Make this fun Lego lap tray to keep the kids busy on your next road-trip

Fishing out tiny bricks from under your car's front seats is a back-breaking task. But what are you gonna do – ban the brick? Nah-uh. [Wags finger] Packing a Lego set is a classic parenting hack – plus, it's good to get the kids to put down the iPad every now and then.

So what's the answer? This clever Lego lap tray.

There's a good chance you'll have most of these ingredients lying around the house already. If not, you can pick them up cheaply from the shops.

Step 1

Size up your baking tray and your Lego baseplate. The easiest way to cut your baseplate down to size is to hold it upside down over your baking tray and mark up your first cutting line on the longest side. Using your knife and ruler, score the baseplate along the line. You might need to repeat this step a couple of times to make sure the cut is deep enough. Grab the Lego baseplate on either side of the scored line, and bend it back and forth until it gives way.

Step 2

Line up your magnetic containers along one end of your baking tray to see how they fit. Mark another line on your baseplate if the containers overlap it, and then go at the line with your knife again before getting snap-happy. Your Lego baseplate should now be the perfect size for your baking tray.

Step 3

Cut a few strips of double-sided tape and stick them to the back of your Lego baseplate. Peel off the tape backing, place your plate in the tray, making sure it's flush against one side, and then press and hold firmly. If you'd like to stick down the baseplate permanently, you'll need something tougher, like a superglue.

Step 4

Pop your magnetic containers on the tray and fill 'em up with Lego bits. If your containers aren't magnetic, good luck to you – because the magnetism really helps them stick in place. But you can always adhere regular containers to your tray instead.

That's it – you're all done. Now you've got a sweet Lego lap tray to take on the road and keep your creative kids occupied while you drive. It's probably a good idea to keep a spare tote or green bag handy too, to keep it all together. Your kids'll love their new backseat mate so much it's likely they'll want to keep connecting its pieces long after you arrive at your destination.

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