Lego Challenge Archive

Airport Challenge
A new airport has asked you for help building their luggage sorting machine. Can you make something out of Legos that will sort luggage to go to at least 4 different planes? Use different colored Lego bricks to represent the luggage being sorted to each plane (such as red bricks to plane 1, blue bricks to plane 2).

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Apple Wrecking Ball

Materials needed: apple, string, empty cardboard boxes
Build a pyramid out of boxes, then knock them down using an apple wrecking ball! Here are a couple things to remember: The goal is to destroy the pyramid, not the apple. Wrecking ball designs only - no launching the apple like a cannonball. And lastly, think about the shift in weight as the apple swings when you are designing and building your Lego crane or stand.

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Bank Safe
The bank has been robbed, and they're worried it will happen again! The bank manager has invited you to create a new safe for them that criminals won't be able to crack. Build a safe any way you'd like (like a puzzle box, for example) and challenge someone to open it.

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Bigfoot Trap
Bigfoot has been sighted in the woods nearby. So far, nobody has gotten close enough to get a good look. Design a special trap to capture him. Keep in mind that he's very large and very strong, so he'll easily break out of a simply cage. He's also not likely to walk into an open trap, so the element of surprise is a must. Finally, we don't want to hurt him -we want to be friends!

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Book Characters
Create Lego versions of your favorite book characters.

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Bubble Blowing Machine
Materials needed: soapy water, pan (optional)
Make a bubble blowing machine. You may use your hands to turn any cranks or wheels and you are welcome to blow the bubbles yourself, but the rest should be done by your creation. That means you are not simply building a bubble wand and dipping it into the soap with your own hands. You can design your creation to hold its own soapy water or use a separate pan. 

Capture the Flag
Materials needed: For this challenge, we used a tooth pick and small piece of paper to make a flag.
Place the flag somewhere higher than your work surface, such as on top of a box, then create something to retrieve the flag. Your creation should not rely on you lifting it into the air. 

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Catch
Materials needed: a ball
Build a Lego creation that can both toss and catch a ball - then partner with someone and have your creations play catch! How many times can your creations throw and catch the ball without dropping it? How far apart can your creations get and still successfully play catch?

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Circus Show

Make at least one circus "act" with Legos. You can make your creation based on traditional circus acts (high wire, trapeze, lion tamer, getting shot out of a cannon, etc.) or invent something totally new. 

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Coin Sorter
Materials needed: a variety of coins

Create a coin sorter from Lego pieces then sort a handful of different coins. 
 

Egg Drop

Materials need: eggs (Tip: use hard-boiled eggs for easier clean-up)
Can you protect an egg from a high drop using only Legos?

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Floor is Lava Team Challenge
Materials needed: a ball
This challenge involves working together to make a chain of creations that will get the ball across the floor or table and into a designated "safe" area. The distance between the ball's starting point and the safe zone will depend on the number of people participating. The floor is lava, and you need to get the ball across the lava and into the safe zone. If the ball touches the floor, you must start over. Work together to create a "chain" between the starting point and the safe zone. Each person is responsible for moving the ball 1 foot across the lava and then passing it to the next person. Your creation cannot use wheels. Things to consider: if you are on either end of the chain, you will need to think about picking up or releasing the ball without losing it in the lava. Also, how will you pass and receive the ball along the chain without dropping it? 

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Half a Bridge Partner Challenge
Materials needed: objects to weight test the bridge
Build half a bridge across a gap between two tables or chairs. The other half of the bridge must be built by someone else. Once each half is complete, bring the two halves together and do a weight test using any objects you want (books are always a good choice)!

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Illusion Challenge
Can you perform an illusion using Lego bricks? Come up with a trick and use Legos to pull it off. Can you make a Lego person disappear? Pull a Lego person out of a Lego hat? Or maybe come up with your own illusion.

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International Space Station Team Challenge
The ISS is made up of modules from multiple countries that all fit together to form the space station. Make your own module then, when everyone is done, work together to combine them all into one giant space shuttle. Each module should include: a place for astronauts to live and sleep, an experiment idea and place for the astronaut to conduct those experiments, and a way to connect to the other modules so astronauts can travel between them. Bonus challenge: when all the modules are combined, your space station should also include a way to grab supplies that are sent up from Earth and a way for astronauts to do space walks.

 

Jurassic Park Challenge
Build your own version of Jurassic Park with rides and exhibits. You can even invent your own dinosaurs!

 

Lego Regatta
Materials needed: tub with water
Build a Lego boat and challenge others to a race. In order to qualify
for competition, your boat must float (meaning it can't be half
submerged as it crosses the finish line), there should be a captain
on board, the boat can be no longer than 6 inches, and your boat
must sail under "wind power" (you blowing on it).


Marble Challenge

Materials needed: marbles
Create something that uses marbles as a main component. It can be anything you want - like a marble run, labyrinth game, or Hungry, Hungry Hippos type game.

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Marble Mini Golf
Materials needed: marbles, Popsicle sticks
Make a mini golf hole then test it out using marbles
for golf balls and Popsicle sticks for golf clubs.

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Mishmash Challenge
Can you make your own creation that combines elements from multiple things? Like a car with wings on robot legs? How many different things can you mix together in one creation?

