Lego is known the world over for being a toy for kids that inspires creativity and ingenuity. However, the original Lego bricks are quite small, making them unsuitable for young kids. Luckily for parents everywhere, their Duplo range uses to same recognisable blocks, only slightly bigger for little hands to clasp.
Like Lego, Duplo sets cover a wide range of themes from simple sets involving a house, train or truck, to more complex builds like fire stations and airports. You can even find ones that feature their favourite characters, whether that's Disney Princesses or the Marvel Avengers. To help you choose the right set for your little one, we've ranked the top 10 best in the UK for toddlers and young children on Argos, Amazon and more!
Quick List - Top Lego Duplo Sets
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The popular multicoloured bricks of Lego Duplo come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, designed to build cars, trains and much more. But with so much choice, it can be hard to decide which set will be best for your child. In this buying guide, we're here to help!
Although the primary appeal of Lego Duplo is the imaginative fun to be had with the more basic bricks, this enjoyment can be massively enhanced with exciting figures, structures and vehicles. Take a look at what's included inside kit to help you decide which one to buy.
Most Duplo sets include two or three characters that help bring the scene to life. These are usually somehow related to the theme of the set. For instance, a fire fighter would likely feature in a fire engine themed set.
Sets often include little girl and boy figures, so that kids can imagine themselves within the scenarios they're acting out. You'll also see plenty of animal figures popping up in different sets. Kids love animals and they'll enjoy pretending to take care of them, particularly if they're not yet old enough to have a pet of their own.
Along with the people and animal figures, what makes Duplo so fun for youngsters to play with is the structures, buildings or vehicles that provide a place to centre their play. These vary hugely from houses and castles, to trains and trucks.
Whatever the main structure is, your kids will love figuring out all the entertaining ways to explore and play with it. This main part provides the stage for smaller items and figures, so it's a good idea to pick something that can be extended with other sets and toys.
Duplo is known as the line of Lego building sets that are made for younger children, usually under the age of 5. The great thing about Duplo is that it can be tailored to any child's level allowing them to build things that are as complex or as basic as they like. But even within this age bracket, there are a lot of developmental differences.
Some Duplo is designed for very small children, as young as 18 months old. These sets are very simple to build and use, but tend to include a learning element like numbers or the alphabet. Those who are a bit older, around 2 years and up, can handle bricks and builds that are a bit more complicated. They may also care more about the toys that they are playing with, and want to choose a specific theme.
The number of pieces in a Duplo set can vary enormously, with some containing just over 20 pieces, whilst others have more than 100. The amount of pieces is often quite a good indicator of how complicated the set is and how challenging it will be to build as simpler sets for younger kids tend to have less parts.
The number of pieces can also tell you how big and sprawling a Duplo construction will be. It's quite possible that you want to keep the number of pieces down to stop little bricks being spread all over the place. After all, everyone knows how painful it can be to stand on a piece of Lego!
If you don't have endless space to store countless kids' toys, it is worth looking at how big the box is. That way, you'll have a better idea whether you'll have the room to store it when it's packed away.
More pieces normally mean a bigger box, with some amounting to very large creations, but one of the joys of Lego is that, once dismantled, it can be packed into in a much smaller container. Which is perfect for saving room!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | LEGO DUPLO Classic Deluxe Brick Box Building Set |10914 | ![]() | A Box of Bricks That Will Never Get Dull | |
2 | LEGO DUPLO Modular Playhouse|10929 | ![]() | This Big House Will Keep Your Kid Busy for Hours | |
3 | LEGO DUPLO Tropical Island|10906 | ![]() | Escape to the Exciting World of a Tropical Island | |
4 | LEGO DUPLO Fire Station|10903 | ![]() | All the Excitement of a Fire Station, Without the Danger | |
5 | LEGO DUPLO Disney Princess Frozen Ice Castle|10899 | ![]() | Do You Want to Build an Ice Castle? | |
6 | LEGO DUPLO Airport|10871 | ![]() | Let Your Child's Imagination Take Off | |
7 | LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train Toy|10847 | ![]() | All Aboard to Count to Ten | |
8 | LEGO DUPLO Alphabet Truck |10915 | ![]() | A Fun Way to Start Learning Your A, B, Cs | |
9 | LEGO DUPLO Bubble Bath Submarine Adventure |10910 | ![]() | Add Some Lego Fun to Bath Time | |
10 | LEGO DUPLO Marvel Super Heroes Lab|10921 | ![]() | Save the Day With Your Favourite Superheroes |
This Duplo set offers just the right amount of freedom, with a little guidance to let your child create the world of their imagination. While it's suitable for very young children, it's almost guaranteed to be enjoyed just as much by those who are a bit older thanks to the endless possibilities.
