The latest research from the LEGO Group shows that girls' creative confidence is decreasing from the age of five
The LEGO Group unveils '10 steps to boost your creative confidence'
Chinanews.com, Shanghai News, April 11 (Li Jiajia) Recently, the LEGO Group released the latest global survey results, focusing on how social trends affect children's creative self-confidence, aiming to call attention to the development of girls' creative self-confidence, and start to change from daily communication, applaud girls' creativity, encourage them to explore freely in their fields of interest, and release unlimited potential.
In 2024, the LEGO Group surveyed more than 60,000 children and parents in 36 countries to understand what influences girls' creative confidence. The results of the survey show that 76% of five-year-old girls are confident in their creativity. Not only do they have a wide range of interests, but they also have a strong track record in sports, design, engineering and science, and they are looking forward to working in related fields.
From the age of five, girls' creative confidence gradually decreases with age, with 71% of girls saying they feel anxious about sharing their ideas. This anxiety is exacerbated by the pressure to stay perfect and the fear of making mistakes. Seventy-one percent of parents also agree that girls are more reluctant to speak up as a result of these pressures.
Globally, 73 per cent of children believe they need to be perfect in all aspects, compared to 88 per cent in China, the second highest among all countries surveyed. In addition, parents and children are aware that girls often face more expectations of perfection – 75% of parents and 62% of children respectively believe that girls are under more pressure to achieve perfection than boys.
It's worth noting that parents' rhetoric can also inadvertently exacerbate this pressure. Studies have shown that inappropriate language inhibits girls from expressing themselves freely and creatively. Seventy-one per cent of girls said that the comments they hear in their daily lives make them anxious about making mistakes, that they shouldn't try, or that they reinforce their desire for perfect results.
In addition, social biases that are implicit in everyday speech can also affect girls' self-expression. In addition to using gendered descriptions to evaluate the work of male and female creators, 56% of children believe that parents are more willing to listen to boys' ideas. In China, 81 per cent of children agree.
Girls say they are less afraid to try new things if making mistakes is seen more as an opportunity to learn, their self-confidence is boosted if parents talk more about the creative process with their children than the end result, and praise words like "imaginative", "courageous" and "inspiring" motivate girls to keep trying and creating.
"In the process of girls' growth, the evaluation of society, family and school plays an important role in building their self-awareness, cultivating self-confidence, and stimulating creativity. As a group that gets along with girls day and night in life, parents and caregivers should make changes in their daily lives, consciously adjust the way they communicate with them, give girls more space to explore, and let girls have a stage to release their creativity. ”
In addition to changing the way we communicate with children, play is also very important for girls to build their creative confidence. As one of the most effective ways for children to learn about the world and important skills, play develops key skills such as communication, self-confidence, teamwork and creativity, and promotes learning, development and growth in all aspects.
® "Kids can have fun and experiment, which is essential to enhancing their creativity. Play not only helps children express themselves better, but also provides a space for them to explore without fear of failure. ”
85% of children feel that they can be their authentic selves during play, without worrying about making mistakes and being judged, and 88% of children feel more confident to share their ideas and creative work while playing. At the same time, more than 80% of parents affirmed the positive impact of play on girls' self-confidence, especially LEGO.
The LEGO play system, based on LEGO bricks, allows girls to use their imagination and explore all possibilities in the process of building, rebuilding and disassembling freely. That's why 90% of girls affirm that LEGO is a better way to put their ideas into action. At the same time, 91 per cent of girls said they felt more confident in their creativity through LEGO Play, 84 per cent said that LEGO was more important than achieving perfect results along the way, and 82 per cent believed that LEGO helped them overcome their fear of making mistakes.
Recent research shows that girls have a wider range of interests than boys, and these interests are an important driver of their potential and growth. At the same time, society's stereotypes about gender can have a negative impact on girls' growth and development, especially in terms of creativity and self-confidence.
That's why last year the LEGO Group launched a new brand project, "Play Unstoppable", to showcase the creativity of girls and encourage them to explore and experiment without limiting themselves. This year, the project focused more on the creativity and self-confidence of the girls. In addition to the release of the 2024 LEGO Play Report, the Group has partnered with Harvard University-educated parenting expert and best-selling author Jennifer Wallace to launch the "10 Steps to Creative Confidence" and a series of online and offline activities to encourage girls to play freely and create with confidence.
In addition, the LEGO Group will continue to work with Save the Children to carry out a number of pilot projects for girls around the world this year, and China will also be the focus of the project. The goal of this partnership is to bring the opportunity to learn and develop through play to more girls, helping them to cope with social pressures, become self-conscious, and grow up confidently and healthily.
Minglan Shen, Vice President of Marketing for The LEGO Group China, said: "It is the mission of the LEGO Group to inspire and nurture the builders of tomorrow through creative play. For more than 90 years, we have been working tirelessly to achieve this. Boys and girls alike, we want to help them learn and develop skills through play, unleash their potential, and better prepare for the future and make the world a better place. ”
Editor: Li Jiajia