How LEGO STEM Sets Connect Play, Science and Sustainability
The LEGO Group and LEGO Education have launched four new STEM sets designed to encourage curiosity, exploration and scientific discovery at home for children aged seven and over.
Developed with educators and inspired by real-world challenges, the sets focus on space, animals and nature to make science accessible through hands-on play.
The launch reflects a growing need for independent learning tools that nurture curiosity while building skills relevant to sustainability and the natural world.
Addressing curiosity
The launch is supported by global research highlighting a clear curiosity gap among parents.
While more than half report being surprised by their child’s curiosity, many admit that time pressures or uncertainty about scientific topics can unintentionally limit exploration.
With a large proportion of parents feeling unprepared to answer science-related questions, the new STEM sets provide an accessible way for children to explore complex ideas independently.
“This research shows that parents want to support their children’s curiosity about the world around them but aren’t always equipped to explain science-specific questions themselves,” says Victor Saeijs, President of LEGO Education.
“Now, for the first time, children can explore science at home with these LEGO Education STEM sets, using the Build, Solve, Invent approach.
“By building, testing, and inventing their own solutions, children discover that every attempt - even an unexpected one - contributes to learning.
“The sets are designed to foster curiosity, confidence and creativity at every step.”
All sustainability, net zero and sustainable supply chain leaders should attend:
- Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
- Sustainability LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22
Co-located with Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, these events brings together CSOs, ESG leaders and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.
Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.
Hands-on experimentation
Each LEGO Education STEM set follows a structured Build, Solve, Invent play loop that transforms learning into an active experience.
Children begin by building guided challenges before testing and refining their ideas and applying their knowledge to open-ended problems.
This process encourages experimentation, resilience and problem solving, skills that are increasingly important when engaging with environmental and sustainability challenges.
“My understanding of the natural world and science largely comes from venturing into uncharted territories and hands-on exploration,” says Explorer and Naturalist, Steve Backshall.
“What truly excites me about these new LEGO Education STEM sets is how effectively they translate that same spirit of adventure and discovery directly into the home environment and allow children to become active scientists – experimenting, tackling real science challenges and making their own discoveries.
“It truly frames learning as an exciting voyage, where every challenging moment is simply an opportunity for deeper understanding and a new 'aha!' moment.”
Connecting play with sustainability
The LEGO Group is strengthening its sustainability strategy through its Built for Tomorrow campaign, which highlights the durability of the LEGO brick while accelerating the shift towards sustainable materials, circularity and lower emissions.
With half of the materials purchased for brick production now coming from sustainable sources, LEGO is reducing its reliance on fossil-based plastics while maintaining high standards of quality, safety and durability
LEGO's sustainability is supported by testing more than 600 alternative materials including bio-based elements from sugarcane, tyres made from recycled fishing nets and engine oil and transparent bricks containing recycled artificial marble, alongside plans to explore e-methanol.
Sustainability also extends to learning, with LEGO Education sets centred on nature, animals and space to help children build an early connection to the natural world, using hands-on play to foster curiosity, systems thinking and a more sustainable mindset.
Alongside product innovation, LEGO is embedding circular and climate-focused practices through initiatives such as LEGO Replay, a shift to paper-based packaging, a 61% increase in global solar capacity over two years and supplier decarbonisation efforts, supporting its targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 37% by 2032 and transition all major products to sustainable materials by 2030.
