LEGO DUPLO Read & Build Review: $100 Lego Sweepstakes

So there’s a new, fun LEGO DUPLO toy in town and the girls and I got a chance to try it out last week. We absolutely love blocks and we love books, so we were very happy to be given this opportunity to play with the LEGO DUPLO Read & Build set!

So here’s how this works. Basically it’s a storybook that instructs you to build certain things as you read through the story. Different block sets go with different stories and we were given the story “Let’s Go! Vroom!”.

“Let’s Go! Vroom!” is about Racer Joe who goes out driving and gets stuck somewhere. Pilot Penny decides she needs to go out and find him (I love the fact that Pilot Penny is a girl, but I digress). At this point in the story, your kids help build the airplane with visual diagrams given in the book. Then Pilot Penny goes soaring around the sky and finally finds Racer Joe. Racer Joe’s car is broken and at this point you have to help put his car together again. Then Pilot Penny and Racer Joe race off home!

Pilot Penny’s Plane

The girls actually asked me to read this story three times. They had so much fun putting together each vehicle and making them fly and race at the end of the story. Then they had just as much fun taking them apart to start the story over again.

Pilot Penny and Racer Joe
(built by Savannah and Matilda)

As a mom, I loved this toy because it was so interactive and focused on several skills in a fun manner. The girls needed some guidance to put together each vehicle, but they were able to handle it with just a little assistance from me. The book made them stop and focus to follow the directions (simple pictures) to complete each task. Also, they had to use team work on several occasions to complete one vehicle or another. Savannah (4 years old) was best at following the instructions and knowing where to put each piece and Matilda (3 years old) was great at finding the pieces and putting the characters into their vehicles. Together, they were able to figure everything out and had a great time racing off at the end of the story!
By the third time we read this story, the girls were already reciting the simple, preschool level text. I always know they are enjoying a story when they can recite parts of the book back to me. I would recommend LEGO DUPLO Read & Build for any toddler through preschool age child……especially one that loves to build and read. I feel that any chance we can get a kiddo to pick up a book, is a move in the right direction on the path to learning how to read. 
Want to win $100 LEGO Gift Card? 
 
To enter to win, please leave me a comment answering the following question:
How do you think LEGO DUPLO Read & Build could help your child learn to read?
Visit LEGO.com to see other Read & Build sets and order online. Check out BlogHer.com to find other reviews and more ways you can enter to win.
Sweepstakes Rules:
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d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 7/11 – 8/19/12.

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109 Comments

  1. I’ve never seen these Build and Read sets. Such a great idea! My daughter would love it.

  2. This is fantastic! I think my kids would love it! They are very into Legos right now, so this would really capture their attention while we read the story.

  3. so fun! I think it would help my girl learn by following along to the story and building s she goes will help keep her attention to the story

  4. I saw these at the toy store the other day while looking for a birthday gift for my son’s friend. I think my son would LOVE it because his two favorite things are duplos and books!

  5. Anonymous says

    Love Lego! Love Duplo! Playing with Lego and reading a book are two of my little grandchild’s favorites. Combining the two has to be the best fun at learning!

  6. My youngest is still a baby but her older brother is obsessed with legos. Having her own legos and lego books will make her feel like a cool big girl. No doubt big brother will need to help her read and put together the legos.

  7. Those sets are genius! I am a kindergarten teacher and I can definitely see these books helping my students learn to read. It’s especially hard to find books that interest boys that are at their reading level, and I think these books would do the trick!

  8. These look awesome! Both my kids would love it!

  9. These books and play sets would be a fantastic way to engage children in learning to read! LOVE this idea, LEGO!!

  10. My kinders would love! I think it will help build motivation to read. It sou.ds like a great tool for those visual learners.

  11. My kinders would love! I think it will help build motivation to read. It sou.ds like a great tool for those visual learners.

  12. Saw these the other day & thought they looked fun! My son is into Legos right now & also loves to be read to. I think he would ask to read the book over & over thus helping him recognize words. Great way to start learning to read!

  13. Oh! My 2 year old daughter really loves playing with her big brothers’ legos! And reading, nothing is more fun for her! A combo of the two sounds like the perfect toy!!!

  14. What a wonderful product idea, way to go Lego! I think these sets will be a great way to get kids who have trouble focusing on a book more involved in reading. By giving them a task to complete while they read, they are able to stay connected to story longer!

  15. How fun! I know my 3-year old would love these! She loves playing with her Duplos.

    I don’t know that these sets would help my daughter learn to read any faster than any other books. But we spend lots of time reading together anyhow. The combination of play and reading would be fun for my daughter, that I know!

  16. These books/duplo combined look awesome. I can only imagine what a great thing this would be for little ones and getting them eager to read considering how much kids absolutely LOVE playing with any Lego product. Starting young with this book and duplo stories like this will make them want to learn to read so they can build their creation that goes with the book. They will think it’s fun to build something too that can be seen in the book too and know they did it themselves. (or with the help of Mommy or Daddy of course if they’re at the 1 1/2 yr age level)

  17. I think these sets could help my little one become more interested in words and reading because she would want to look at the book while putting the Legos together. Legos are already popular in my house and a few pieces can probably be found in every room!

