Integrating Mindfulness into LEGO® Serious Play® Method Sessions
In an ever-shifting business environment where complex challenges abound—from mental health issues to global disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic—facilitators, educators, and leaders are reimagining how they create safe spaces for learning, collaboration, and healing.
Combining mindfulness sessions with the LEGO® Serious Play® Method offers a holistic approach that blends reflection, creativity, and strategy. This innovative method, influenced by research from Bart Victor and Johan Roos, is increasingly used to promote clarity, trust, and team cohesion across diverse contexts—from school settings to workplace retreats.
What Is the LEGO® Serious Play® Method?
Originally developed as a communication methodology, the LEGO® Serious Play® Method is a creative methodology grounded in the use of playful activity and 3D models to express thoughts, explore identity, and uncover shared meaning.
It encourages dialogue among team members, surfaces key themes, and promotes effortless engagement through a hands-on experience that’s both fun and deeply revealing. In school-based programs, it’s now seen as a process for children navigating the school transition process.
Why Mindfulness Matters in a Facilitation Setting
Mindfulness practices provide a space for exploration—a moment to pause, breathe, and focus before rushing into solutions. Used in sessions focused on mental health awareness, addiction recovery programs, or even business performance, mindfulness improves emotional regulation, empathy, and clarity.
It creates the conditions for:
- Active engagement from workshop participants
- Meaningful reflection processes
- Heightened awareness among team members
- Greater receptivity to alternative methods
Mindfulness also supports personal wellbeing, helps manage activity choices, and improves outcomes in alternative education settings and intervention tools for addiction recovery.
Combining Mindfulness with the LEGO® Serious Play® Method
Bringing mindfulness into this facilitation approach deepens the experience across all participants—whether they are children in a 55-minute children session, leaders in a strategy retreat, or adults recovering from trauma.
This blended method:
- Reinforces presence before building
- Improves attention to metaphor and story
- Enhances the ability to connect emotionally with one’s model
- Supports practical steps toward positive impact
Sample Session Format
Here’s a simple sequence that integrates both elements in a 55-minute session:
- Mindfulness Practice (5 min) – Guided breathwork or silence
- Prompted Build (15 min) – “Create a model of how your team navigates stress.”
- Silent Reflection (5 min) – Pause to observe the model
- Story Sharing (15 min) – Dialogue and metaphor sharing
- Rebuild Response (10 min) – “What needs to change?”
- Group Debrief (5 min) – Explore overarching themes
This session design can be adapted for children, adult learners, or mental health awareness week events.
Applications in Education, Health & Business
This approach is increasingly relevant in:
- Wellbeing initiatives for youth and adults
- Mental health nurse workshops
- Mental Health First Aid training for educators and HR leaders
- Leisure context workshops linked to Leisure Studies
- Organizational work by practitioners like Karen Grayburn, founder of MindfulPlayUK
- School mental health programs and additional education recommendations
Numerous studies—including those found in future studies and 2008–2025 ResearchGate citations—support the power of mindfulness + model-making in facilitating behavioral change.
Why It Works
This hybrid facilitation model offers:
- Alternative methods to engage introverted participants
- Space to slow down and reflect during fast-paced team meetings
- A tactile approach to explore mental health issues
- Support for business leaders seeking to improve performance through empathy and insight
- Insight into participants’ unspoken challenges or hopes
It transforms a session from activity to awareness, from tasks to transformation.
Meaningful Engagement in Every Brick
Incorporating mindfulness into the LEGO® Serious Play® Method creates a more grounded, intentional, and emotionally intelligent workshop experience. Whether addressing the wellbeing of children, supporting an approach to addiction recovery, or guiding a strategic planning team, this method helps individuals slow down, listen inward, and build what really matters.
It’s not just about what participants create with bricks—it’s about the positive impact they carry forward once the session ends.
FAQs
Can this work in alternative education settings?
Yes. Many facilitators use this model to support student mental health, engagement, and transitions.
What about business use?
Mindfulness-enhanced workshops are increasingly used in leadership retreats, team strategy meetings, and wellness initiatives.
Does it require formal mindfulness training?
No, but facilitators should understand the basics of presence, breathwork, and reflection prompts.
What if participants have never done mindfulness?
Start small—a minute or two of quiet attention can set the tone. The building process will do the rest.
Is there real evidence behind this?
Yes. The approach is supported by numerous studies, experiential feedback, and is championed by facilitators like Karen Grayburn.
Disclaimer
Please note: All content, workshops, and services previously provided under Play4Business are now part of Serious Play Business.
We’re evolving to serve you better—please visit Serious Play Business to stay connected, find updated workshops, and continue your journey with the LEGO® Serious Play® Method.
