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The LEGO Challenge

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This activity explores communication, leadership, conflict, cooperation, patience, and problem-solving within a team.


This activity works well as a warm up or deeper reflection piece on communication, collaboration, and leadership under pressure.


Number of participants: 10-40

Time needed: 1hr

Materials: Several boxes of LEGO bricks



Step 1: Set Up


Divide participants into groups of 5–7 and seat each group around a table with a box of LEGO. Ask everyone to keep their hands off the bricks until the activity officially begins.



Step 2: Explain the Task


Tell the groups:


“Your challenge is to build a structure together using these LEGO bricks. Shortly, each of you will receive a card with your own private instruction. You must not show or read your instruction to anyone else.


You’ll have 20 minutes to complete the structure. You may not speak at any point during the building process, and you must continue building until I call time.”



Step 3: Hand Out the Secret Roles


Give each participant one of the following instruction cards. Remind them that these are secret - no one is allowed to share or discuss their card with the rest of the team.


Individual Assignment Examples:


  • You are the only person who may build the first three layers.

  • Ensure that layers 3 and 4 use only yellow bricks.

  • Layers 2 and 6 must have exactly eight bricks each.

  • You may only build in rows 5 and 6.

  • Make sure no more than eight bricks are used in layers 3 and 5.

  • You are the group’s leader.

  • The structure can be no higher than eight layers. If your team stops at eight, encourage them to continue building below.

  • Make sure adjacent bricks in layers 1, 6 and 8 are not the same colour.

  • There must be exactly three people (including you) building in layers 4 and 8.

  • Only three participants may build in layers 4 and 7.

  • Use only red bricks in layers 2 and 5.

  • The first layer must consist of exactly 10 bricks.



Step 4: Build


Once everyone has their secret instruction, start the 20-minute timer and remind participants that they must remain silent throughout.



Step 5: Reveal


When time is up, stop the building. Ask each group to guess what roles or rules their teammates might have had. Then, let everyone reveal their secret assignments and compare how each instruction affected the process.



Step 6: Reflect and Discuss


Lead a short debrief conversation using questions such as:


  • What happened during the task?

  • How did we work together as a group?

  • How did this make you feel?

  • How did you react or adapt?

  • What did you learn about yourself and about teamwork?

  • How could you use these insights in real situations?




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