1 in 10 South African families never play together, according to new LEGO® Play Well Study
Johannesburg, South Africa 25 June 2026: New findings from the LEGO® Play Well Study reveal that 92% of South African parents wish they could play more with their children, while one in ten families say they never play together at all.
The research also points to a powerful opportunity for parents. Just five hours of family play a week is enough to significantly improve family happiness and wellbeing, less time than many families spend commuting, watching TV or scrolling on phones each week.
To help reverse the play deficit, LEGO® South Africa has launched its Never Stop Playing campaign that reminds parents that even the small moments of play can have a lasting impact on children’s creativity, confidence and wellbeing.
According to the LEGO Play Well study, globally almost half (44%) of families are not meeting the five-hour play threshold, highlighting a growing challenge facing families around the world.
“As a parent myself, I know how easy it is for the day to fill up with school, work and everything else competing for your attention,” says Valeriy Kasimov, Country Manager for South Africa at The LEGO Group.
“What I’ve learnt is that children don’t need elaborate plans or expensive activities. Sometimes the most meaningful moments come from simply sitting down together and playing. Even 30 minutes of building together, fun role play activities and creating fantasy worlds of your own can give children the confidence to explore their ideas and express who they are.”
The play paradox in South Africa
The LEGO Play Well Study, conducted among 30,000 parents and 15,000 children aged 5 – 12 globally, found that while parents increasingly recognised play as essential for children’s wellbeing and happiness, work, screentime and household chores are squeezing it to the margins.
In South Africa, parents identified workload, household chores and homework as the leading barriers to family playtime, while 38% cited a lack of safe spaces as a barrier to playing together more often.
Key South African findings include:
- 59% of parents say their children play less than they did at the same age
- 32% of children say they are not happy with how much they play
- 1 in 5 children say they do not play at all
- More families spend time on screens than in shared play each week
Children are already feeling the impact, with over a quarter say that they are dissatisfied with how much they play.
Yet parents consistently recognise its value saying that play helps build stronger family relationships, supports children in making sense of the world and develops critical life skills including creativity, confidence and resilience
Helping families bring play back.
Drawing on the findings from the LEGO Play Well Study, LEGO South Africa’s “Never Stop Playing” aims to spark a national conversation around the importance of shared play between parents and children.
At the heart of the campaign is the “Pledge to Play” which encourages families to commit to 30 minutes of uninterrupted play together. Whether it’s building with LEGO bricks, creating imaginary worlds or inventing games together, the movement reminds parents that meaningful play doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to happen.
Parents and children can take the pledge by visiting www.lego-gybc.co.za/play
To help families put the pledge into practice, LEGO South Africa is bringing the campaign to life at an interactive family activation at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre from the 15th of June to 31 July 2026. The experience invites families to discover the power of play firsthand in an engaging and immersive environment.
For inspiration on how to Never Stop Playing, visit: LEGO.com/NeverStopPlaying
Watch campaign video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ6ywkTlfJo&t=7s
The Never Stop Playing campaign film, and press assets are available here Never stop playing
All data unless otherwise referenced is from the LEGO® Play Well Study 2026 with insights from a total of 45,000 respondents from across 30 markets between December 2025 and January 2026. Respondents included 30,000 parents with children aged 1-12 years old, and 15,000 children aged 5-12.
For more information, please contact Leratom@tribecapr.co.za
About the LEGO Group:
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.
The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words Leg Godt, which mean “Play Well”.
Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. Its products are now sold in more than 120 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com.
Visit Menlyn Mall from the 15th of June to July 31 for a fun filled family activation
