Do you know kids who love Lego? This game might be a great fit! This is a counseling game full of Lego goodness such as discussing favorite Lego heroes, using Lego as a coping mechanism, and Lego-themed storytelling. Kids will learn to process and communicate emotions and build connections with others through playing with their favorite toys.
If you work with families, this game can help build positive experiences and improve communication with the comfort of using familiar toys. This could include families working on reunification, families who struggle to get along and communicate well, and those who are just seeking ways to build deeper attachments.
This game is not limited to families, as it could also be used to build rapport between a child and a therapist. It could also be used in group settings to encourage positive social interactions. As children have positive experiences with others, it will motivate them to continue to try to connect with others. This could include kids with social anxiety, kids who have a history of aggression, or children with autism. The directive play approach sets them up for success by providing building and storytelling prompts. Kids will also learn how to share take turns and respond to others as part of the game-playing experience.
Related Post: Hot-Headed: A Game to Calm Anger
There are eight categories of cards, each focusing on different tasks and goals:
Emotional Identification: Kids will show how they look when they feel various emotions to help them better identify emotions and grow in their ability to communicate them.
Brick Building: What's a Lego game without building things? These cards provide prompts to create something with Legos. This can provide a creative outlet, a way to show loved one's their brick-building skills, and a way to engage with others in a meaningful, playful way.
Home Life: Kids will be able to identify support figures, expectations in the home, and some roles of family members. This can give insight into family functioning and needs.
Going Places: The Lego car cards focus on desires outside of the home.
Lego Superheroes: Superheroes can be used in many ways to process emotions, trauma, and to help kids find strength from within. Kids will identify the types of powers they would want to have, how they would use them, and if they have an identified enemy.
Storytelling: Kids often process trauma, desires, and struggles through storytelling. They are able to discuss and process inward battles and find ways to overcome difficulties by telling stories. Many cards are story prompts to generate creative exploration.
Vehicles of Change: Players will identify and process fears as well as ways to overcome fears with these cards. The prompts will challenge kids to discuss what they want to change and overcome as well as consider things they can do to make changes.
What's in the Box?: Understanding how a kid is wired to help with working on a plan of action to address emotional difficulties. Is the child impulsive with a short attention span? Is the child an over-thinker and motivated to have control over his space? These questions help kids identify motivations and needs.
I hope you enjoy this Lego-inspired game! So far, I have consistently gotten two thumbs-up reviews from kids I have played with. Don't miss my blog post with creative ways to use Lego in play therapy. It is full of more creative Lego fun.
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