Play Included

Last week one of our founders, Elinor Brett, enjoyed delivering an Advanced Facilitator Course to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Support Team. The creative team made some amazing models together, including:
🏖️ A dream staycation
🏠 Barbie’s Dreamhouse
🏰 Disneyland
🎤 A Harry Styles concert
Through their creativity, the attendees were developing advanced facilitation skills in the Brick-by-Brick programme, exploring how play can support communication, connection, and confidence.
It's so rewarding to see the Brick-by-Brick programme go from strength to strength in the MHSTs across our local region!

A large UK randomised controlled trial found that LEGO® based therapy was found to be feasible for schools to deliver and highly acceptable to the people involved.

At Play Included, research matters to us.

We work with researchers, educators, clinicians and people with lived experience to strengthen the evidence behind the Brick-by-Brick® programme. Research helps us understand what works, for whom and in which settings. It also informs how we develop our training, resources and wider approach.

We believe research should not stay hidden in academic papers and we love to share the latest research findings relevant to LEGO therapy in our free members’ webinars.

https://playincluded.com/courses/register-for-a-training-course/

Planning activities for the first few weeks with a new class?

Building Friendships is a free collection of LEGO® play activities designed to encourage collaboration, communication and connection in the classroom.
The activities make effective ice breakers for new class groups, giving children opportunities to work together, share ideas, solve problems and begin building relationships through play.

The resource includes six activities, with primary and secondary versions for children and young people aged 4–16. Each activity has two levels of difficulty, and teachers can use LEGO® bricks they already have in school.

Create a free Play Included account to access:
• Six classroom activities
• A teacher guide
• A short instructional video
• Additional introductory resources

Download Building Friendships and start the new school year with collaboration, creativity and connection.

Visit our website to create your free account:
https://playincluded.com/for-professionals/for-schools/
Tag a teacher who may find this useful.

What does neurodiversity-affirming practice look like during play? 🧱

It is not about following a rigid checklist. It is about staying curious, recognising each child’s individual way of communicating and creating an environment where different ways of participating are respected.

Three principles we return to are:
✨ Follow the child’s interests
Play is often more meaningful when children have space to explore their own ideas, preferences and creativity.

✨ Value different ways of participating
Joining in does not always mean talking, making eye contact or everyone playing in the same way. Watching, building independently, moving around or communicating non-verbally can all be valid forms of participation.

✨ Prioritise connection
The aim is not to make children play in a particular way. Instead, we can focus on enjoyment, safety, shared understanding and opportunities for genuine connection.

Children should not have to follow one prescribed way of playing in order to feel included.

By offering meaningful choices, responding flexibly and focusing on enjoyment and belonging, we can create play experiences in which more children feel understood and able to be themselves.

What does neurodiversity-affirming practice look like in your play setting? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Today we’re celebrating UK Playday! 🎉

Every child deserves the time, space and freedom to play in ways that feel right for them. Through shared play, we see imagination, connection, confidence and belonging grow.

Play here, there, everywhere! How are you celebrating?

Our Brick Clubs feature 3 roles for collaborative set building…

The Engineer 🏗️
In charge of the instructions, The Engineer must figure out what comes next and relay directions to the rest of the team, showing them the picture to help them see what’s next.

The Supplier 🔍
A crucial role, sorting the bricks and ensuring that The Engineer’s instructions are relayed to The Builder.

The Builder 🧱
The motivator on the team, taking the responsibility to place the bricks whilst voicing challenges and problem solving.

Which role are you?!