We’ve been working with think tank, Tænketanken Mandag Morgen to ask Danish children one big question: what makes a good life?
In the second in our three-part series, we asked children what makes a good life at school. Here’s what they told us.
June 2022
Exciting lessons make the grade - Good life at school
In the second of our three-part series, we asked Denmark’s children what makes life good. Here’s what they told us about school.
The LEGO Foundation
Children of all ages wanted three things in school:
Good classmates
Good teachers
Good lessons
The best lessons had lots of playful characteristics
And, although the children we spoke to didn’t always make the connection between play and learning, we spotted lots of playful characteristics in the lessons students liked best.
They were iterative, when classes tried things out and experimented.
They were actively engaging, when children got hands-on and threw themselves into projects
They were meaningful, when lessons linked back to real life.
They were social, when students worked together (something most enjoyed)
They were joyful, when they broke the ‘sit-at-a-desk and repeat’ mould. Students loved it when teachers did different things to liven up lessons – whether that meant playing a game to get to grips with geography or going into the woods to learn about insect biology.
It’s more proof that at school, students and teachers don’t have to choose between playing OR learning. Combining the two and learning through play inspired and motivated Danish students lesson after lesson.
Download our full report
Denmark’s often rated as one of the best places in the world for children to grow up. But how often do politicians and experts include children when they’re debating the issues that affect them? And how often do we call on children when we’re talking about play or designing new ways to make the world more playful? The answer is, not enough. To help us change that, we teamed up with Tænketanken Mandag Morgen to ask children what matters to them: how they feel about school, their families, and the future.
The Good Life - According to Children
