PLAY GETS AN A+

According to Lego’s worldwide Play Well Study, parents agree that play helps children develop lifelong skills like creativity, communication, problem solving and confidence. Play also makes the whole family happier, builds stronger family bonds and improves well-being.

Of SA parent respondents, 92 percent said they believe that play nurtures the positive qualities of resilience. The survey also sows that play prepares children for the future by helping them develop a wide range of hard and soft skills, with 94 percent and 96 percent of parents also saying that play develops children’s curiosity and creativity. Even more parents (97 percent) said playing has developed their children’s communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills, and 95 percent and 94 percent said that play developes confidence and focus.

“Playing with your children, whether it’s through physical activity or building something together, also helps build and maintain emotional connections so that they feel comfortable enough to talk to you during difficult times,” says Miroslav Riha, country manager for The Lego Group in South Africa. “Using a game or toy as the focus of a discussion allows children to describe what’s troubling them in a space where they feel confident and comfortable.

“Nurturing this connection through play when children are happy and relaxed will ensure that as parents you are the first people they go to when something is weighing on their minds,” he adds.

So get out the Lego – and start building! Come on, you know you want to!