Education, Social

Lego Project

About this project

Sponsored by Lego and implemented in partnership with NestingPlay, the goal of the Lego project is to provide disadvantaged preschool children from segregated areas with workshops to compensate them for their already significant disadvantage exacerbated even further by the Covid-19 pandemic. In each selected municipality, one dedicated kindergarten teacher/social worker/volunteer/nanny took it upon themselves to deal with the children everyday. A total of 45 children received daily development activities for 20 weeks.

Why is it important?

Due to the pandemic, children attending educational institutions had to stay apart from their friends for months. It meant an even worse drop-off and isolation for those children who were either socially disadvantaged or had developmental and/or behavioral issues. Why? Because they were not given the opportunity to learn through play in kindergarten. This lag impacts their lives in the short term as well as in the long term when compared to their peers or considering school readiness. Moreover, this puts even more pressure on the teachers who work with them during a difficult life full of uncertainty. The project had a great impact on the participating children's well-being: they became more self-confident, and their anxiety disappeared along with their fear of failure.

Why is it special?

The project was a real collaboration and team effort. We managed to give adequate and well-coordinated answers to the needs and challenges of disadvantaged families. In the new, pandemic-inflicted situation, we could develop a program, which was in line with our mission, yet the activities were different. The help and support of NestingPlay ensured high-quality professional work: the needed methodology, approach, and the tools for the implementation were provided. The children could participate in our workshops five times a week which contributed to their personal development. Moreover, new communities were formed.