More than 90% of parents in the UAE believe that play is key in helping children learn new things.
More than 90% of parents in the UAE believe that play is key in helping children learn new things.
More than 90% of parents in the UAE believe that play is key in helping children learn new things.
More than 90% of parents in the UAE believe that play is key in helping children learn new things.

LEGO Playwell Study – Perspectives from parents and children in the UAE



Striving to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through play, The LEGO Group commissioned a cross-cultural survey of attitudes and behaviours related to play. The one-of-a-kind LEGO® Play Well 2022 study, was built on the 2018 and 2020 LEGO Play Well research findings, which presents parent and child perceptions on the benefits of family play, children's play preferences, future-oriented skills and learning through play.

Parents in the UAE have spoken in the LEGO Play Well Study 2022*, emphasizing why play must be prioritized and protected with 92% of parents in the UAE believing that play is key in helping children learn new things and LEGO products help with their children’s development.

The nation’s generation of tomorrow, the children of the UAE, also confirmed their affinity towards LEGO® play, as it offers them a fun way to hone ways of thinking, creating and testing new ideas. 96% of children expressed that playing with LEGO bricks is a fun activity to do with their parents, and that play makes them feel creative.

Lego's Play Well study
Lego's Play Well study

With exceptional insights backed by the Play Well study, parents, educators and even key decision-makers in the UAE can begin to encourage conversations around this topic and inspire the movement towards play in everyday life. The Play Well study also conveys impactful insights on themes that revolve around parents and children's perceptions of the benefits of family play, as well as digital child safety, sustainability and diversity equity and inclusion (DEI).

The research states that the attitudes toward childhood recreation and future career interests are largely influenced by the toys they engage with during the first few years of a child's life when brain development is most adaptive and rapidly developing. Over 75% of parents who participated in the survey agree with this statement and believe that the toys they buy can influence how their children see the world and therefore, diversity, equity, and inclusion should be a priority for all toy companies.

Around 97% of children in the UAE state that playing with construction toys such as LEGO products makes them feel happy
Around 97% of children in the UAE state that playing with construction toys such as LEGO products makes them feel happy

Shedding light on the power of play and the predominant role that toy products play in building key skills, the study revealed that children love and acknowledge the value of LEGO play. 97% of children in the UAE state that playing with construction toys such as LEGO products makes them feel happy. Adding to this, 92% of children in the UAE state that LEGO play helps them make new friends and 96% even confirmed learning new things through LEGO play.

With exceptional insights backed by the 2022 LEGO® Play Well Study, parents, educators and key decision-makers in the UAE can begin to encourage dialogue around sustainability. To succeed in this mission and help all children develop the skills that will help them fulfil their potential while protecting the environment, leading brands in the toy industry, inclusive of The LEGO Group, must continue to play their part in building a more sustainable future.

The valuable local insights from the LEGO Play Well Study provide key pillars of interest across various sectors that will help support youth by igniting the flame of the power of play and equipping families with the tools, time and space needed to prioritize and protect play.

LEGO Play Well Study
LEGO Play Well Study
Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The biog

Age: 32

Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.

Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas

Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska

Updated: February 13, 2023, 9:27 AM`