A recent survey of 1,000 parents with school-age children found that 52% believed there was a shortage of hands-on projects in the classroom that foster collaboration and interaction.

Maybe that's why three in four parents have also observed their kids losing interest in school once they hit the middle grades (6th through 8th) even though they were excited about learning while in elementary school.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of LEGO Education, the survey found that hands-on learning is at the forefront of parents' minds.

In addition, the survey polled 1,000 teachers to discover how they're bolstering students' excitement.

Fully 91% of the teachers say they are already bringing hands-on learning into the classroom.

Regardless of the grade they teach, 87% noted an improvement in student engagement when incorporating purposeful play, such as hands-on activities.

One way to make subjects more hands-on is through "gamification" or incorporating game-style elements into non-game activities. According to 74% of the teachers, the most important ways to gamify the classroom are by making learning fun. Half say they can do that by adding progress indicators such as points or badges or through competition.

Likewise, more than half of parents liked the idea of introducing progress indicators and level progressions with increasing difficulty, as game-style elements they'd like teachers to incorporate most.

However, the top skills parents hope their kids develop in school are learning to work under time pressure and deadlines (59%) and social-emotional skills like collaboration, resilience, empathy, and emotional regulation (57%).

"There's never been a better time to rethink learning to make it more joyful, where classrooms are full of engaged students, ‘aha' moments, and opportunities to build resilience and life skills," said Dr. Jenny Nash, Head of Education Impact, U.S. for LEGO Education.

"This survey shows both teachers and parents want this for their kids, and it's with hands-on learning that we can create these motivating, memorable, and meaningful learning experiences for our students."

Boosting students' confidence and curiosity in the classroom can be key. Teachers have found the most effective ways to do so are with hands-on projects (70%) and having students work together with others (70%), along with the opportunity to make mistakes without judgment (63%). The freedom to make mistakes was the top choice among high school teachers (68%).

Eight in 10 (82%) teachers also believe group projects should be introduced much earlier in students' lives.

"Nearly eight in 10 teachers said these concepts help improve collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, and seven in 10 believe they'll improve students' confidence," Dr. Nash added.

TOP THINGS PARENTS WANT KIDS TO LEARN

Working under deadlines – 59% Social-emotional skills – 57% Problem-solving – 46% Storytelling/creativity – 42% Coding and programming – 28%

TOP WAYS TEACHERS WANT TO GAMIFY LEARNING

Fun – 74% Competition – 49% Progress indicators (e.g. points, badges, etc.) – 49% Assignments/projects with increasing difficulty – 48% Narrative/story – 31% Time pressure – 19% Collecting/trading – 16%

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