This Christmas, children all around the country will celebrate the universal festive season collectively, but differently. To better understand the role of play in uniting children this festive season, LEGO Australia commissioned the ‘Building Bridges’ report.
The aim was simple: to understand the impact of play in helping children develop skills for learning about people that are different from them.
The Building Bridges report found that while most Australian parents (3 in 4) believe it is important for their child to be able to meet and learn about children of differing experiences, 1 in 3 were uncertain how to facilitate these opportunities.
To deepen their understanding of this, LEGO Australia, with the help of child psychology expert Dr Penny Van Bergen, conducted the Social Play Experiment.
The experiment brought together children who had not met, and were of varied backgrounds across cultures, abilities and ages. The experiment looked to compare groups of children across two different rooms — one was devoid of play or stimulation, the other was an environment filled with toys and joyous scenes.
The results were clear: play unites. When in the blank room, the children were awkward and shy, avoiding interaction, sitting in uncomfortable silence, visibly unsure how to interact with the others around them. When introduced to the play-rich environment, their behaviours transformed. They introduced themselves to one another for the first time, collaborated on building projects, and came alive over their shared passion for creative expression.
“This Christmas, we’re encouraging kids to use the power of play to bring the magic of the festive season to life as one. Children across the country will each experience Christmas uniquely, and our findings show that creative play can be a tool to transform an ordinary interaction into one of extraordinary meaning and value.
“At the LEGO Group, we believe we have a role to champion play for everybody — no matter their age, background or ability. We hope to empower parents and carers to be advocates for play and the value it can bring to their child’s lives.”
Troy Taylor, Vice President and General Manager of LEGO Australia and New Zealand
Beloved children’s entertainer and former-Wiggle Emma Watkins — AKA
‘Emma Memma’ — has joined forces with LEGO Australia in celebration of the power of play in uniting children across the country.
Emma Watkins says: “The festive season is a celebration of connection. Through the power of play, we have an opportunity to broaden our childrens’ perception and understanding of the world while creating memorable, meaningful and enriching experiences.”
Emma Watkins
Emma Watkins has also teamed up with LEGO Australia on its #BuildToGive initiative, encouraging everyone to help share the superpower of play with children that need it most, by building a heart out of LEGO® bricks as part of its #BuildToGive initiative.
For every heart shared on social media or on LEGO Life using the hashtag #BuildtoGive before 31 December, the LEGO Group will donate a LEGO set to a child in need of play. The aim of the initiative is to give 1.5 million children across the world in hospitals, children’s homes or vulnerable communities the chance to play this holiday season.
This article is also featured in Edition 7 of The Toy Universe Magazine
