Prescription for Play
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the mental health needs of young children is more important than ever.
The Weitzman Institute is proud to partner with The LEGO® Group to support its Prescription for Play (P4P) program.
Prescription for Play is a social impact program of The LEGO® Group, supported by The LEGO® Foundation.
What is Prescription for Play?
Prescription for Play promotes learning through play by supplying free DUPLO® brick kits and educational materials to pediatric health care providers to deliver to 18-36-month-old patients during routine well-child visits.
Program resources include (free of charge):
- LEGO® DUPLO® brick kit
- Education Materials
- Virtual Hub of Program Resources and Trainings
- Implementation Toolkit (Manual, Sample Workflows and Scripts)
- CME Credits
- Technical Assistance
- Enduring Educational Content
- Program Support
Research Findings
Play Promotion for Pediatric Patients: A Feasibility and Pilot Study of Embedding Prescription for Play in Well-Child Visits
The Weitzman Institute conducted a pilot and feasibility study at Connecticut Pediatrics @ CHC in Hartford, Connecticut to:
- Identify the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of a process workflow designed to promote play; and
- Assess the impact of giving caregivers and children a tangible product (e.g., a LEGO® DUPLO® brick kit) that encourages play and reminds them of the brief education they received on play to take home with them.
Key Findings:
- All providers (100%) experienced a change in how regularly they introduce learning through play to pediatric families.
- All providers (100%) experienced a change in knowledge about why play is important.
- In addition to achieving the goal of embedding play conversations in patient visits, results show that the program was beneficial beyond the program goals, making the well-child care visit more comprehensive.
- One month and three months post-visit, approximately 80% of caregivers experienced a change in the number of days each week they play with their child.
- Nearly 90% of caregivers experienced a change in knowledge about why play is important.
- Caregivers are sharing information related to learning through play with their social circles, extending the reach of the program to other community members.
For more information about Prescription for Play, contact Julie Beckham.