Stop Marketing to Kids. Start Giving Them Something to Do.
The Kids Engagement Series #01 | What LEGO can teach us about turning attention into action
Children are surrounded by messages. Adverts, posters, videos, screens, leaflets and logos are all competing for their attention, usually trying to tell them something.
But seeing something isn't the same as engaging with it. And few brands understand that distinction quite as well as LEGO.
LEGO doesn't just tell children that its products are creative, imaginative and fun. It gives children the opportunity to experience those things for themselves.
From audience to participant
In 2023, LEGO City partnered with Picturehouse Cinemas' Saturday Kids' Club. It would have been easy to simply sponsor the screenings, put LEGO branding around the cinema and show an advert before the film.
Instead, selected cinemas invited children to use LEGO bricks to create their own movie posters before the screening. Their creations could then be printed for families to take home.
It was a relatively simple idea, but it changed the child's role completely. They weren't an audience being shown LEGO. They were building, creating and making something of their own — with LEGO right at the centre of the experience.
The cinemas hosting the activations subsequently reported a 74% increase in Kids' Club admissions, while LEGO City also saw increases in awareness and participation.
Why did it work?
Because there is an enormous difference between “Here's our brand” and “Come and do something with our brand.”
The first asks for attention. The second invites participation.
And participation is much more likely to create a memory. Those children weren't told that LEGO encourages creativity; they experienced creativity themselves. They made decisions, built something, showed it to their parents and took a reminder of that experience home.
Most importantly, LEGO wasn't simply sponsoring the experience. LEGO became part of the experience.
So what can other organisations learn from it?
You don't need LEGO's budget — or millions of bricks — to apply the same thinking.
Instead of beginning a children's project by asking “What do we want to tell them?”, start by asking “What do we want them to do?”
A museum could turn information into a discovery mission. A hotel could transform a children's activity sheet into a passport that encourages them to explore their surroundings, complete challenges and collect stamps. A sports organisation could let children experience its values through physical challenges rather than simply explaining them.
The principle is the same: give children a role in the story.
But there's a catch…
Giving children something to do doesn't automatically mean you're engaging them.
A colouring sheet is an activity. So is a wordsearch. So is a branded worksheet handed over in a restaurant.
The more important question is: what does completing that activity make the child think, feel, discover or remember about your organisation?
If the answer is nothing, you've occupied them. You haven't necessarily engaged them.
And that's an important distinction.
The activity isn't the objective. The connection it creates is.
THE WONDER TEST: LEGO
PICK IT UP — Does it grab their attention?✓ Yes. LEGO combines instant recognition with an invitation to play.
GET INVOLVED — Does it encourage participation?✓ Absolutely. Children build, create, choose and experiment.
STICK WITH IT — Is it engaging enough to complete?✓ Yes. There's usually a clear challenge or goal.
KEEP IT — Does it have an afterlife?✓ Definitely. LEGO is designed to be returned to again and again.
SHARE IT — Will children show or talk about it?✓ Yes. Creating something naturally gives children something to share.
REMEMBER IT — Will they remember the brand behind it?✓ Absolutely. The activity and the LEGO brand are almost inseparable.
WONDER SCORE: 6/6 ⭐
THE WONDER VERDICT: LEGO understands one of the biggest rules of children's engagement: don't just give children something to look at. Give them something to do — and make that experience part of the story you want them to remember.
One thing to take away…
Next time you're creating something for children, don't start with:
“What do we want to tell them?”
Start with:
“What could we get them to do?”
Because attention can last seconds. A great experience can stick around for years.
About The Wonder Company
Every organisation has a story to tell. We help children discover it.
The Wonder Company creates engaging activity books, packs, games and resources that help brands and organisations connect with children in ways that are fun, meaningful and memorable.
From a simple idea to a completely bespoke children's engagement campaign, we design, create and print resources that children actually want to pick up, interact with — and take home.
Want to create something children will remember?
Get in touch with The Wonder Company to start a conversation.
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