Deconstructing LEGO® models

The Joy and Happiness of Deconstructing LEGO models

We’d like to provide you with some ideas on ways to use LEGO® to relax, find balance, and be happier.

When we run live events (which we will be doing again in March 2022 and can’t wait!), it is common for clients to ask afterward if they can help us clean up the LEGO. We usually say something like “No, that’s ok. You go home. We have a very specific way of sorting the LEGO for travel.”

Now there is some honest truth to this, because we do have a system of taking photos of the models, removing the information from flip charts, and deconstructing and re-packing the bricks. However, it would only take us a few minutes to show people so they could help pack us up the LEGO.

In reality, we like to put the LEGO bricks away ourselves because there is a therapeutic quality to this quiet activity. 

As we take the models apart, we silently reflect on the participants’ stories and the information they shared. As we remove each Minifigure, disconnect each connector, unsnap all the bricks, and pile everything into categories (not colors), we consider all the information the participants uncovered during the session.

It is nearly impossible to list all the things that go through our minds as we deconstruct the individual and shared models. However, as reflective practitioners, we ask ourselves things like:

• What happened?

• What went well?

• What could we have improved?

• Who do we need to follow up with?

• What might we include in our client debrief?

• How, when, and where did we notice the aha moments?

• What were the unspoken or unsaid moments people might be reflecting on now, either consciously or unconsciously?

• How do we feel as facilitators?

• What information do we need to share with each other as co-facilitators?

• What questions do we have for each other or for the organizer?

• Going forward, what might we do differently?

Many of these questions are happening in a dream like flow zone, where the unconscious mind helps the conscious mind make sense of huge quantities of information.

As we take the time to clean up the room, and we always leave the room as we found it, we feel like a rock band leaving a show. We planned, we arrived, we presented, we packed up, and now we are off. It’s a story with a beginning and an end. And if we unpack it, we see the hero’s journey because there is always some kind of conflict and turning point. We load up the car with our well-organized materials ready to travel and with a great sense of accomplishment that can only come from a great session of SERIOUS PLAY!

The act of deconstructing the bricks after a workshop is relevant and important. Although we have been on our feet for hours, we happily tidy up. This process not only brings the story to  a satisfying end but it sets the tone for the next session and helps us process valuable information.

The next time you are deconstructing your session’s LEGO models, make sure you give yourself the gift of this valuable time to reflect in silence and congratulate yourself on a job well done. 

And of course, one last reminder: Don’t forget to wash your hands! 

Please share with us your own clean-up stories. We would love to hear how you deconstruct the bricks for reflection.