LEGO DUPLO

LEGO DUPLO is the preschool range of LEGO, built with chunky bricks for small hands from 18 months and up. The pieces are roughly twice the size of standard LEGO in every direction, which makes them safer for toddlers and a lot easier to click together without help. If you're buying your first set, or trying to work out whether that DUPLO train set is actually worth it, this guide should help. Scroll up any time to check live UK prices. Read More...

Most DUPLO sets fall into one of a handful of categories, and knowing which is which makes choosing a lot easier.

A DUPLO brick box, like the Deluxe Brick Box or Classic Brick Box, is the traditional starter. You get a tub of assorted DUPLO bricks, a few windows, a figure or two, and no rules. It's a brilliant first gift because it works with every other DUPLO set you might buy later.

A DUPLO train set is one of the longest-lasting purchases in the range. The trains are push-and-go, so toddlers can drive them with a gentle shove, and the track clips together in loops and figures-of-eight. Once you've got a basic loop, extra straights, curves and bridges keep the layout fresh for years.

A DUPLO house tends to get the most hours of play per pound. Family homes, tree houses and modern builds all invite proper role-play, with toddlers moving figures between rooms and acting out daily routines.

Vehicles and rescue sets, including DUPLO fire trucks, fire stations, LEGO DUPLO cars and construction sets, are quick to build and instantly playable. If your child's attention span is still short, these are a safer bet than a long build.

Animal and farm sets bring naming, sounds and caring play into the mix, which is useful for early language. A DUPLO farm set is also easy to combine with other themes, since animals and vehicles travel well between scenes.

Licensed sets are worth their weight in quiet afternoons if your child already loves the show. Look out for LEGO DUPLO Bluey, LEGO DUPLO Peppa Pig and Disney DUPLO sets, including the DUPLO Frozen castle and Ariel's underwater palace.

DUPLO dinos and space sets, like the dinos on wheels and space shuttle builds, suit slightly older toddlers (3+) who are ready for bigger scenes and longer stories.

Start with the age guidance on the box, but don't take it too literally. For toddlers of 18 months to 2 years, simpler is almost always better: a brick box or a small vehicle set with one clear, repeatable action (push the train, open the door, feed the animal). DUPLO for 2 year olds really does work best when there's one thing to "do" and everything else is bonus. From age 3, children usually enjoy multi-room houses, 3-in-1 rebuilds and sets with more detailed figures.

After age, follow the interest. If your child already plays vets, cooking or rescue games with other toys, match the DUPLO set to that storyline and it'll see daily use. A set that fits an existing obsession beats a "better" set on paper almost every time.

Finally, think about expansion. Because DUPLO bricks are cross-compatible across the range, a second, smaller set (extra track, another vehicle, a few more animals) can refresh play for months without the cost of a brand-new model.

Push-and-go trains are the headline feature on DUPLO train sets, and they hold up. They stop when lifted, which is useful, and Action Bricks placed on the track trigger sounds or direction changes that keep interest going after build day.

Large baseplates and modular walls are the quiet heroes of the bigger sets. They let toddlers rebuild without the whole model collapsing, which matters far more than it sounds.

Friendly DUPLO figures and animals do a lot of heavy lifting for language and sibling play. A set with three or four characters tends to spark more storytelling than a set with one.

And a quick word on storage-box sets: the packaging on some DUPLO boxes doubles as a proper tidy-up container, which is the difference between "where have all the bricks gone" and a set that's still being played with in six months.

DUPLO bricks are easy to clean. Warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid, rinse, and air-dry. Skip the dishwasher and very hot water. Electronic parts, like train bases and light bricks, are wipe-clean only.

DUPLO is rated for 18 months and up. If there are older siblings in the house with standard LEGO System sets, it's worth keeping the two collections separate so the smaller pieces don't end up in the DUPLO box.

If you lose parts or instructions, LEGO customer service can usually help. The set number is printed on the box and manual, and digital instructions are free on the LEGO website.

Recommended retail prices on LEGO DUPLO are set by LEGO, but UK retailers discount independently, and the best price on a given set can change week to week. Big drops tend to cluster around Black Friday, Boxing Day, Easter, the summer holidays and back-to-school, but genuine DUPLO sales pop up at other times too. The grid above shows the current price against the highest price we've tracked, so you can tell at a glance whether today's deal is a real discount or just a gentle markdown.