Easy Portable DIY Lego Tray Table
This DIY LEGO Tray Play Station has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. We hope you enjoy how we use #TargetToys in our Portable LEGO table Tray Play Station birthday present. This creation was originally published Oct 1, 2014. It has been updated for your convenience.
Our kids have enjoyed this portable LEGO tray table for over 3 years. And still, after 3 years this LEGO tray play station is still going strong and consistently played with by our children. On a weekly if not daily basis. It truly is one of the best homemade gifts you can create for your kids.
Do your kids like LEGOS? Silly question right? All kids love LEGOS! They are the best toys on earth according to my kids. Honestly, I haven’t met a kid yet that didn’t like them. And they aren’t just for boys either.
Girls absolutely love LEGOS too! And it’s no wonder! Have you ever stopped to consider the educational value of LEGOS?
Just a few of the benefits of playing with LEGOS include:
- Builds creativity
- Develops fine motor skills
- Improves cognitive thinking
- Improves spacial recognition
- Strengthens child’s skills
- Builds confidence
- Aides in problem-solving skills
- Strengthens patience, persistence, and perseverance
- Allows kids to see uniqueness is good
- Increases awareness of engineering
- Encourages cooperation and teamwork
- A calming and soothing activity for kids with sensory disorders
- A communication building activity
- And much more!
Miss Jade’s therapists often used LEGOS and building as a means to help her with distinguishing between colors, shapes, sorting, building skills, dexterity, and to encourage communication and language. There are so many benefits to playing with LEGOS.
With all these benefits I figured it is time that Miss Jade have the opportunity to play with LEGOS at home. Wouldn’t you?
But here is the problem. My boys are possessive of their LEGOS. They seriously have a freak out panic attack if Jade touches their massive collection of LEGOS. I’m talking about 5 big storage bins full of LEGOS. And they can’t share with their sister. Good grief!
So for Jade’s 5th, and I decided I was to get her something really special. Her very own portable LEGO tray table play station with her own LEGOS. So she could still enjoy all the benefits of LEGOS without the boys having meltdowns each time she touches their LEGOS.
Since this was for Jade’s birthday I wanted to make it really special. The boys have a small LEGO table in the basement that she loves to play with. And frankly, there is no way I’m going to be OK with LEGOS on the floor for me to step on. No thank you!
Jade needed a designated LEGO table play station. So that is when I came up with this fun and portable DIY LEGO Tray table play station. It is perfect because it is condensed, contained, and yet still portable for traveling around the house. Or if we go on trips it can even go in the car with us!
Create a Portable DIY LEGO Tray Table
The LEGO tray table is really easy to create and only takes a few pieces, some glue and very little time.
- Wooden breakfast serving tray (ours is 20″X15″)
- 3 LEGO Green Building Plates (10″ X 10″) (one will be cut in half)
- Elmer’s Pro-bond glue
- Vinyl letters and decor of choice
- LEGO playsets of choice
Lay out the LEGO green building plates on the serving tray. Line them up to fit right. Since our tray was 20″ by 15″ we had to take one of the 10X10″ building plates and cut it in half. But I simply measured and trimmed until it fit perfectly.
Make sure you use extra little LEGO pieces to ensure that the plates are spaced correctly at the edges. If the building plates are too close together then the LEGO pieces won’t fit.
Then take each tray and put the pro-bond glue on the back and replace on the serving tray. Make sure they are spaced right that the LEGO pieces will still fit. To do this I used an actual LEGO piece to connect each building plate to make sure it was correctly spaced.
Then place something heavy on top like a book, to keep the pressure on the plates until the glue dries. Thankfully I had just received a big heavy package in the mail, so I put that on top. It worked great.
I originally had an idea for a fun LEGO storage box to go with it. And while I didn’t have it ready in time for Miss Jade’s Birthday I did get it done by that Christmas! So also check out this Travel LEGO Table Treasure Box.
While you wait for the glue to dry on the building plates, you can decorate and personalize the LEGO tray table play station. My favorite is using vinyl letters that spell out your child’s name.
My Sister-in-law has a cool Cricut machine so she cut the letters and butterflies out for me. Jade and I both have a weakness for butterflies. So that was a fun and a very simple way to personalize her LEGO tray table play station.
The very last step is to fill the LEGO tray table play station with the new LEGOS building sets. Tie with a ribbon and you are set for the coolest Birthday or Christmas present any kid could ever ask for!
I pulled some of the fun LEGOS out of the box and set them up early so Jade could see she was getting LEGOS with her LEGO tray.
I must admit, putting together LEGOS is rather fun! And they have some really cute sets for girls! These LEGO Friends are so cute! I almost wanted to keep the set and LEGO tray table for myself!
Jade absolutely loves her LEGO tray play station! I personally loved the legs on this LEGO tray table as it gives a good surface for her while she is on her bed or on the floor.
