Learning Through Play Is Powerful – and Students and Teachers Agree!

A new study from LEGO® Education shows that teachers believe learning through play is more effective than traditional methods, and students say they want more of it in the classroom.

LEGO Education is here to help by giving students and teachers Permission to Play. Teachers can download the free activity kit to bring more playful learning into the classroom.

• 96% of teachers agree that learning through play is a more effective way for students to learn compared to more traditional approaches, and 77% of teachers say playful learning is extremely or very effective in helping them teach standards.
• More than 4 in 5 (81%) find their students are much more or somewhat more engaged during purposeful play versus during standard lessons.
• Nearly all students surveyed (98%) say their favorite times in the classroom are when they get to do hands-on activities and believe that play helps them learn.

To celebrate the second annual World Play Day, LEGO® Education is inspiring teachers to experience purposeful play firsthand by giving students and teachers Permission to Play.

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Permission to Play Infographic 2023 (Graphic: LEGO Education)

Play is not just for the playground. It is a powerful tool for teaching that naturally engages students in the learning and builds the skills they’ll need in and outside the classroom like creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration.

A new survey of K-8 teachers and students from LEGO Education found that nearly all (98%) of students say purposeful play helps them learn and the majority (96%) of teachers believe it’s more effective than traditional methods like lectures or textbooks. On top of that, almost 80% of students want more playful learning experiences in the classroom.

Despite these benefits, 40% of teachers are incorporating play only once a week or less, and nearly half (47%) think they spend too much time on it.

“Many teachers feel they can’t easily incorporate play into the classroom, so LEGO Education created the Permission to Play kit as that first step. Once you see students engaged and learning through play, it clicks and the question goes from how to how do we add more?” said Dr. Jenny Nash, Head of Education Impact, U.S. for LEGO Education.

Whether you are a teacher, administrator, or parent, get Permission to Play by visiting Rebuild The World, where you can:

• Take the Pledge: Commit to adding purposeful play to your own classroom or encourage teachers you know to add more play.
• Download free activities: Bring purposeful play into your classroom with activities for you and your students to join in on the fun (can be used with or without LEGO Education products).
• Track your play: Get your student(s) involved to see how much progress you’re making with a Color-By-Number template and “Learning in Progress” poster.

“For nearly three decades, I used purposeful play in my classroom and have seen firsthand the impact it has on both students and teachers,” said Alicia Miller, a retired elementary school teacher from Evans, GA. “There are a lot of trends and products that have their place, but the biggest gamechanger for education is hands-on, playful learning. I encourage every teacher, principal, and parent to try a play-based learning activity with their students and see what joyful and meaningful learning should look like. Our students and teachers deserve to love learning again.”

Take the pledge and download the Permission to Play Kit at LEGOeducation.com/RebuildTheWorld.

*The LEGO Education Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 US K-8 students and 1,000 US K-8 teachers, split between those who teach/are enrolled in grade K-5 (500) and those who teach/are enrolled in grades 6-8 (500), between Sept. 13th and Sept. 19th, 2023, using an email invitation and an online survey. Data has been weighted. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

About LEGO Education

LEGO® Education offers a range of playful, hands-on STEAM learning experiences based on its comprehensive learning system for students in early learning, primary and secondary education, as well as through after-school programs and competitions. From the Early Learning portfolio to the LEGO® Learning System, these solutions create an active and collaborative environment where learners of all levels and abilities build their confidence, future-proof their skills and spark a lifelong love of learning.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2023 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.

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