If I handed you a piece of paper, a pencil, and 13 small Lego pieces, would you think that you could teach team building, self-control, and listening during a lunchtime group? Not only is it possible, but it is a fun activity your kids will love.
I did this activity with two groups today. One that is working on social skills and another on leadership. Both groups were equally engaged, and I was surprised at the level of focus, and teamwork the students displayed. It was really interesting to watch and listen to them work.
To begin I sorted through my legos to sort out similar pieces. I wanted each group to have the same pieces. (Actually one of my groups had 13 Lego pieces and the other group had 8 since it was a larger group and I didn’t have enough of the same Legos.)
When the students sat down, I asked them to each grab a partner. Then handed each group their Lego pieces. I asked them to each work together to build a creation. I gave them no further instructions. Even though they didn’t have a lot of pieces, it took a few minutes for them to figure out what masterpiece they were going to build.
When they were finished, I handed each group a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. I asked them to sketch what they built. Some simply traced their creations, while others gave a detailed, professional guide. As they finished, I asked them to take their Legos apart. Then I split the partners. I had one stay with the drawing and their pieces and the other had to go to a different group. Once in the new group, that person was given the Legos and their partner then had to give verbal directions how to build it. The drawing was only for the instructor to serve as a visual reminder of what it looked like.
This was challenging for several kids. They wanted to see the drawing and not be told how to build something they didn’t know what it looked like. It was also challenging for the instructors not to build their creation for their new partners. One student was on the verge of a melt-down, but I was proud how his instructor said “Don’t worry. We’ve got this. I’m going to walk you through it.” And, he did. Step by step. The cool part was when this kiddo was done, he was ready to do another one!
We processed the activity when everyone was finished.
- What did we do in this activity?
- What made the activity difficult?
- What made it easy?
- If we were to do this over again, what would we do differently?
- What did you learn?
- How does this relate to school?
I love how they were able to relate it to school. They needed to be able to listen to directions to solve a problem, they had people there to encourage them when things were tough, sometimes they need to be patient.
How else could you use this lesson?
What could you use Legos for?
Leave a comment and let me know.
Need a few more lesson ideas for teamwork or self control? Click on the links below.