LEGO releases short film to boost young girls’ confidence ahead of International Women’s Day

Together with research on children’s creative confidence, the LEGO Group has shared a short film about how everyday language shapes young girls’ confidence.

According to research conducted by the LEGO Group 76% of young girls between 5 and 12 years old feel confident in their creativity, but this is shown to decline as they get older. Two-thirds of all girls often feel worried to share their ideas and 72% reported anxiety about making mistakes. This is backed up by 71% of parents saying girls are more likely to hold back developing their ideas, because of these pressures.

In brighter news, the study also found that everyday language can be used to change these figures. Nearly two-thirds of girls surveyed said language they hear makes them worry about making mistakes, feel like they shouldn’t experiment, or reinforces the need to be perfect.

The LEGO Group has published a short film, titled ‘More Than Perfect’, illuminating these issues ahead of International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8. It highlights the difference between asking young girls to create something ‘perfect’ and asking them to use their imagination, with no pressure on the end result.

“When we filmed ‘More Than Perfect’ it was fascinating to observe the impact that our words had on girls’ ability to play and experiment freely,” explained Dr Anika Petrella, Researcher and Psychotherapist. “Teaching girls that experimentation triumphs over perfection is crucial to empower their authentic, creative selves and what better way to do this than through play?”

Bringing it back to LEGO, nine in ten parents say play helps their child’s self-expression, boosts their confidence to experiment, builds creative confidence and provides a safe space to explore and experiment without fear of failure. According to the study, 82% say that LEGO play helps them overcome fear of mistakes and 91% feel more confident in their creative skills.

To help encourage young girls’ creativity, the LEGO Group is rolling out a number of free creativity workshops in select LEGO Stores and on LEGO.com, aimed at young people aged between 6 and 12. These events will focus on Entertainment, Space, Gaming, Dreams & Imagination and will take place throughout 2024, starting in March, – starting this month. You can sign up for the first in-store workshops here.

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