  18. I think these could help my kiddos with spacial intelligence. They already love books so this would totally be a hit!

  19. I am a librarian and I have 2 small children. I just love this idea so much!!! It puts 2 things together that we love in our house! Reading and creativity all in one!

    ykatrina at hotmail dot com

  20. Children learn to read on the laps of their parents and grandparents – not by plunking them in front of the t.v. or giving them expensive electronic devices to ‘teach’ them. Spending time reading to your children is invaluable and cannot be substituted. I strongly believe in the read/play connection and always had my children hold a toy or stuffed animal while we cuddled up to read – so I really love this new product from Lego! Making that reading/tactile connection is a super way to engage children in learning to read – especially for those who are extra wiggly and find it hard to sit quietly. Encouraging children to act out the story with a toy increases their comprehension and enjoyment! Yeah Lego – another great product!

  21. How exciting! I know my daughter would love this product (she’s 4 and loves building with blocks). I think it would be perfect for teaching her to follow directions and focus.

  22. This is such a fun idea! My son is little and gets the Lego magazine but is too little to do the intricate building. This story with Duplo is the perfect interaction for us and he could help since the Duplo blocks are much easier to handle.

  23. My son pays more attention to stories when he is familiar with the characters. Having a toy to play with from a book would bring that familiarity in.

  24. We love to do activities with our books. It helps foster my girls’ imagination. I think this will be an excellent addition.

  25. Combining physical activity with reading is a wonderful way to stimulate learning and increase engagement! Thanks for the chance to win!

  26. My grandson who is 3.5 loves the big legos and knows his letters so a book and lego toy combined would be perfect for him!

  27. My children love Legos, even the cheesy Lego videos on YouTube.

  28. this would be great at enforcing the story and getting my kids to look at the pages more sometimes my kids zone out when i read

  29. I don’t have any kids of my own, but I have three nephews that I love to spoil and I know the two younger ones could use this. With three boys gaining and maintaining their attention is difficult, but I know they love Duplos so this would be educational and exciting for them in one package. Such a great idea!

  30. I think these would encourage my children to sound out the words while they are building, because it would be fun and not seem like work.
    KellywcuATyahooDOTcom

  31. My little girl would LOVE this.

  32. These look like so much fun! My son is a new reader and would love this 🙂

  33. These are fantastic! I love that they can learn by doing!

  34. My little one and my husband would love this!

  35. What a great idea! All three of my kids (even the reader) would be all over this. I can see my son (a still learning reader) especially enjoying building as he reads.

  36. I think theft would help my little manlearn to read by seeing the story words and the following the build along.

  37. I can envision my nieces and I sitting down to read and build these sets!! They would love being able to build what they were reading about in their books! What a great idea!!

  38. My son knows how to read, but he would still love these and they would help him learn to read and follow instructions.

  39. This could really help my son master reading. He can read three and four letter words, but I think this could speed up the prcoess if he’s trying to follow directions. He’s really going to want to know how to build those projects!! 🙂 bethfouche at hotmail dot com

  40. By seeing the pictures and how it all come together may help them understand and read the words!

    nelly dot barney at yahoo dot com

  41. Tweeted!

    nelly dot barney at yahoo dot com

  42. My kids love Lego board games, but the littler ones are always left out…this will be great for them to have their own Lego activity! My kids would be in heaven with a Lego gift card…how fun!

  43. How cute! My youngest granddaughter is just the right age for this.

  44. We love duplos!!!

  45. Nicole G Zero says

    I think this would help my niece & nephews learn to read because of the toy tie-in.

    nicoleg0 at hotmail

  46. what an awesome idea!! jones.amanda.m at gmail

  47. LEGO & Book= Great combination. Although my daughter is just 10 months old, I have started buying few sets of LEGO duplo for her.

  48. Blocks and books, what could be better. I can see them learning colors, shapes and numbers from these books. What an awesome idea.

  49. Anonymous says

    My sons would love this it would teach him to focus!

    Kara
    [email protected]

  50. These are great for kids too little to have Lego kits. Plus, building along with the story makes learning to read fun.

  51. Anonymous says

    i would love to win these. i have 5 grandchildren who all love lego’s and to read these would be great for them.

