Liminality, Leisure, and Lego®: Using a Leisure-Based Creative Methodology to Support Children and Young People

Abstract

This paper demonstrates how liminality provides a core framework for understanding the processes and practices through which Lego® Serious Play® can positively influence the student experience and wellbeing of children and young people (CYP). The study adopts a creative multi-sensory methodology whereby the focus is upon the Lego® and not the child. Using a play-based learning approach within an educational setting, data was collected in a UK junior school, involving sixty-four children, ranging from seven to eleven years of age. An initial group session was repeated two weeks later to monitor and observe changes. The results highlight that the Lego® Serious Play® methodology uses liminality to further the debate about the use of play as a leisure-based activity in educational settings. This study contributes to knowledge by utilizing Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) through a playful lens as a creative methodology and highlights the unique interaction between leisure, liminality and Lego®.