The LEGO Group and TED, the organisation behind the popular TED Talk series, are partnering to create Play@TED, aiming to transform how the world thinks about play.
TED, the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation are teaming up, having announced Play@TED, a new initiative that seeks to change how people think about play.
Perceptions of play have been a big talking point with the LEGO Group recently — World Play Day has become a UN-recognised day to celebrate the importance of play, and the LEGO Group has been running the She Built That campaign to encourage more girls and women to pick up bricks and become builders.
Play@TED is primarily funded via a grant from the LEGO Foundation in support of World Play Day, which comes around each year on June 11.
Last month, the partnership hosted Connect Week, which saw over 300 students between the ages of 8 and 18 from 27 countries gather for a virtual discussion about their experiences with play and how it helped them to develop real-world skills from collaboration to problem solving.
The big claim to fame for Play@TED is an in-person event to be hosted at the TED World Theatre in New York City on May 14, 2026. While the Connect Week discussion has children and teens participating, the in-person event will be designed for parents, educators and policy makers. Three key pillars will provide the foundation for the event: the transformative power of play, play as a mindset for all and how imagination can take us anywhere. These pillars will be discussed via a series of TED Talks.
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A few speakers have already been confirmed, including Creative Health Scientist and co-founder & Chief Science Officer of Daydreamers Katina Bajaj; AI and Education Researcher at the MIT Media Lab’s Personal Robots group Randi Williams; and Harlem Globetrotters player Maxwell “Hops” Pearce.
The talks will be livestreamed for public viewing, and additional resources will be posted to TED’s education platform following the event. There will be a Learning Lab for parents and educators to find resources such as discussion points, quizzes and curriculum.
TED-Ed, a spinoff channel featuring shorter, animated TED Talks, will also feature five new videos inspired by the topic of play, from history to brain science. Local activities will come to communities throughout the year as well thanks to TEDx organisers.
“Creative play is more than just fun — it’s a spark for change. By teaming up with TED, we want to ignite a global movement to make play a cornerstone of creativity and innovation in homes, schools and communities everywhere,” said LEGO SVP Global Brand Development Remi Marcelli. “Together, we are committed to inspiring brighter minds and building a future where play is at the heart of learning and growth in every community.”
“Childhood is not just a phase of life—it is the making of one, and play is central to how children grow, thrive and learn. Through Play@TED, we are investing in the ecosystems around children — from families and schools to communities and societies — to strengthen access to creativity and play and help create the conditions for every child, everywhere, to thrive,” said LEGO Foundation CEO Sidsel Marie Kristensen.
“We often hear that necessity is the mother of invention, and fundamental needs certainly inspire innovation, but many of the most durable, delightful and beneficial points of human progress spring from the desire to collaborate, to entertain and to play. This partnership between TED, the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation celebrates that fact and aims to help people remember that play should be a priority in homes, schools and communities throughout the world,” said Founder and Executive Director of TED-Ed at TED Conferences Logan Smalley.
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