International LEGO Day is being marked as a reminder of how play-based learning is helping South African children build essential skills, resilience and confidence from an early age.
Education and child development organisations are using the day to highlight the role of play as a powerful tool for early learning, particularly in communities where access to formal early childhood education remains limited. According to Sesame Workshop International South Africa, play is one of the most effective ways to support cognitive, emotional and social development in young children.
Mari Payne, Deputy Managing Director and Senior Director of Education and Programmes at Sesame Workshop International South Africa, says play-based learning is often misunderstood, yet consistently delivers impact where children need it most.
Play, she explains, is not an extra activity but a child’s first language of learning. Through building, experimenting and imagining, children develop focus, problem-solving skills and emotional regulation long before these abilities are formally taught.
International LEGO Day places the spotlight on construction play, which helps children learn how to plan, balance ideas, persist through challenges and trust their own thinking. These are skills that translate directly into school readiness and long-term learning success.
Payne emphasises that meaningful play does not require expensive toys. Across South Africa, children use everyday objects to build and create, turning boxes into vehicles and open spaces into entire worlds. In doing so, they practise creativity, collaboration and resilience in ways that formal instruction alone cannot provide.
Teachers and caregivers working in early learning environments report that play-based approaches help children engage more confidently in classrooms, particularly where overcrowding and resource constraints limit traditional teaching methods.
Sesame Workshop International South Africa continues to advocate for play as a foundational right, especially in early childhood development. The organisation argues that protecting time and space for play strengthens learning outcomes while supporting emotional wellbeing and inclusion.
Payne says preparing children for South Africa’s future requires more than academic instruction. It requires nurturing imagination, adaptability and courage at an early age.
As International LEGO Day is observed, the focus shifts from the bricks themselves to the broader message they represent: when children are given permission to build, explore and experiment, they gain skills that last far beyond childhood.
For a country focused on long-term social development, play-based learning is increasingly recognised not as a luxury, but as a practical investment in smarter, stronger and kinder future generations.
