This app actually scans your kids' LEGOs, then lets them know what they can build with them. Whoa.

My son is all about LEGO these days, which is why I was intrigued when I heard about Brikit, a new iPhone app that takes stock of the LEGOs you have and makes suggestions -- complete with instructions -- on what to build. Turns out, it's a gamechanger! I love this app for for those of us with younger kids who rely pretty heavily on the instruction booklets that come with the kits -- but tend to lose or mix up their pieces and get frustrated.

Related: This service makes it easy to donate your used LEGO bricks to kids in need

It's such a perfect reminder that the picture on the box isn't the only thing you can make using those bricks inside. And that's kind of the point of all LEGO sets, right? A train can turn into a boombox. A juice bar can turn into a puppy.  

Just lay your LEGO pieces in a single layer so the Brikit app can scan them,  then supply suggestions for your next creation complete with instructions for how to make it. (Lots of cool examples on the @brikit.app Instagram feed.) It also lets you know whether have every piece you need for a given design -- or even if you have the wrong color. Though I think could be a fun challenge for slightly older kids learning to improvise on their own. Plus, if you have a full kit, like my son's Trouble on Tatooine LEGO set, you can log those into the Brikit app as a complete set without scanning. There are a few little glitches that I think will be worked out with updates, but overall, it's a terrific app to inspire more creativity, imagination, and off-screen building time. Now if it could just help me put them all back in the box. Download the Brikit app for iOS exclusively from the App Store. Fear not, Android version coming this fall!