From Froebel Blocks to LEGO® Serious Play®: How History and Play Shapes Design Creativity and Education

Creative Inspiration Story Background

I’ve gotten quite interested in Froebel blocks. I’ve picked up a few antique sets to collect and use for storytelling in my design thinking workshops. I see them on display in exhibits about Frank Lloyd Wright and also at the Design Museum in London. The story is that many of the most famous designers in history, like Frank Lloyd Wright, grew up playing with Froebel blocks (and learning design from them). As I’ve learned more about the method of using Froebel blocks in classes with students, I notice the origins of popular training methods (like LSP) in the flow of activities.


Introduction

The idea that play can lead to innovation is nothing new. Some of the most influential designers and architects of the modern era credit their early creative development to Froebel Blocks, a simple set of geometric building elements designed for children. From Frank Lloyd Wright to Charles and Ray Eames and Buckminster Fuller, many of history’s greatest creative minds engaged with these blocks as children.

Today, the same fundamental principles of structured play and hands-on exploration continue to inspire creative methods in design and problem-solving—most notably in LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP). What is it about these tactile learning tools that spark such profound creative growth? And how do they continue to influence design education and practice?

1. What Are Froebel Blocks?

Froebel Blocks were created by Friedrich Froebel, the 19th-century educator who pioneered the concept of kindergarten. He believed that play was central to learning and designed a system of wooden blocks, spheres, and cylinders that allowed children to explore spatial relationships, symmetry, and balance.

Unlike traditional toys, Froebel’s blocks encouraged both freeform creativity and structured exploration. They provided children with the opportunity to observe, manipulate, and construct in ways that mirrored the processes of architects, designers, and engineers.

Froebel Blocks Inventor of Kindergarten

2. How Froebel Blocks Influenced Legendary Designers

Many of the 20th century’s most visionary designers grew up playing with Froebel Blocks, and the influence of these simple geometric forms can be seen throughout their work.

  • Frank Lloyd Wright recalled playing with Froebel Blocks as a child, shaping his understanding of structure, form, and modularity. He later said that the experience “gave me a sense of structure you couldn’t get from anything else.”
  • Charles and Ray Eames, known for their groundbreaking work in furniture and industrial design, embraced a philosophy of modular and iterative design that reflected the core principles of Froebel’s system.
  • Buckminster Fuller, famous for his geodesic domes and explorations of efficient structures, applied geometric reasoning and spatial experimentation—concepts that were deeply rooted in Froebel’s learning method.
  • The Bauhaus Movement, led by figures like Walter Gropius and Johannes Itten, incorporated Froebel’s emphasis on basic geometric forms and hands-on learning into its curriculum. Bauhaus designers sought to harmonize function and form, much like children using Froebel Blocks to create balanced compositions.

These designers didn’t just play with blocks—they developed an intuitive understanding of structure, proportion, and design principles that guided their careers.

I had first heard of Froebel as the inventor of kindergarten. Later, I heard about Froebel Blocks from educators at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin. Then, I saw them in an exhibit at the Madison Children’s Museum. Here’s a video with the history as it connects to legendary designers and kindergarten.

3. The Power of Structured Play in Design

What makes play such a powerful tool for creative development? Froebel’s system introduced a progression of guided activities, moving from freeform exploration to structured problem-solving. This approach fosters:

  • Spatial intelligence – Understanding how shapes relate and fit together.
  • Pattern recognition – Seeing connections between elements and compositions.
  • Iterative design thinking – Experimenting, testing, and refining ideas.
  • Material awareness – Engaging with tangible materials to explore form and structure.

These same benefits apply not just to children, but also to professionals working in architecture, industrial design, and creative fields. Engaging with physical materials (like old wooden blocks) allows designers to break out of traditional cognitive patterns and approach problems with a fresh perspective.

Froebel Blocks Creativity Design Education

4. The Connection to LEGO® Serious Play®

The core principles behind Froebel Blocks continue to influence modern design creativity—one of the most direct connections being LEGO® Serious Play®.

LEGO® Serious Play® is a facilitation method that encourages creative thinking through hands-on model-building. Used in business strategy, team development, and creative problem-solving, it follows a structured process that is strikingly similar to Froebel’s approach:

  • Free exploration with building materials.
  • Guided challenges that encourage structured thinking.
  • Reflection and storytelling to articulate insights gained through the hands-on process.

Both Froebel Blocks and LEGO® Serious Play® harness the power of tactile engagement to activate creativity, encourage new perspectives, and develop innovative solutions.

Here’s a video with a teacher demonstrating using Froebel Blocks as a student learning experience. I was struck by how similar it is to the flow of some of my workshops.

Related Articles on InnovationTraining.org:

5. Why Play is Essential for Design Creativity

Despite the emphasis on digital tools and virtual prototyping in today’s design landscape, the value of hands-on play remains unparalleled. Engaging with physical materials unlocks creative potential in ways that software alone cannot.

  • Hands-on experimentation fosters spatial reasoning and an understanding of form that translates directly into design work.
  • Playing with materials leads to unexpected discoveries and breakthrough ideas.
  • The act of building and reconstructing mirrors the iterative design process, making it an essential tool for designers at all levels.

By revisiting the principles of structured play, today’s designers and educators can tap into a timeless source of inspiration—whether through Froebel Blocks, LEGO® Serious Play®, or other hands-on creative methods.

Conclusion

The story of Froebel Blocks and their impact on design is more than just a historical curiosity. It highlights the enduring power of hands-on learning in shaping the way we think, create, and innovate.

From the modernist architects of the 20th century to today’s innovation facilitators using LEGO® Serious Play®, the same fundamental principles continue to drive creative breakthroughs.

Whether in a kindergarten classroom, a design studio, or a corporate innovation workshop, structured play remains a vital force in unlocking human creativity.