The season of giving has started early this year LEGO's new recycling program. If you're wondering what to do with all those loose old bricks your kid has outgrown, now you can donate your old LEGOs through their new Replay program, so it's time to start digging through your basement.
LEGO Replay is a free and easy way to donate your old bricks and sets to kids in need all across America and honestly, it's a genius idea. Parting with old LEGOs can be hard to part with (they're not cheap), even when they've been set aside collecting dust for years, but this initiative really means you can put those beloved building blocks to good use.
Donating your old bricks is easy, plus you'll be making a huge difference in the lives of children as well as the planet because — recycling. For this particular program, the LEGO company has partnered with Give Back Box, a non-profit organization that collaborates with major brands to donate gently used items such as clothing, shoes and textiles to those in need, as well as recycle delivery boxes (think about all that Amazon packaging you're always throwing away). Through LEGO Replay, your old bricks, be they full sets or loose pieces, will be distributed to charities that benefit children's education.
If you're concerned about the inconvenience of donating, don't be. The process is simple. All you need to do is collect any loose LEGO bricks, sets, or elements in your house and place them into a cardboard box. You don't need to worry about organizing them in any way or stress about having all the pieces. Then visit the Replay website to print out a free UPS shipping label. Once your package arrives at the facility, each brick will be sorted, inspected by hand, and steam cleaned before it's sent on it's way to make another child's day. Your LEGOs will even be repackaged by hand and put in brand new boxes before they're distributed to charities like Teach for America and Boys and Girls Club of Boston.
Teach for America plans to bring the used bricks into classrooms all around the country, while the Boys and Girls Club of Boston will incorporate building block play into their after-school programs. Studies have shown that playing with LEGOs can have a positive impact on children in more ways than one. Building blocks can help children learn how to communicate and work together, as well as teach them patience, problem solving and even help with spacial awareness and concentration, according to an article on the LEGO enthusiast website, Kiddiwinks. There have even been studies done about the cognitive benefits of brick play for kids, such as language acquisition and attention. There's no doubt, kids benefit from playing with LEGOs.
If you'd like your old LEGOs to pay-it-forward, check out the LEGO Replay website to learn more about donating your bricks. By giving your old bricks a second life, you could help impact the lives of others.
