Elders, children attend community workshop

As daily life grows busier with work, chores and digital distractions, many families are finding it harder to spend meaningful time together.

The Holy Month of Ramadan is a good opportunity to sit together for families and enjoy quality time besides entertaining themselves through meaningful activities.

In this regard the Lego Group recently organised a UAE-based community initiative and brought together elders from the Alzheimer’s community and children in a guided Lego workshop using the Six Bricks approach.

The first social enterprise dedicated to people over the age of 60, was full of supporters as well and held at Dusit Thani Hotel, Dubai.

Kristian Imhof, General Manager at Lego Middle East, said: “Togetherness is the most important aspect of Ramadan, and the Lego brick provides endless opportunities for families to connect and rediscover the magic of playtime. From the very beginning of our journey, our promise to children and adults in their lives has always been to deliver joy of building and pride of creation through Lego play and we can’t wait to see the creativity unleashed this Ramadan by families.”

The Lego Play Well Study 2024 confirms this reality, with 87% of parents and 88% of children saying they wish they could play more together.

While toys are often viewed mainly as gifting items during festive seasons, they also hold the potential to redefine quality time. Ramadan offers a moment to slow down and strengthen family bonds, making it a meaningful time to focus on shared experiences and letting Lego bricks help turn indoor hours into bursts of curiosity, creativity and family fun.

Family Fun with Six Bricks: The recent Six Bricks community workshop in Dubai aimed to unlock creativity, learning and connection across generations through Lego play. The event was run by doyourbit.xyz, led by Saira Gulamani, and in collaboration with 4-get-me-not, a social enterprise in the UAE which focuses on seniors above 60 affected by memory-related conditions. The Six Bricks approach uses short, guided activities built around six colourful Lego Duplo bricks to encourage focus, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Originating in South Africa and first tested across 25 schools, the Six Bricks concept now includes over 500 activities and more than 900 million possible brick combinations when using just six 2x4 bricks of the same colour.

Today it is used globally in schools, homes, hospitals, and nursing homes, showing its versatility as a meaningful engagement tool.