It can sit perfectly in her lap or right in front of her with the legs down. Yet the legs can fold up and it’s perfect for traveling in the car too!
I love how mobile the tray is. When miss Jade brings home a nasty cold from school, I’m able to put her LEGO Tray Table in her lap and she can be entertained even when she’s feeling under the weather. It can be used in her room, in her bed, on the couch, or in the play room. It’s extremely portable.
And I can carry it around the house to wherever she is laid up. It has kept her entertained for hours on end as she creates her own building creations.
Now I am mad at myself. I bought a Lego lap trap for my boys and paid really good money for it. I could have made one for A LOT less 🙁
Oh how sad! Yes, they are so easy to make. Definitely make the next one if they need an upgrade. 🙂
I’ve already told you on facebook, but it can’t hurt to say it again – I LOVE THIS! Seriously, I think it’s going on our Christmas present list. We had to take our kids LEGO’s away because they wouldn’t pick them up, and they just ended up everywhere. If we do this, it might just help.
I have just loved this LEGO tray! Jade actually keeps her LEGOS IN the tray and not scattered all over the floor. My feet are very happy. lol. Though if my craft store ever gets that final piece in stock I will also have a great LEGO storage option for when she gets even more LEGOS.
That is the cutest thing ever! My little one loves Legos and this would be perfect for a Christmas gift. We’ve gone to LegoLand, Lego KidsFest, and have a huge supply of Legos because he is obsessed. This DIY Lego Tray Play Station would be a great way to keep him still and having fun in one place.
I’ve always wanted to make a lego tray! I absolutely love yours with the legs and deep sides!!! So incredibly smart!
This is great- I think I will make one of these for a Christmas gift this year, mom and child are sure to love it! I especially like that it can be moved from one room to the next without disturbing creations!
We love Legos in our home. This is such a cute idea.
That is absolutely adorable! What a great way to play with Legos. Sure beats them being on the floor!
That’s the smartest DIY project I’ve ever seen. Now the Legos stay in one place instead of ending up under the couch.
You’re so creative! That is the perfect way to contain and play with Legos!
I love this, I see a future Christmas present!!!
I love this idea! It makes keeping those pesky Lego pieces more organized and at hand when your child wants to play with them. Plus, it makes whatever they create portable.
I’ve got to tell my sister about this. She continually finds Legos in all KINDS of weird places.
Wow what a great and easy idea! My kids absolutely loved legos when they were little! They would spend hours building things! This would have been very handy, and they would have loved it!
This is such a clever idea. When my kids were in the Lego phase, I found them everywhere – the couch, the beds, the bathroom…
This is so great! Legos are one of those toys that you’re so happy your kids are playing with, but at the same time you’re like, “ANOTHER one up the vacuum cleaner?”
I think you might need to trademark or Etsy these! I’d buy one! Especially if it was travel friendly!
That is such a cute idea. My youngest (and I) love Legos and this would make it so easy to get them out and put them away.
So darn cute! She looks so excited! Lucky girl!
I love watching the instagram video! Her face just lit right up!
Oh boy, my feet would be so happy too!! My girls always loved legos. This is such a great idea!
This is such a great idea for helping keep clutter down! My kids are pretty good at not getting too craze messy, as long as they have a container or something, like this. Love it!
Very cute idea! I hate it when my kids get their Legos everywhere!
i love this idea. my daughter is getting more and more into legos. i may have to do this for her.
Wow! That tray is so cute, and perfect for playing for Lego’s. I like that you can sit up close to them so you can see all the teeny tiny pieces.
These are fabulous and I’m considering building two for my nephews. What did you use to cut the lego boards? Did you need a special type of scissors?
I actually just used some sharp kitchen scissors. Nothing special. They aren’t too hard.
OH your nephews will love them! My daughter still 2 months later spends at least 2 hours a day playing with her LEGO kits on her LEGO tray play station. And she never takes them out of the tray station so I love not having the LEGO pieces scattered around my house.
Excellent info here, I am currently doing some research and found exactly what I was looking for.
I have children with multiple disabilities. This is PERFECT for our multiple hospital trips. I’m headed to the store tomorrow morn to nab the supplies! THANK YOU!
Oh I’m so happy this will come in handy for your family! I have been using it with our kids and it has been such a lifesaver for constructive entertainment.
I love this! Going to be making them for my three kiddos this year for Christmas! Thanks for sharing!!
Just one question.. How did you cut the base plates?
I just used some regular heavy duty scissors. But aluminum cutters would probably would a little easier if you have them on hand.
Amber, I just love this! Shared!
I “LOVE” this idea!! I have always seen the table, but it’s really to big. This is the perfect size and I like how I can store the box of Lego’s under the tray! Thank you for sharing this!