  52. Oh, my boys would love these!
    Great giveaway!

  53. I like that this encourages the kiddos to read the same book over and over.

  54. Anonymous says

    Great Prize!!! I like the idea of incorporating building and reading together. This would be a great idea for older Lego kits as well.
    hayvalleyAThughesDOTnet

  55. I think these are awesome! I think that these sets would help my son learn to read because it puts a fun twist on reading and I think the fact that he could build along with the book would make him want to read more.
    sgrant4(at)ymail(dot)com

  56. This looks awesome! My older Kids could help the younger ones learn how to read And play Legos.

  57. this looks amazing! anything that makes reading fun helps my kiddos! 🙂 thanks for the giveaway! 🙂

  58. I believe that any time you had a kinetic activity with reading and learning that it is more meaningful and therefore more likely to be remembered! Thanks for a chance to win and have a great day!
    kmassmanATgmailDOTcom

  59. My daughter loves reading but I’d like to get her more interested in blocks, etc. so this is great!

    [email protected]

  60. It would get them interested…and that’s half the battle.
    sntbosch(at)msn(dot)com

  61. I love that your girls continued with racing after the story was finished. Imaginative toys are the best! Read & Build will help because it’s interactive. He’ll love building the characters from the stories and seeing them take shape as he goes!

  62. I think putting the words in the book together with the actions of building the blocks would help with learning to read.

  63. Wow, what a great product! I think the LEGO DUPLO Read & Build will help my kids learn to read with all those fun colors block building and interaction. For sure this is a lot more fun than just reading the book.

    Amy [at] utry [dot] it

  64. tweeted about this giveaway: https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/224411524368838656

    Amy [at] utry [dot] it

  65. DDs love LEGO, this combination is such a great motivation to them in reading while playing with LEGO.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

  66. i think it would help because she loves interactive stories
    [email protected]

  67. I think that they will make the connection of what they are reading and what they are building.

    jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com

  68. I tweeted too
    https://twitter.com/jrwarfield/status/225343739839791105

    jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com

  69. My son has been in love with this idea, from the moment we first saw it. As a parent I would hope the building would help with word recognition the more we played.

  70. My son is a huge Lego fan, and anything that encourages him to look at books is a winner. So Legos AND books? Double win!

  71. My son is a huge Lego fan, and anything that encourages him to look at books is a winner. So Legos AND books? Double win!

  72. This could help my child learn to read by engaging them in an activity that helps them truly interact with the text, by way of the building blocks. Very cool product!

  73. my little one loves blocks and is starting to read! This would be right up her alley and we’d love to have some new blocks for her (and her baby sister, who will be stepping up to play here in a few months!) to share. We love the new book ones and princess/pink blocks! so exciting! jill dot shoemaker at gmail dot com

  74. this will help my kids have more fun learning
    [email protected]

  75. My daughter would love this – what a fun way to encourage reading! Thanks

  76. This would encourage fine motor skills as well as early reading.

  77. I am hoping to homeschool, and think this would be a fun tool to use!

    [email protected]

  78. it will add extra incentive and excitement to reading

  79. My son absolutely LOVES legos. I think the key to learning is engaging the child, capturing their attention, working with their imagination. I think the Lego Duplo Read and Build, would be fun for my son. And when your having fun, learning is easy. Incorporating something he loves, likes legos, and adding in books (which he loves), would be a great tool to helping my son polish up his reading skills. This would be wonderful!

  80. This is great…it’ll keep my son engaged. Reading and playing together is a great combination!

    alittlenosh AT gmail.com

  81. The Legos activity will encourage reading.

    rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com

  82. OOh! These books will help my kids learn to follow directions, turn the pages, and listen carefully to the stories as they keep their little fingers busy! 😀

  83. this makes it fun to learn to read

    karinaroselee at gmail dot com

  84. I think it will help my son with reading because he will be able to connect the pictures and what he can build with what the book is talking about.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com

  85. tweet-https://twitter.com/CrazyItalian0/status/233953412545409025

    gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com

  86. I think having a book he can interact with will definitely encourage my 3 year old to read!
    [email protected]

  87. Both my boys love Legos. I saved my sets from when I was younger and they play with those also. Lego Duplo Read and Build is an excellent idea for kids that are interested and reading and definitely for those that aren’t. My oldest has fun putting together Lego sets using the instructions and making things off the top of his head. Legos in general are a great learning tool.

  88. The kids already love legos so this will be very exciting to see them having fun and learning to read at the same time.
    MCantu1019@aol dot com

  89. i have a 5 year old nephew who is going to school this year and this would help to learn to read because it hands on reading plus his b-day is this week and i think he would love it as a gift

  90. I think since it’s an interactive book with pictures demonstrating how to use the blocks and how to build that it would help with reading and learning

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

  91. My children always wanted to do things themselves and this book with the Legos will encourage children to read and build on their own.

    willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

  92. Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/236971882556047361

    willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

  93. it helps them to learn that building on what they already know is the best way to learn!
    Thanks for a super giveaway!
    My email: anashct1 [at] yahoo [dot] com

  94. tweeted here: https://twitter.com/anashct3/status/237127094579122176
    my emAIL IS : anashct1 {at} yahoo {dot} com

  95. Even though I don’t have any kids of my own, I can see how using playtime and storytime as a way to teach reading would work. Kids love to play and be read to and to figure stuff out and this incorporates aspects of all of that.
    Angie
    14earth at gmail dot com

  96. I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/237219476452548609
    Angie
    14earth at gmail dot com