Why Lego?

The link between Lego and creativity is an obvious one. We’re all familiar with children (and some adults!) diligently following instructions to piece a pile of Lego into what will become quite complex objects such as cars, castles or spaceships.

When their masterpiece is complete the car transforms them into a brave racecar driver, the castle turns them into a gallant knight and the spaceship blasts them into deep space to save earth from an impending asteroid strike.

These Lego objects will continue to transport them wherever their imagination takes them but are we so familiar with kids not following the Lego instructions and instead building whatever fuels their imagination? Or more than that, are we familiar with kids using Lego pieces to understand and solve complex problems?

Probably less so, which is why the Big Idea has embraced what is known as the Lego Serious Play method. This method is used in a corporate setting to help teams amplify their creativity so they can develop strategies and solve complex problems. Yes, busy adults playing with Lego might sound a little ‘out there’ but out there is where real creativity and innovation exist which is why organisations are embracing this method.

Through the generosity of our sponsors The Big Idea has been able to provide each student with a specifically designed Lego Serious Play pack. Unlike traditional Lego packs, these packs don’t come with instructions on how to build a specific object. Instead, students accelerate their creative thinking by using whichever Lego pieces they wish in order to:

1. Tell a story of why creativity and collaboration are going to be important for their Big Idea journey
2. Build one strength they bring to the team
3. Build the hopes of their Hero (their Hero is the person they are solving a problem for)
4. Build the fears of their Hero

Using the Lego Serious Play method to understand and communicate such abstract ideas has many benefits which we will go into in a future newsletter. For now, we would again like to thank our sponsors for committing to funding which has made the Lego Serious Play method a part of our unique, creative learning environment.