The Benefits of LEGO® Brick Build Activities are Social and Practical
You may remember LEGO® bricks from your childhood, or still be an avid fan (like me). A common learning tool of play for children, its popularity has been revived for adults with shows like LEGO® Masters reminding many of us just how much it has to offer.
There is also now a growing recognition of the benefits of building with LEGO® bricks as a tool for building social skills, analytical skills and mindfully relaxing. This is particularly helpful for individuals with autism (including adult autism) or other neurodiverse diagnoses. Many of our clients are surprised to hear just how much it has to offer in terms of social capacity building and problem solving skills, especially while building in a group.
Building on your own is great for improving problem solving, spatial awareness and physical development of fine motor skills. LEGO® Build Sessions like ours use teamwork to add new dimensions. In particular, it is great for levelling up your communication, negotiation and team work skills.
Benefits of LEGO® Brick Activities #1 – Social Capacity Building
Many of our clients, particularly those with adult autism, set their own capacity building goals and work with us for coaching. Often these goals include social capacity building which can be hard to achieve through 1:1 coaching alone. Group projects build and consolidate social skills like sharing, collaboration, problem solving and teamwork.
By working in teams to achieve a common (and enjoyable) goal, you find yourself naturally working to express your thoughts clearly, listening to your teammates and working through negotiation and compromise. These skills can then be transferred into the rest of your life.
Importantly, when building with LEGO® bricks you will likely enjoy yourself so much that you won’t feel like you’re working on anything other than the build itself. You may even make some like minded friends along the way.
Benefits of LEGO® Brick Activities #2 – Practical Analytical and Fine Motor Skills
We all learn differently and at different speeds. Sometimes this means our fine motor skills can use some refining well into our adult years. Building with LEGO® gives you space to practice, strengthen and grow your fine motor skills.
Alternatively, as an adult on the autism spectrum, you may wish to practice your analytical skills. When building in teams, you will need to analyse your build and fine tune your planning to withstand the pressures of life; without the need for the dreaded ‘Kragle’!
At the end of your build you will also have created something tangible. It is rewarding to see physical evidence of our progress and achievements.
Benefits of LEGO® Brick Activities #3 – Relaxation and Mindfulness
Whatever your social, professional or life goals we all need to unwind from the stresses of general life. Reports are now suggesting that building with LEGO® bricks can help do just that.
The simple act of being in the moment, focussing on placing each piece where you would like it (or where instructed) can be incredibly relaxing and provide an excellent antidote to overstimulated days in a busy world.
When you take time each week to relax and de-stress, you will find many other parts of your life begin to ease too. You may be more able to focus, less likely to react emotively and more capable of putting into practice other life skills you are working on.
Join Us for LEGO® Build Sessions Every Wednesday
We invite everyone 15 years and over who identifies on the autism spectrum or with mild to moderate intellectual disability to join us in Queanbeyan for our weekly LEGO® Build Sessions. Work in a team as a builder, supplier or engineer to compete in teams while working towards your goals for social capacity building, analytics or fine motor skills. Contact us today to book.
