Dr. Ana Maria Nieto of The LEGO Foundation presented the power of play in building resiliency among young children and their families and communities during the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Early Childhood Development in Ha Noi, Viet Nam on 4-6 December 2019.

Play, Dr. Nieto stressed, is often presented as opposite to learning, rather than one of the most powerful ways for children to develop the skills necessary to thrive, encompassing creative, problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration skills.

She also added that play has to be purposeful for the child and the family and has to demonstrate five characteristics, namely, joyful, meaningful, actively engaging, iterative, and socially interactive.