Lego Therapy

Lego Therapy

Lego therapy is a collaborative play therapy in which children work together to build Lego models

Instead of building Lego sets by themselves, children work in pairs or teams of 3.  The task of Lego building is divided into different roles such that social interaction is necessary to participate.  By doing this, children practice key skills of collaboration, joint attention, fair division of labour, sharing, turn-taking, eye-contact, gaze following, verbal and non-verbal communication.

How does Lego Therapy work?

Lego Therapy follows these steps:

1. Each child learns a clear set of rules and Lego building, building rules.
2. They are then introduced to the other children who will be in the group.
3. Everyone in the group agrees upon a project which is achievable for everyone involved.
4. Each child is assigned a role for the project.  Roles are rotated throughout therapy.
5. The group works together to build the Lego building structure according to the principles of play therapy.

What are the rules of Lego Therapy?

Lego therapy building rules can be customised according to the abilities and skills of each individual.  Common rules include:

• Structures must be built together by the group
• If you break something, you have to fix it or ask for help to fix it.
• If another group member is using something and you want it, ask for it.  Don't just take it.
• Use quiet indoor voices.
• Use kind and polite words.
• Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
• At the end, tidy everything away and put it back where it came from.

What are the roles in Lego therapy?

Different roles in Lego therapy are:

• Engineer oversees the design and ensures the instructions are followed.
• Builder: puts the bricks together.
• Supplier: keeps track of which size, shape and colour bricks are needed and passes them to the builder.
• Director: ensures the team is working together and communicating well.

Roles rotate throughout the session so that every child gets to try each role - this helps stimulate different aspects within the child.