Learning to LEGO! My training in York
I've always enjoyed playing with Lego and how it was quite open-ended with what you could build and the stories you could create with it. I didn't imagine that it would bring me into this fascinating world where using Lego to help and guide children could make such a positive difference.
I first read about the Brick-by-Brick Programme and the nature of using Lego as a socialising skill and play therapy through the work and research of Dan LeGoff and Gina Gomez de la Cuesta. What had begun as 'Bricks for Autism' has evolved into a fully inclusive and flexible opportunity for all children to practise and gain confidence in problem-solving, social and communicative skills.
My own interests are in child development and psychology - how the ability to rehearse and repeat supports each child to gain experiences with understanding of both themselves and how they can see others. I believe it is important to nurture these opportunities for empathy and social collaboration so that our youngest citizens are ready for the world!
Combining my love for Lego with my knowledge of child psychology and experience working with children from ages 3 to 10, becoming an accredited Brick Club Facilitator just clicked!
As an Advanced Facilitator, the training ensured that we were confident in setting up the clubs, recognising the individual needs of children in the group and being adaptive to their needs so they have the best experience. Ensuring that each session is delivered with care and quality in mind, we have sound knowledge and understanding of how children can learn and apply various skills. Being able to express and communicate when something doesn't happen how you thought it would can be tricky for some, terrifying for others and these emotions can present in different ways. Making sense of those emotions, working through your own or even those of a team mate can be really challenging. This is one key way that Brick Club can adapt, respond and help. Together, we can discover how to address and cope in these situations and handle them more positively which becomes rewarding and supports emotional regulation.
Brick Club is designed and supported in a way that can show children how to figure these feelings out. They will come to realise how to get their message across more effectively and grow in their confidence to connect with others through consideration and resolving issues and creating ideas together.
Becoming resilient to set-backs, patient with others and building on acts of accountability, all contribute to a range of skills that transfer to so many aspects of life, school and family. I have seen confidence grow and building-buddies blossom into proper friendships!
Building children up Brick-by-Brick
References
LeGoff, D., Gomez de la Cuesta, G., Krauss, GW. and Baron-Cohen, S. (2014) LEGO-Based Therapy: How to build social competence through LEGO-Based Clubs for children with Autism and related conditions.
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