Lego-based therapy is transforming the way schools and educational settings support children who experience communication and social development challenges. Originally developed to help young people with Autism, this evidence-based programme is now widely used to benefit children with various social and communication needs. But where should these sessions take place? Many schools are discovering that outdoor classrooms provide the perfect setting for Lego therapy, offering a quiet, adaptable, and inspiring environment for children to thrive. Read on to find out more...
What is Lego-Based Therapy?
Lego-based therapy is a structured intervention that helps children develop communication and teamwork skills through collaborative Lego building activities. As Lego is widely loved by children and young people, the play-based therapy is a particularly enjoyable practice.
Typically conducted in small groups of three, each child takes on a specific role:
1) Engineer: Reads the instructions and communicates which Lego pieces are needed.
2) Supplier: Finds and provides the required Lego pieces.
3) Builder: Assembles the model based on the engineer’s instructions.
This process encourages teamwork, active listening, and problem-solving skills, all while offering pupils a way to have fun!
Schools across the UK are increasingly adopting Lego therapy as part of their intervention programmes to help students with ASD, speech and language difficulties, or social anxieties. The structured, predictable nature of Lego play provides a sense of comfort and security while promoting essential social skills such as:
- Turn-taking and collaboration
- Following instructions and improving focus
- Enhancing problem-solving and creativity
- Building confidence and reducing anxiety
Why Outdoor Classrooms are Ideal for Lego Therapy
Schools often struggle with finding enough space for interventions like Lego therapy. The traditional classroom or school hall can be overstimulating for some students. They are spaces which often come with distractions or noises which are unhelpful for small group social development programmes or other interventions. Outdoor classrooms provide a dedicated, distraction-free space on school grounds. Detached from the main school build, they offer a quiet and calm environment perfect for helping students to feel at ease and engage in communication, allowing for increased focus. Another reason why outdoor classrooms provide a great setting for Lego therapy and other support sessions is that they strengthen a connection to nature. Offering views of green school grounds, an outdoor building can improve students' mood and general wellbeing!
Having a dedicated, quiet space for Lego therapy can make all the difference in its effectiveness. Schools such as Billesley Primary School in Birmingham and Asfordby Hill Primary School in Leicestershire have introduced outdoor eco classrooms to host their Lego therapy sessions.
Billesley Primary School in Birmingham
We visited the staff and students at Billesley Primary School in Birmingham who find their outdoor classroom to be the perfect Lego therapy setting. It's a safe, calming space detached from the main building, made all the more inviting with the school's integration of biophilic design principles! The pupils can access Lego therapy sessions in a learning and support environment tailored to their requirements, one which importantly offers a connection to nature.
We asked asked about Lego therapy sessions at Billesley. Inclusion and family support, Miss Fields, told us:
'We run our Lego therapy sessions in our eco classroom. The reason we do Lego therapy is that it's good for children who have ASD or speech and language or communication difficulties. It helps to promote social interaction and build children's social skills.'
We asked how their outdoor classroom helps. Miss Fields told us:
'For schools, space really is at a premium. We're always looking for additional spaces beyond just the nooks and alcoves in the school in order to provide children with a purposeful, safe, quiet, private space in which to partake in these support activities. Last year, we were using our resource base which is quite small. With other classes going on around it, it could be a bit too noisy for the children. Here in our eco classroom, we now have our own space! It's really nice and bright - it doesn't have a clinical or corporate feel. It's great for us to have an environment that we can actually adapt and change to meet the needs of our students.'
Asfordby Hill Primary School in Leicestershire
We also visited the lovely Melton-Mowbray based Primary school, Asfordby Hill. They also use an outdoor classroom as a safe, calming space for their pupils. We spoke to assistant headteacher and SENCO Nicola Bailey who told us:
'The main reason we wanted an outdoor classroom was the lack of space in our school. Places like the library area and the hall weren't very productive areas for intervention sessions, therapy sessions or meetings because of the noise. Therefore, we needed to think about where we would have the space to create a quiet and inclusive area for the children.'
The wonderful part about this school's outdoor classroom is that it has an internal partition, creating a smaller room and a larger room. The additional space is highly versatile and can be used to facilitate a wide variety of support sessions, social worker or agency meetings and activities. You can check out our fantastic case study here.
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What are some further benefits of outdoor classrooms?
Outdoor classrooms maximise the potential of school grounds, creating more opportunities for effective, spacious, and engaging learning experiences. Being modular buildings, your school can provide additional learning space without large scale and time-consuming renovations to the main school build. Plus, outdoor classrooms are highly versatile spaces that can be adapted for a wide range of activities and subjects. They support diverse learning experiences, from science experiments and art projects to reading sessions and physical education.
Conclusion
Lego therapy, combined with the right learning environment, offers children a valuable opportunity to develop essential social and communication skills. Many schools across the country are now using outdoor classrooms to facilitate Lego-based therapy and other support interventions as they provide the ideal setting, offering a peaceful, adaptable space where students can thrive.
If your school is looking for ways to create purposeful spaces for therapeutic learning, consider investing in a modular outdoor classroom. We are Cabins for schools, and we specialise in designing, manufacturing and installing a wide variety of educational buildings built for your school's requirements. From outdoor classrooms for SEN support to log cabins for forest school and forest learning, we can help your school or educational setting to create extra space.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you build the perfect environment for Lego therapy and beyond!
