David Beckham's love of Lego is a mindful parenting trick

David Beckham attends the Netflix 'Beckham' UK Premiere at The Curzon Mayfair on October 03, 2023 in London, England

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published 22 November 2023

Footballing legend and former England captain David Beckham is reportedly fond of playing with Lego, and the father-of-four unashamedly admits that it helps him to relax.

And, now is a great time to look out for the Best Black Friday LEGO deals, because no other toy can beat it when it comes to helping parents build a little more mindfulness into their day. (Unless you happen to step on it, of course.)

Back in 2007, David Beckham's Instagram post about building a Lego Disney Castle - which happens to be on sale for Black Friday for £275.99 - for his daughter Harper won him admiration from other Lego lovers all over the world.

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It's well-documented that kids love playing with Lego. During the holiday season, 28 Lego sets are sold each second according to National Geographic. But what is it that grown-ups love about Lego too?

"Lego can be hugely beneficial to parents as a way of de-stressing and forgetting about adulting for a while," says parenting expert and mother-of-two Kirsty Ketley. "It can be a great nostalgic activity, reminiscing about your own childhood, which can be a great source of comfort."

Earlier this year saw the release of the LEGO Group's equivalent of a Christmas ad, which is all about encouraging everyone to gift the superpower of play this Christmas. The three-part Play Is Your Superpower campaign showcases how playing with Lego brings 'an epic new dimension to festive family moments', according to the brand, helping to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

As for what David Beckham loves about Lego, it's tricky to imagine an 'ordinary' moment in the Beckham household but DB told Jimmy Fallon, in an appearance on The Tonight Show, that his Lego obsession started long before he became a dad. "I grew up making Lego when I was eight or nine years old, and actually, I continued it," he told the TV show host. "Victoria always laughs at me," he added. "She'll come down at like two in the morning and I'll still be trying to finish a piece off."

The Lego Bonsai tree bought for the writer by her son — The Lego Icons Bonsai Tree, which our writer loves

David seemed to take the ribbing in good humour and went on to explain that building Lego has a 'calming' effect on him. Personally, I'm with him on that. Recently, my Lego-loving son gifted me the Lego Icons Bonsai Tree Set, on sale at Amazon for £31.99, down from £44.99 and I don't mind admitting that it's one of my most treasured possessions. Admittedly he built it for me - I don't think he trusted me to handle it by myself - but I love it a lot more than I expected to love what is, after all, a set of plastic flowers. Every time I look at it, I smile. And the cherry blossom flowers hide lots of tiny pink Lego frogs!

Next up I plan to buy myself the LEGO 10313 Icons Wildflower Bouquet Set, on sale during Black Friday at Amazon for £34.99 with 36% off for Black Friday. I'll report back on whether it has the same calming effect on me as David Beckham says Lego has on him. Who knows, maybe this time my son will actually let me build it too."

"Doing Lego alongside your child can be a great bonding experience," adds Kirsty Ketley. "Working together as a team, both feeling satisfied in creating something together, is a great calming activity and an opportunity to talk with each other. Lego can be taken anywhere and played with anytime too. You can put pieces in a ziplock bag to create something while waiting for lunch at a restaurant - a great way to keep little ones occupied quietly. It can be handy on a plane too, to ease any anxieties - both parents and children!"

Shop the Lego Black Friday deals we love

Looking for more Lego inspo? Check out This Lego Advent Calendar deal is unmissable or have a peek at this ultimate hack for picking up Lego.

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Heidi is a seasoned parenting journalist with over 15 years of experience. She has contributed to numerous UK national newspapers, including The Guardian, The Times, and The Telegraph. Her work has also appeared in a variety of print and digital magazines, such as Psychologies and Mother & Baby, where she was Shopping Editor for six years. In this role, she specialised in consumer features, including buying guides and baby gear reviews. Heidi is also a mum of three.