Finding meaningful gifts for kids around the holidays doesn’t have to break the bank. We have a young one with a birthday just after Christmas which makes gift purchasing a nightmare. We try to break it up by providing experiences for birthday and gifts for Christmas but over the years it’s become experiences AND gifts for birthdays. Luckily, our child loves animals, puzzles, and playing which makes the LEGO Creator 3in1 sets perfect.
If you’re searching for holiday gifts under $30 or birthday presents for kids during the busy end-of-year season, these LEGO sets are the perfect solution. Each one comes with plenty of pieces, easy-to-read instructions, and best of all, multiple animal builds to keep the kids entertained. Great thing about these Creator 3in1 sets is that there are so many options you can tailor your purchase to the types of animals the child likes.
31136 Exotic Parrot
Pieces: 252 / MSRP: $19.99 / Price Per Piece $0.08
The Exotic Parrot is a fun LEGO set and displays beautifully. In fact, we liked it so much we ended up getting the pink one for us to build as well and it still sits on the shelf in the office. Not only is the parrot great looking but the other builds in this set, a fish and an adorable frog, look pretty good too. This set doesn’t have a lot of playability, except for the frog which has moveable legs, but it does offer a great building experience.
31140 Magical Unicorn
Pieces: 145 / MSRP: $9.99 / Price Per Piece $0.07
This is the least expensive set in our list. The Magical Unicorn was the first set our daughter put together by herself. She started with the unicorn, of course, but after a day of it sitting on the table she took it apart and started the seahorse. She has yet to build the peacock as her focus switched to Moana and Gabby’s Dollhouse sets but I’m sure with winter coming there will be some down days inside that she’ll want to build the bird. It will, however, ultimately be taken apart to build the unicorn again.
31157 Exotic Peacock
Pieces: 355 / MSRP: $19.99 / Price Per Piece $0.06
We love the Exotic Peacock set because of the colors. It comes with a lot of pieces that allow the kids to get really creative when they’ve already built the dragonfly and the butterfly. This set is really playable too as the peacock’s wings fold back, and both the dragonfly and butterfly have moveable wings with great swooshability.
31158 Sea Animals
Pieces: 421 / MSRP: $29.99 / Price Per Piece $0.07
We’re a family of divers (and little snorkelers). Anything water related is an instant hit with us. This is one of the more expensive sets in our list coming in at $29.99 but it comes with a lot of pieces that allows your kiddo to build so many different creatures. The animals included in the instructions are a sea turtle, seahorse, crab, octopus, squid, jellyfish and four different fish. This set gives you more animals to build than any of the others.
31159 Wild Animals: Surprising Spider
Pieces: 153 / MSRP: $12.99 / Price Per Piece $0.08
This one is for those who love creepy crawlies! Not only do they get to build a spider that hangs from a “web” and has moveable legs but they also get instructions for building a posable scorpion and snake. The Wild Animals: Surprising Spider set is on the lower end of the price scale and offers a lot of playability.
31162 Cute Bunny
Pieces: 326 / MSRP: $19.99 / Price Per Piece $0.06
This set is just adorable. Not only does the little one get to build the cute bunny, which can be posed standing or sitting, they also get to build a seal and a llama, all with posable limbs. The bunny has a sunflower and a carrot to chew, the llama has grass and a planted carrot and the seal, a fish and ice, allowing for scene building and play.
31163 Playful Cat
Pieces: 407 / MSRP: $24.99 / Price Per Piece $0.06
The Playful Cat set is such a fun gift. It starts with an adorable cat they can build that’s not just a display piece. The cat’s head, ears, tail, and legs all move, so kids can pose it to sit, pounce, or just look cute on their shelf. It even comes with a tiny food bowl, a mouse toy, and a ball of yarn, which makes for more involved playtime. The dog has a bone and its head, ears, tail, legs and paws can be moved. The pigeon is not near as exciting as the other builds but it’s cute and has a rotating head.
31170 Pink Flamingo
Pieces: 288 / MSRP: $24.99 / Price Per Piece $0.09
The Pink Flamingo has the highest price per piece out of all the Creator 3in1 sets we listed but hey, it’s a lot of pink! The flamingo has a moveable neck allowing different poses. The cockatoo is a cute little build and the axolotl has great playability. There are also a lot of alternate builds over at Rebrickable that can keep the kids building something new for a long time.
31173 Tropical Toucan
Pieces: 255 / MSRP: $17.99 / Price Per Piece $0.08
Last on our list is the Tropical Toucan. This is probably our least favorite set here as it’s just not as colorful as the other sets and doesn’t have a lot of playability. It makes a great display set for the little ones that love toucans. The toucan’s beak is moveable and a piece of watermelon can be built for it to snack on. The other builds in this set include a butterfly with posable wings and a fish with moveable fins.
Whether you’re shopping for Christmas, trying to stretch a holiday budget, or scrambling for one more birthday gift right after all the festivities, these LEGO Creator 3in1 sets make it easy to give kids something meaningful without overspending. What we love most about these is that each set comes with three different animal builds, allowing more building and more playing!