DK Books have published numerous LEGO® titles over the years, but almost their entire brick-themed output is focused towards younger LEGO fans. Their latest title is aimed squarely at the adult LEGO fan market and when I first covered the Build Yourself Happy book, it seemed to connect with quite a lot of people. The idea of using LEGO bricks to help relieve stress, keep your mind active and as a means of escape, has become quite prominent in recent years. In Abbie Headon’s book, these concept form the basis of using LEGO to build yourself happy. As an advocate of mental wellness and of course LEGO, I was keen to see what the book has to offer, and here’s my review
Product Description
Failing to find inner peace on a yoga mat? Overwhelmed by choosing what box set to watch next? Then it’s time to grab some LEGO® bricks and build your way to joy.
Playing with LEGO elements brings a sense of fun as well as calmness to everyday life. LEGO® Build Yourself Happy includes more than 20 LEGO building activities and ideas, such as builds that help you find balance, connect with friends and family and help you chill out before bed to get a better night’s sleep. And best of all, you don’t need any LEGO skills to enjoy the calming benefits of playing with LEGO bricks. Plus there are tips for creating your own LEGO happy space for building and how to carry a little bit of LEGO joy with you no matter where you go. It’s time to play with LEGO bricks – just mind you don’t tread on one!
- Book Title: LEGO Build Yourself Happy: The Joy of LEGO Play
- Publisher: DK Books
- Pages: 160
- RRP: £9.99/$14.99
- ISBN: 9780241412091
- Availability: Specialist Book Retailers/Online/Digital
The Book
A couple of years ago colouring books aimed towards adult became all the rage. Using colouring as a way to chill out in an ever chaoic world proves popular. For a brief moment the LEGO Group were looking as if they were going capitalise on this with a range of products perfectly aimed towards Mindfulness. So far nothing beyond the experimental set LEGO Forma has come of this interest. So this book is a great guide to using LEGO as a means of relaxing. The book takes a similar the form to a ‘self help’ so it’s rather heavy on the words. Content is split across 9 main chapters, each of which focus on different aspects of using LEGO elements to help relax. It’s no secret that LEGO is an incredible creative media, but getting creative in later in life is often the last thing on most people’s list of things to do.
Beyond creativity, LEGO can be a great tool to promote collaboration, improve cognitive skills and practice mindfulness. The book covers all these things, admittedly some parts of it seem a little cheesy but the core ideas of using LEGO as a means to reconnect with yourself and your mental wellness is apparent throughout. Although there aren’t build instructions, the book does offer so interesting activities to try with the bricks you may already own. It even covers things like how best to keep your LEGO collections together. A tidy space around you means a tidy mind.
Overall
LEGO has been a great tool for me and my mental health though the continued creation of this very website. Although in a vastly different way to what is cover in this book, I understand how the importance of play can benefit kids and adults alike. The book is a really interesting read, I think it would possibly benefit less ‘hard core’ LEGO fans, making it a great Christmas present. I applaud DK Books for publishing a title in this field. It’s certainly unlike any of their past LEGO books but it is a interesting take on how amazingly versatile LEGO bricks can be. Of course LEGO isn’t a magical cure for those who deal with mental health on daily basis. Take a moment to talk to friends and family to see if they are OK or need some support.