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Movie Scene
Re-create your favorite movie scene out of Legos.

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Painting Challenge
Materials needed: paintbrush, paint and paper (optional)
Can you make something from Legos that can make a painting? Your creation should be able to hold and use a brush without help from your hands. 

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Pop-up Book
Materials needed: string (optional)
Create a pop-up scene. Your scene should be able to lay flat and then somehow lift up (such as through a pulley system). Be creative - your scene doesn't have to lift up as once piece. For an extra challenge, try making multiple pieces that all intertwine when they lift up to make a scene or image. Remember, the goal is to make something that can be pulled up and lock into place on it's own, not something you simply build flat and then stood up.

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Pull Toys

Materials needed: string
Create a pull toy with components that animate as you pull the toy. Examples would be a grasshopper whose legs move as the wheels turn, or a dragon that flaps its wings.

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Pumpkin Launcher

Materials needed: pumpkin candy corn, rubber bands, target (can be drawn on paper or use a cup/bucket)

Build a launcher of any kind to send pumpkin candy corn towards the target. Your launcher must remain on the table (or floor, or chair) when in use and needs to be at least 5 feet away from the target. How many points can you get in five shots?

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Pumpkin Picker
Materials needed: pumpkin candy corn
Line the pumpkins up in rows like a pumpkin patch, then build
something to travel up and down the rows of the pumpkin patch and
pick the pumpkins. Your pumpkin picker must stay on the floor or
table at all times - no "flying" around the patch. It cannot damage any
of the pumpkins it picks up or are still in the patch, and it should 
deposit each pumpkin it picks up in a collection area of some sort.

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Resort Challenge
Build the resort of your dreams! Your resort can be anywhere and from any time that you want. It can be a resort from medieval times, a futuristic space resort, a resort under the sea - anything!

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School of the Future
You've been invited to design a school of the future! How will kids get to school? Are there special tubes people zip through, or how about flying school buses? What kind of futuristic sports could be played at your school? Do kids still learn the same things as today, or do they learn things like how to fly with a jet pack? And don't forget - what's the school library like?

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Shark Tank
You've been invited on the show Shark Tank - this is your chance to pitch an invention to a group of potential investors and see your idea become a reality. Create an invention out of Lego pieces, come up with a name for it, and prepare your sales pitch!

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Solar System
Build the solar system out of Legos.
 

Sorter Challenge

Materials needed: A mix of items like beads, feathers, and pom poms
Make a Lego creation that will sort the items by item type, shape, size, or color.

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Star Wars Set
Hollywood has hired you to be the set designer for the next Star Wars movie! Create a new planet with as many elements as you can - that includes buildings, vehicles, and even characters. 

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Submarine Challenge
Materials needed: container of water or sink
Can you make a submarine using Lego pieces? Your sub should not float on top of the water like a boat or sink to the bottom like a rock - it should float somewhere in between. That means your design has to be heavy enough to sink beneath the surface but light enough to still float. This is a difficult challenge, but it can be done!

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Superhero Challenge
Create a superhero with some sort of special power or skill. Your superhero can be anything you want - person, animal, machine, whatever. Once you've made your creation, build something to showcase your superhero using their power or skills. For an extra challenge, give your superhero someone to battle and a sidekick.

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Suspension Bridge
Materials needed: string, objects to weight test the bridge
Build a suspension bridge between two tables or chairs, then test it to
see how much weight it can hold. The towers on either end of your
bridge and the "cables" should be bearing the weight of the bridge
through tension. Something to remember: real suspension brides rely
on being able to transfer weight to the ground through their foundations.
In order to add weight to your bridge without pulling it over, you will
need to find a way to weigh down your towers.

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Teach a Lego Dog New Tricks
First, build a Lego dog (or any other pet of your choosing). After you've finished building your pet, "teach" it to do a trick. The trick can be anything you want: jumping through a hoop, doing a back flip, whatever. The point of this challenge is not to simply use your hands to move your pet, but, instead, to use the Lego pieces to help you make your pet complete the trick.

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Theme Park Challenge
A theme park has asked you to build a new attraction based on your favorite book or movie. It can be any kind of attraction you want - boat ride, roller coaster, dark ride, maze, etc. Don't forget to incorporate the movie or book into the attraction.

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Time Travel Challenge
Build a Lego time machine to take you to any point in time, then build a scene from the time period you want to visit.

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Treasure Challenge
First, create a valuable "treasure" of some sort that you want to protect. This can be anything you want - a statue, a robot, a treasure chest, etc. Once you have made your treasure, you need to protect it! Create a series of booby traps to stop potential thieves. Booby traps are designed so they are unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the thief. One you've made your traps, challenge someone to steal your treasure! Don't forget - you don't want to be captured by your own booby traps every time you visit your treasure. Make sure your traps come with a secret way to avoid setting them off!

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Treat Dispenser
Materials needed: For this challenge, we used small candies to represent pet treats.
Pets love treats! Try turning treat time into game time by creating a treat dispenser out of Legos. The dispenser should be something a pet could use on their own and only gives them a few treats at a time. Don't make it too easy - there should be some sort of puzzle or task the pet would need to complete to get their reward.