Learning math often involves teachers scribbling on chalkboards and students struggling to complete worksheets in textbooks… and to keep from falling asleep from boredom. The situation is similar the world over. The problem is, in Myanmar even the chalkboards and textbooks are scarce.

Designed by educators from Little Village, and tested by their students, BrickBook is a game-based, cost-free learning kit which uses toy blocks as a hands-on substitute for textbooks and chalkboards to teach students mathematics and problem-solving skills in a fun and creative way. Each BrickBook was made possible by the support of Singaporean families that donated their pre-loved toy bricks to the cause. The learning kit includes a 100-card deck with visually stimulating lessons and a user guide for teachers and parents.  

The best part is that BrickBook is true to Little Village’s academic philosophy which favors a discovery-based, kids-teach-kids approach to stimulating children’s natural curiosity.

Phase I raised awareness of the problem of under-equipped classrooms and unengaged students in Myanmar while publicizing this first-of-its kind initiative from one of Singapore’s more than 2,300 pre-schools. Communications included media outreach, interviews, press releases, social media posts, and good old-fashioned posters and event activations (created by the students) announcing the call-to-action for parents and the public to donate toy bricks to the cause.

Phase II was the most rewarding and included seven months of planning, design, curation of games and production in collaboration with educators and students. In response to the call-to-action, Little Village collected 8,000+ bricks from donors island-wide that were ultimately packaged with learning guides to create the BrickBooks that were hand-delivered to more than 10 village schools in Myanmar, benefitting more than 100 families.

Phase III media outreach communicated the results and learnings from the project, while reiterating Little Village’s core values and academic philosophy.

Hundreds of Singaporeans came forward to donate old toy bricks, and we amassed over 8,000 bricks in a short span of time.

Within the first week of launch, local media and forums picked up on the initiative and it sparked several discussions on the indisputable role of play in early childhood development. Little Village was applauded for their alternative pedagogy centred around meaningful learning for young children.

The response was encouraging, 1 in 2 parents reached out to Little Village as they wanted to get their hands on Brick Book. During the launch, engagements on social media soared and rose by 400%.

The Brick Book initiative also inculcated the value of giving back to society amongst the young students – teaching them that they can make a difference. On the receiving end, children in Myanmar gained access to essential and engaging learning resources.