Within this set, there is the option to build a house, a playground and a garden, all of which you can drive around in a Duplo car. The 85 bricks will keep your kids busy, and after they're done all the pieces can be put back in a fun, Duplo-shaped storage box!
With over 100 pieces, this house is by far the most extensive Duplo creation on this list. Once built, they can use it as a doll's house complete with a family of figures and all the furnishings you could want for hours of fun.
This set is the perfect challenge for youngsters, and a great stepping stone towards regular Lego as it resembles the real thing, but doesn't require the same precision. Plus, the structure is big enough that multiple children can play with it at the same time, making it a good choice for siblings or play dates.
If your child is an animal lover, then this set will be perfect for them. With a jungle theme, you'd expect to find find a range of wild creatures to play with, and this set doesn't disappoint! Tigers, elephants, a monkey and a toucan all co-exist in this fantastical tropical island paradise.
The building fun doesn't stop when the structure is up and finished. The inclusion of a tree house with pulley system mean this toy continues to be interesting well after it's been constructed.
It's never too early to learn the value of the emergency services, and with this Duplo set your little ones can have some fun reenacting heroic work in a safe way.
The fire station makes up the main focal point, with it's archway and ladder. In addition to this, you'll find a fire truck with wheels, flashing lights and working siren, just like the real thing. There's a narrative ready to be explored thanks to the campfire and the dog, so your child can let their imagination run wild!
Frozen is a film beloved by all ages, that has had everyone from kids to adults belting out the memorable songs. Now, kids can build Elsa's Ice Castle in the playroom, using the Anna, Elsa and Olaf figures to recreate their favourite scenes from the modern Disney classic.
The castle comes with a whole host of extras, from a slide that your characters can whiz down to a light that provides multi-coloured illumination . And at 59 pieces, this set strikes the perfect balance between complexity and ease of use for young children.
This set will be loved by little aviation enthusiasts. It includes a plane that kids can pretend to fly around the house, having a ball whilst doing so. To make this set more substantial, it also includes an air traffic control tower, making the playing experience a whole lot more realistic.
The simple construction skills necessary for this model make it fun and accessible to a wide group of children, but with only 29 pieces, it is not the biggest building challenge. Frustratingly, it only features male figures too, which might mean little girls don't enjoy it as much.
There is something about the dynamism of a train toy that appeals generation after generation of children. This train is more than a simple toy, though. Instead, it is a learning tool that will help teach your kids how to count.
Your youngster will love joining the boy and girl figures - and their cat - immersing themselves in the wonderful world of numbers. Like other sets for this age group, the longevity of the toy will be shortened by how quickly they'll get bored once they know how to count.
Learning from a book when you're very young is definitely not the most enticing way of doing things. It's great to introduce concepts like numbers and letters to your kids early, but it's more important that they have fun doing it, and fun is definitely something that this truck will provide.
The building blocks with letters on are a fantastic idea for convincing your child that learning the alphabet is important and entertaining. Unfortunately, the length of time with which they'll want to play with this set might be limited once they've learnt the basics.
Parents often find it difficult to convince their children to get into the tub and get themselves clean, but with with this Duplo set, you'll have no such problem! Complete with divers, fish and a bubble-bath-friendly submarine, your kids won't be able to wait for bath time. The fish and submarine even blow bubbles!
Whilst this set is excellent for the bath, it's limited in it's scope for play. The bright colours and seaweed appeal to young eyes, but the central coral feature is not the hardest to make, or the most interesting.
With this Duplo set, your kids get to see their favourite superheroes up close and imagine all their adventures. Including three popular marvel characters - Spider-man, Captain America and Iron Man - each figure comes with its own accessories for an excellent play experience.
With only 29 pieces, this is one of the more simple sets you can find. As it's not the most complex to build, your kids potentially won't be gripped for as long as you would like them to be. They also won't have to chance to work on their building skills in the same ways as other sets.
Play is essential for children, and toys that require imagination and creativity offer fun ways of learning, whether they're by themselves or with their friends or siblings. Check out our guides to some of the most popular toys in the UK for young kids to help you stock up their toy box for hours of play!
Trying to keep your toddler or young child entertained for prolonged periods of time can be a daunting task, but with a toy like Duplo, you'll get some much-needed help. Whatever they're into, we hope this guide has shown that there is sure to be a Duplo set that will encourage imagination and allow them to fully lose themselves in their Lego adventures.
Author: Emma Cramp
No. 1: LEGO DUPLO|Classic Deluxe Brick Box Building Set |10914
No. 2: LEGO DUPLO|Modular Playhouse|10929
No. 3: LEGO DUPLO|Tropical Island|10906
No. 4: LEGO DUPLO|Fire Station|10903
No. 5: LEGO DUPLO|Disney Princess Frozen Ice Castle|10899
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