LEGO's Skills for Holistic Development
The LEGO Foundation’s Skills for Holistic Development framework outlines a set of skills that are essential to positive child development and can be promoted through playful learning experiences. The LEGO Foundation is a Danish Corporate Foundation dedicated to redefining play and reimagining learning to ensure children build the skills they need to thrive and succeed. Applying a view of learning that goes beyond academic content, the framework focuses on five broad and interconnected skills that empower children to become creative, engaged, and lifelong learners.
Breakdown by Domain
Domain Key
Cognitive
Emotion
Social
Values
Perspectives
Identity
- Cognitive 27%
- Emotion 27%
- Social 13%
- Values 20%
- Identity 13%
Key Features
Context & Culture
- The LEGO Foundation emphasizes the importance of developing holistic skills in the context of play
- Notes that the skills important for success vary across cultures and contexts
- Acknowledges that the play environment (including materials and people) influences the structure of play and development of skills
- Notes the need for more cross-cultural research on the impact of play on learning and skill development
Developmental Perspective
- Summarizes evidence suggesting that children begin learning and developing skills from birth, and notes that the nature and complexity of skills vary depending on a child’s age
- Acknowledges that skills are interconnected and that development in one area influences development in another, and supports this with some evidence and examples
- No learning progression provided
Associated Outcomes
- Notes how skills that fall into the broad areas outlined in the framework are tied to positive adult outcomes related to education, innovation, health, and employment
- Provides examples of research linking holistic skills to positive outcomes related to academic skills, health, and substance abuse
- Cites research that links each of the skill areas to positive outcomes like school readiness, academic achievement, reading and math skills, and longer-term health, economic, and societal outcomes
Available Resources
Support Materials
- Online Knowledge Base includes research reports, white papers, and activity materials related to learning through play
Programs & Strategies
- Provides detailed descriptions of five characteristics that make up successful play experiences and provide opportunities for skill development
- Describes different types of play that support skill development, from free play to direct instruction
- The LEGO Foundation runs a variety of programs designed to ensure children have the opportunity to learn through play, including:
- Learning Through Play in Early Childhood programme, which focuses on learning through play at home, in early childhood centers, and within communities
- Connecting Play and Education programme, which embeds learning through play into national education systems
- Communities of Learning Through Play, which offers play programming and training in Denmark, Mexico, South Africa, and the Ukraine
Measurement Tools
- Notes the challenges associated with measuring complex, higher-level skills
- No tools provided
Key Publications
- LEGO Foundation website: https://www.legofoundation.com/en/
- The Lego Foundation. (2017). What we mean by: Learning through play. Retrieved from https://www.legofoundation.com/media/1062/learningthroughplay_leaflet_june2017.pdf
- Zosh, J. N., Hopkins, E., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Neale, D., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Solis, S. L. & Whitebread, D. (2017). Learning through play: A review of the evidence (white paper). The LEGO Foundation, DK. Retrieved from: https://www.legofoundation.com/media/ 1063/learning-through-play_web.pdf