The LEGO Group’s new “Play is Your Superpower” campaign encourages families to reprioritise play

Kuala Lumpur, 16 October 2023 - The LEGO Group has announced its new Play is Your Superpower campaign, aimed at addressing a global lack in play amongst children. Together with a global Play Squad of supporters, the LEGO Group is inspiring families to re-prioritise playtime, emphasising its critical importance in childhood development and the role it has in bringing fun to families around the world.

The campaign draws its insights from a recent global study finding that, on average, children are spending just 2% of their week (equivalent to 7 hours) playing, with one in three (32%) spending less than three hours each week enjoying play. Comparatively, the study found the average adult spends 26 hours a week scrolling on their smartphone, an average of more than 3.5 hours per day 1 .This current play deficit is a cause for concern for experts given the crucial role of play in shaping a child's cognitive abilities, overall wellbeing and most importantly, in them having fun.

The study also highlighted that 70% of parents are choosing to prioritise achievement-based activities for their child over free play because they believe that it will lead them to greater success in the future. The activities that adults are most often choosing over play include sports clubs, learning a language and tutoring.

Dr Paul Ramchandani, Professor of Play at the University of Cambridge says, “There’s huge value in children taking part in all activities that provide them with a rounded education and skill set, but play offers children something really special. Through play, children develop essential skills that enhance every other area of their development, learning and growth. If your child has adequate time to play, they can develop skills including creativity, confidence, problem-solving and communication that will help them reach their full potential in later life.”

When asked, 57% of parents said the time their child spends on achievement-based activities has increased over the last three years, often at the expense of playtime. Alero Akuya, VP of Brand Development at the LEGO Group, said, “If we don’t recognise that factoring in time for a child to play each day is imperative to their wellbeing and future success, we’re going to have a generation of young adults missing vital skills. With this campaign we aim to re-frame the way adults see play and its many benefits, and encourage them to reprioritise it in their family lives. It should be just as important as reading them a bedtime story or helping them eat well to boost their health.”

To launch the campaign, the LEGO Group has enlisted the help of a group of leading cultural figures who each attribute the skills developed through childhood play to helping make their dreams come true. The global Play Squad, Tan France, Naomi Watanabe, Bindi Irwin and Stephanie Beatriz will share the unique superpowers that play has given them and why they believe it should be a priority for every child.

For passionate conservationist Bindi Irwin, childhood play taught her the power of connecting to others and the world around her, “As a child I would connect to my love for animals and our natural world through play. I would create my own imaginary worlds where I would run wild with every kind of animal. I wanted to connect with every species and learn more about them. My dad built me a treehouse and it was my favourite place in the world to play. It was where I could be a wild child! Surrounded by wildlife, next to the creek, it was where I felt most connected to nature and to my dad. That connection has meant everything to me and I’ve carried it through to my adult years. My world now revolves around wildlife conservation, encouraging others to care for our Earth and understand that we are all connected.”

For comedian, actor and social media star Naomi Watanabe, the power of self-expression that childhood play instilled in her has impacted every aspect of her life. Naomi said, “Childhood play always gave me an outlet to express myself in any way I wanted and, as an adult, I am grateful to have kept this quality. It has shaped who I am as a comedian, a performer, and a human being. I honour this by keeping an element of playfulness in everything I do, from the way I dress, to the clothes I create, to my impersonations and my love for entertaining other people. Everything has a bit of mischievousness!”

On a local level, the LEGO Group has partnered with Common Ground Malaysia, the biggest co-working space nationwide to transform its co-working spaces into “work-play” stations that unite the elements of collaboration, teamwork, and imagination. Through fun activities, parents and children have worked on recreating their reimagined versions of the office together, implemented across several Common Ground co-working spaces to emphasise the superpower of play and how important it is to infuse play in your day.

Rohan Mathur, Marketing Director of LEGO Southeast Asia shared, “The Rebuild the World campaign is one of our most highly anticipated events on our annual calendar. Witnessing it come to life inspiring creativity and imagination, while also fostering stronger connections beyond the confines of homes and classrooms, is truly exciting for us. This year, we’re extending its reach into the workspace, emphasising the importance of balancing work and play. We believe that adults, whether with their children, colleagues, friends, or loved ones, will benefit from engaging in the play activities. Through this initiative, we aim to highlight the transformative power of play, which transcends all boundaries!”

Yvonne Lee, Regional Country Manager of Common Ground Malaysia said, “We embrace the opportunity to transform our coworking spaces into havens where our community can rekindle their creativity through the LEGO Rebuild the World campaign. Our partnership with the LEGO Group is an exciting venture that resonates deeply with our diverse membership, comprising both parents and working adults. It brings them together on a personal level, fostering connections through the joy of play.”

To accompany the campaign, the LEGO Group has today released a five-minute Play Is Your Superpower film, starring Hollywood actor Jane Lynch as a work-obsessed CEO who becomes enlightened to the merits of play by seeing the impact it makes on her employees through the eyes of children. Superstar actress Sun Li takes on the role of the CEO in an adaption for families in China. The film is playable and packed with easter eggs; viewers can play along and find their own playful superpower at LEGO.com.

It’s not only children that benefit from play. Play makes the whole family happier, builds stronger family bonds and improves wellbeing according to 95% of parents 2 . The LEGO Group knows that family schedules are packed with everyday responsibilities like working long hours (31%) and chores (28%) proving the biggest barriers to family play according to parents 3 . To help parents reprioritise play, the LEGO Group and its Play Squad will be supporting parents with inspiration on how to inject moments of playfulness into even the busiest of schedules on World Play Day on 12 th October 2023.