LEGO Writing Prompt – Write a Mystery Minfig Story

When it comes to LEGO in our house, it’s king. Although I’m not sure who enjoys LEGO more, myself or my kids.

I love adding LEGO activities to learning. They’re so much fun and my kids are already engaged when LEGO is involved. If you’re looking for even more ways to add LEGO to your school check out these fun LEGO Activity Ideas.

A few years ago we started working on our own LEGO town. We pushed the couches closer to the TV and made space for 2 tables in which to start our LEGO town.

One thing I really wanted to do was have a few mini-figs in the town that had a story. I didn’t want them to just be nameless mini-figs but a little person with a family, a pet, a job, a history, etc.

So we started working on giving our mini-digs a history.

Now that series 24 of the LEGO Minifigures is out and I’ve been collecting them I thought how much fun it would be to give them a bit of backstory.

And that led to this LEGO Writing activity.

Writing for Kids

I write about writing for kids a lot and I think it’s because my kids are not writers.

Well, I should say, they haven’t been enthusiastic writers – historically.

But recently Baloo told me that she has been writing whole novels and she’s been very very excited about it.

I’m taking this as a sign that my efforts to keep our writing activities fun and engaging are working out. It may have taken many years but I have a writer!

Why is Writing Important for Kids

I do think writing is important for kids. First, the physical act of writing is important for fine motor skills and hand strength.

But past that, learning how to use your inner voice and then write it down is something perfected in practice. We don’t naturally know how to turn our thoughts into words on a page.

Repetition and exposure to writing (and different types of writing) is important.

The key is to keep it fun and engaging. Kids that are forced to write are less likely to enjoy to act of writing.

LEGO Minifig Writing Activity

This LEGO Minifig prompt is meant to keep kids excited and engaged – and also give them a starting point when it comes to writing! The blank page can be intimidating.

You can do this with any minifig but I think starting with a mystery minifig adds a level of intrigue to the idea.

You have no clue what you’re going to get (well, it will be 1 in 12 options, so you have some clue). Sometimes removing a few choices can clear our mind to make other decisions.

I’ve always thought the LEGO Masters challenges where they have parameters (such as, build a tall building or reconstruct a movie scene) are easier challenges than the open ended ones in which they can build anything they want.

This is the same concept – buy a mystery pack and whichever minifig you get will dictate some of your story.

So start with a mystery minifig (you can get a 6 pack on Amazon. I also get them at LEGO Stores, Target, Micheals, JoAnns, Walmart, sometimes grocery stores. Just keep an eye out!)

Then print out the minifig activity pages. There’s a pre-drawn minifig to start with (if you want!).

How to Use the LEGO Writing Prompt Pages

There are many ways to level this activity up or down depending on your child, their interest level, and how much you’re hoping to get out of the activity.

So feel free to pick and choose which parts of this you want to include.

I prefer to have my kids illustrate their story at the end. Sometimes little details emerge in the writing process that may alter what they want in the illustration.

But if kids want to illustrate first, that’s fine, too!

These are the basic instructions I would give my kids:

1. Start by opening your minifig (or choosing one!) and get a good look at it. Minifigs (and LEGO in general) often have a lot of little details. Sometimes its the little things that give us the best ideas.
2. Next, brainstorm some of the common details – name, interests, likes & dislikes, hobbies, where they live, what job/career they might have or be interested in, etc.
3. Now that you have some idea of your minifig, start brainstorming an idea of what their story could be. You might want to start with what kind of story – mystery, fantasy, a day in the life, etc.
4. Then it’s rough draft time! Start writing and try not to get too caught up on editing or making everything just perfect.
5. Last, it’s editing time. Read back over everything you’ve written and make sure it makes sense, you’ve used proper grammar & punctuation, and that you’re happy with your work!

For my kids, I just encouraged them to brainstorm a few facts. Like for the Falconer we decided her name is Matilda and she works at a bird rescue. In her spare time she enjoys archery and historical re-enactments.

From there I’d also suggest a few unrelated facts. There is more to Matilda than birds and archery. She has a favorite food, quirks, habits, etc. There little factors are what make characters so endearing to us and can make them feel that much more human.

You can Download the LEGO Minifig Writing Activity Below

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