LEGO Idea Conference 2019 focused on “unlocking the power of parenting”

This year’s LEGO Idea Conference recently wrapped up, having engaged speakers and attendees around the theme of “unlocking the power of parenting”.

Each, the LEGO Foundation convenes thought leaders, researchers, experts, innovators and policy makers for the LEGO Idea Conference. Over three days from April 1 until April 3, the 2019 conference was held around the theme of “unlocking the power of parenting”, emphasising ways that parents can support the development and learning of children.

As a result of the three day conference, the LEGO Foundation committed to the following three goals:

Bringing effective approaches to parenting playfulness to scale. In the next year, the Foundation will work to bring impactful programs in up to five countries.

Promoting parental playfulness in early childhood. By effectively communicating the importance of the issue, the Foundation hopes to assist in the sharing of knowledge across organizations to deepen understanding.

Investing in further research and evidence. The Foundation will seek to better understand the impact of parental playfulness and how to integrate this effectively in under-resourced environments.

Speakers at the conference included Dr Jack P. Shonkoff, Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, Ziauddin Yousafzai, co-founder of Malala Fund and father of world-renowned education activist Malala Yousafzai, Dr Pia Rebello Britto, Chief of Early Childhood Development at UNICEF, Marc H. Bornstein, President of the Society for Research in Child Development, Pasi Sahlberg, Professor at University of New South Wales Sydney in Australia and John Goodwin, CEO of the LEGO Foundation.

Following the year’s theme, interactive workshops, discussions and talks looked at how parents and primary caregivers can encourage children’s development through play, helping them to develop skills in areas such as creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.

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