Counselling activity: how to use Lego to write a Common App essay

In 2019, I attended a conference session on Lego Serious Play, run by leadership educator Tosin Adebisi. I left inspired and energised. The workshop emphasised how tactile tools such as Lego can help educators unlock reflection, innovation and self-awareness in the classroom. 

As a university counsellor with experience across diverse education systems and countries, I have since adapted this idea to help students brainstorm personal statements for the Common App essay. The outcomes have been enjoyable and have served as an icebreaker for the college essay, which at times can be a daunting experience for students. 

I am sharing a technique based on an activity I now use during essay-writing workshops, which combines Lego bricks with narrative development at the most basic level. It’s high-engagement, deeply reflective and defies age constraints. My hope is that this idea can help counsellors seek more creative, tactile-learning, student-centred approaches. 

Why use Lego for essay brainstorming? 

I have noticed that students often freeze when tasked with writing their college essays – not because they lack content but because they doubt that their stories matter. They do not know the importance of their experiences and how they might connect to the bigger picture – which is their passion. 

That’s where we, as counsellors, come in, helping to bridge that gap with exercises such as this one. The idea is to engage their physical creative intelligences before moving into linguistic expression. 

How to use Lego to write a Common App essay

The activity: build your passion story

Objective: help students visually and tangibly explore a passion, value or pivotal life moment, then translate it into a narrative outline for their personal statement. 

Materials needed

• Lego bricks (any mixed set, ideally with colour and size variety)
• Large index cards or story templates
• Markers or pens

Instructions (30 to 50 minutes) 

1. Prompt the build (5 minutes)

Ask students: “Build something that reflects who you are or what you care deeply about. It can be a symbol, a memory, an experience or even an abstract feeling.” 

Emphasise that this is not about artistic skill but about representation. 

2. Build time (10 to 15 minutes)

Allow students time to build freely. As they work, quietly walk around and ask probing questions, such as: “What story is starting to form in your mind?” or “Does any part of this remind you of a turning point in your life?” 

3. Partner share (10 minutes)

Students pair up and explain their build to one another. This peer-to-peer narrative exercise often surfaces language and themes they didn’t realise were meaningful. 

4. Link to the Common App prompts (10 minutes)

Distribute printed versions of the present Common App prompts for the upcoming college application year. Ask each student to select one that could fit the story they just told through their Lego construction. 

5. Story outline (10 minutes)

Students complete a three-part outline on index cards: 

Hook: what’s the opening moment or image? 

Conflict: what challenge, growth or discovery took place? 

Resolution: how did this shape who you are today? 

Don’t forget that you can use AI to help tailor the lesson to fit your students. You can also use the activity as a professional development session with your colleagues. You can shorten it if there are time constraints, or make changes to fit the culture or topic you want students to learn. 

Tips for counsellors new to this technique 

Start with vulnerability

Create and model your own Lego story first. I often share mine about leaving Jamaica at age eight – so it would include an island made from Lego bricks and how rebuilding my identity in New York shaped my passion for education. 

Encourage curriculum links

Students often think quite literally. Prompt abstract thinking by asking them to use metaphors (for example, “If this emotion were a structure, what would it look like?”). 

Move on quickly to writing

Don’t let too much time pass between building and outlining. The physical model should act as a memory anchor, so the next step is to write ideas that pop up as the students’ creative juices start to flow. 

Don’t overcorrect

As in one-to-one counselling sessions, let the students find their voice. You’re guiding them to their story, not writing it for them. 

A new type of counselling

This method reflects a broader shift in counselling: moving from prescriptive to constructivist models, using reflective and therapeutic engagement. It works equally well in international schools, underserved communities and anywhere students need help uncovering their stories through tactile learning.

By incorporating this strategy into our practice, we don’t just support essay writing, we give students permission to play, reflect, connect and believe in the value of their experiences. I encourage other counsellors across the world to try this out, tweaking it for your own settings, and share your student success stories.