Children

We believe every child should have an opportunity to achieve their potential. Play nurtures and develops the breadth of skills children need to thrive and to solve problems creatively while boosting confidence and resilience. The LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation work together to be a global force for Learning through Play, bringing play to children in need in our communities around the world.

Scroll down to learn more.

Happy boy looking straight into the camera

Reaching more children with Learning through Play

With a global pandemic, wars and energy crisis, the need to support Learning through Play in communities is more important than ever. Over the past two years, we have increased the number of partners we collaborate with in order to reach more children. For example, First Book in the U.S., Campfire Circle in Canada, Fondo Unido in Mexico, the Science Centre in Singapore, and Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea have joined our roster of partners.
Learning through Play partners
  • 2020 result
    3,229,390
    children reached
  • 2021 result
    3,513,924
    children reached
  • 2022 result
    9,800,000
    children reached
    2022 target
    6,000,000
    children reached
The LEGO Foundation has a 25 percent ownership in the LEGO Group, which means that 25 percent of our profit dividends are contributing to giving all children the chance to learn and play. With the LEGO Foundation and many great partners, we reached 9.8+ million children with Learning through Play programs and activities in 2022. This was 3.8+ million children above our target set for 2022.
Children at a Build the Change workshop.

Learning about sustainability through play

Build the Change is a playful, hands-on program designed to empower children and give them a voice to address real-world issues for people and planet. The program continued to grow in 2022, engaging 900,000 children in quality Learning through Play activities and increasing our focus geographies from three to five countries, adding Mexico and China to Denmark, the UK and the U.S.

As a part of the LEGO Group’s 90th anniversary, the ‘Fly Away Isles’ playground in Harlem, New York City came to life. Inspired by children’s ideas sourced through Build the Change activities. The playground was a collaboration with artist Hebru Brantley with input from the Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis). It received a the Drum award in 2022.

Equipping educators

During 2022, we launched a course with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, ‘A Future without Waste’. This course reached more than 900 educators equipping them to introduce key concepts of the circular economy to their students, such as how we can reduce, reuse and repurpose waste.

Reaching children and families where they are

We continued the successful partnership with PopJam by SuperAwesome. A child-safe creative platform allowing children to express their ideas for a better world through submitting digital drawings and games, reaching 125,000 children during 2022.

An Earth Month event on our own LEGO® Life platform saw more than 3,000 children engage through a series of challenges that enabled them to express their passion for protecting the planet and earn eco-hero badges.

Build the Change

Build the Change events in 2022:

  • People in front of a background with LEGO® minifigures at an event

    Partnership with the Nature Conservancy

    In China, a partnership with The Nature Conservancy saw 5,000+ children in Shanghai and Jiaxing connect with local wildlife and learn about their urban biodiversity through an immersive installation called the Habitat Garden.
  • Two girls deeply immersed in playing with LEGO® bricks.

    Educación para Compartir

    In Mexico, a new partnership with Educación para Compartir has seen 12,000+ children across three states receive in-school Build the Change workshops run by expert partner facilitators where children were encouraged to build safe habitats for animals threatened by climate change.
  • Engaged children at a Build the Change event in the UK.

    Comic Relief in the UK

    In the UK, Build the Change has seen 45,000+ children work on designing habitats for a variety of species with Comic Relief – an annual fundraising campaign to ensure a healthy future for all children.
  • Two boys studying the LEGO® bricks that they are playing with at a Build the Change

    Partnering with UNICEF Supply Division

    Build the Change partnered with UNICEF Supply Division in Denmark to gather children’s ideas on child-friendly refugee camps and educational kits being distributed from UNICEF’s humanitarian hub. This successful project brought LEGO® bricks to school children in rural areas of Cambodia, Madagascar, Costa Rica and Egypt and gave them a say in issues that matter to them.

Learning through Play in China

During 2022, we expanded several of our programs in China despite the on-going COVID-19 restrictions.

Learn more about them here:

  • School kids playing with LEGO® DUPLO® bricks.

