and enjoyable as an adult.

In theory, you could probably build almost anything with LEGO. Artists and individual LEGO fans have dreamt up some truly astonishing and unique LEGO creations, using thousands of tiny bricks and their own imaginations.

However, the most common way to begin collecting LEGOs is to purchase pre-assembled sets, which come with instructions and all the bricks you need (plus a few spares). The LEGO brand has developed numerous sets over the decades, encompassing multiple themes and categories appropriate for a variety of ages.

Here are definitely different ways that we can go about starting LEGO collections and buying LEGO. Some kids will build the LEGO set they receive as a gift and then dismantle it to build something else. Voilà! Now you have a great selection of LEGO pieces to get you started. Now, there are kids who refuse to take apart the set once built. This poses a slight problem with gathering enough bricks and pieces for free building and creating crazy LEGO creations!

Remember to supervise young kids while they play with their LEGOs—anything with small parts can unfortunately be a choking hazard for a curious toddler. But with some parental guidance, small kids can develop building skills and have a lot of fun with LEGO.

If you get into LEGO collecting with your children, it’s often a good idea to follow their lead a little. What interests them? Are they drawn to castles, superheroes, animals, or trains? When collecting as a family, it’s usually more rewarding to collect for personal enjoyment rather than for investment purposes.

LEGO sets come with age ranges printed clearly on the box, so it’s easy to choose age-appropriate sets for everyone in the family.