We learn through play: LEGO Foundation & Six Bricks

written by Stefania Pasquali, Head of PYP at H-FARM International School Vicenza & Six Bricks Level 4 Practitioner

“Play and learning are like the two wings of a butterfly — one cannot exist without the other”.

Carla Rinaldi — President of Reggio Children

Play is a universal language. The cornerstones to childhood are exploration, creativity, and joy. Every child, regardless of background, experience the boundless wonder of play and the imaginative worlds created in the simplest of moments. Children (and not only children) learn through play and exploration.

Research consistently demonstrates that play is pivotal in the development of a wide range of skills, including attention, self-regulation, creativity, curiosity, problem-solving, and reflection. When children engage in play, they become immersed and joyful, they take risks and explore new ideas.

Returning to our butterfly metaphor, the wing of play cannot exist without the wing of learning and vice versa. This is the ambitious goal of the LEGO Foundation through the Six Bricks approach: to re-define play and re-imagine learning. The ambition is to build a future where learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners.

What is Six Bricks?

It’s as simple as it sounds: 6 LEGO® DUPLO® bricks, each in a vibrant colour, designed to facilitate learning while ensuring enjoyment.

Children will be entering the magical world of Six Bricks becoming familiar with the “rainbow sequence”: red, orange, yellow, green, light blue and blue.

It’s truly remarkable to witness how such a straightforward tool can seamlessly integrate into all areas of the curriculum, including language, mathematics, social skills, and fine motor skills, among others.

Six Bricks at H-FARM International School Vicenza

At H-FARM International School Vicenza, we place significant emphasis on the role of play in education. Commencing this school year, our Early Years and PYP students have been delving into the world of Six Bricks by Lego Education. We firmly believe that promoting children’s motivation to learn and their ability to come up with ideas and imagine alternatives, is essential in the world of today.

We were thrilled to share our enthusiasm for learning with our parent community, so we organised three Six Bricks events for all our Early Years and PYP students and their families. Our mission: have fun, inspire laughter and a love of learning with Six Bricks! Over 150 people joined us on these special occasions! We were amazed to see how much our school community is committed to play!

Let’s play (and learn) together!

Are you ready for a challenge? It’s time to use your Six Bricks set and play with us. This challenge is called: back to back. Through this activity children will learn to use descriptive language, think from another person’s perspective and speak about their own and others’ behaviour and consequences.

This is the procedure to play:

• Children sit or stand in pairs with a set of 6 bricks each
• One child builds a model, and then explains to the partner how to build the same model
• The partner builds without looking or asking questions
• The pairs compare their models and discuss how it went.

Let us remain open to the infinite possibilities that emerge when we approach life with curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to explore. Together, let’s continue to celebrate the transformative power of play!

About the author

Stefania Pasquali is an educator with over 15 years of dedicated experience in the field. Currently serving as the Head of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) at H-FARM International School in Vicenza, Stefania brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her role. She is deeply committed to fostering a love for learning and exploration in young minds. Stefania’s educational philosophy is rooted in the belief that early childhood is a crucial period for igniting curiosity and creativity.