    Partnering with Save the Children in China

    Since 2019, we have reached 53,000+ children, 2,100+ teachers and 39,000+ parents with Learning through Play in Yunnan Province in China with visible progress for teachers in terms of awareness and capacity to implement play-based learning.
  • A woman and a child having fun with LEGO® DUPLO® bricks.

    PlayBox in China

    Through the PlayBox program in China, we have reached 740,000+ children, donated 37,000+ PlayBoxes and trained 8,000+ teachers and social workers in Learning through Play.
  • An adult and a child playing with LEGO® bricks during COVID-19.

    Supporting children and families impacted by COVID-19

    Since 2020, the LEGO Group has donated DKK 5.8+ million for basic daily supplies, epidemic prevention supplies and play support, including 21,000+ PlayBoxes, to children and families in need.
  • Two children at a Build the Change workshop have built binoculars out of LEGO® bricks.

    Build the Change in China

    On World Earth Day 2022, 9,000+ children and parents participated in the Build the Change online building challenge to share their ideas for a sustainable future through brick creations. A further 6,000+ children and families participated in the offline version of the challenge.

Promoting inclusive play

  • Two critters holding hands.

    D&I partnerships for children

    We proudly partner with UK-based charity, Diversity Role Models, which works to educate children about inclusivity. We also participate in the Confederation of Danish Industry’s Special Committee on Diversity & Inclusion to contribute collectively with other companies to Denmark’s progress and priorities on D&I.
  • LEGO® minifigures in all the colors of the rainbow line up underneath a text reading “EVERYONE IS AWESOME”

    D&I in products and communication

    Infusing diversity & inclusion into product design, marketing and communication is critical to futureproofing our brand, and we continue to evolve D&I in our product to ensure our portfolio makes LEGO® play experiences possible for everyone!

    Our 2022 LEGO Play Well Study underlined that children are asking for a fairer, more equitable world with 9 out of 10 (91 percent) saying they care about everyone being treated equally.

Illustration that shows the number 3,100+. That is how many employees from the LEGO Group participated in volunteering activities in 2022.

LEGO® colleagues bringing Learning through Play to children

We want to become a global force for Learning through Play. All our employees have a part to play and the option to take two days a year off to participate in volunteering activities. Although COVID-19 restrictions continued to impact the level of volunteering throughout 2022, we were proud to see 3,100+ colleagues supporting local communities through volunteering.

Responsible engagement with children

The LEGO® Digital Empowerment Program

  • Critter illustration that shows critters on their different screens. Used as illustration for Safer Internet Day 2022.

    Safer Internet Day 2022

    We launched a playful campaign on LEGO® Life providing children with critical thinking skills.
  • Two critters playing together symbolizing the game Gloom Busters that the LEGO Group has made.

    Gloom Busters launch

    We created Gloom Busters to help children learn good digital behavior in a fun gaming environment. As they playfully explore, children are encouraged to help characters overcome online challenges.
  • Critters talking to each other about different topics. Illustrates the talks that can come out of the Build & Talk program launched by the LEGO Group.

    Two Build & Talk activity launches

    Two Build & Talk activity launches empowering families in the UK, U.S., Germany and China on new digital safety topics such as cyberbullying and online security.
  • Critters celebrating a victory together by lifting one critter above the rest. To illustrate that the LEGO Group won a Gold Play for Change Award in 2022.

    Received Gold Play for Change 2022 award

    Received Gold Play for Change 2022 award (Life skills category) for Doom the Gloom and shortlisted for Drum award for Safer Internet Day 2022 kids campaign on critical thinking.
The official Build & Talk critter who helps parents and children start difficult conversations about online safety etc.

New Build & Talk adventures

Our Build & Talk educational packs use LEGO® play to help parents and caregivers talk with their children about digital safety and well-being. This year, we’ve expanded our range of Build & Talk activities with three new interactive stories about cyberbullying, online security and digital footprints, reaching and exposing 88 million parents and caregivers to our Build & Talk educational packs through social media channels.
Read more