New research by Playmobil has found that close to three in four adults view traditional toys as best for boosting children’s creativity and imagination, while over half believe they improve kids’ problem-solving skills (56%) and understanding of the world (54%), as well as fine motor skills, co-ordination, and concentration (53%).
But despite the reaction to traditional toys being overwhelming positive, over half of respondents (51%) thought that children don’t play with toys as much as they used to.
When it comes to digital toys, many Brits said they simply aren’t ‘up to scratch’, with many claiming that they even teach unhealthy habits. In fact, when asked how modern toys affect children, almost half (41%) said that they only sought to distract them rather than encourage healthy and beneficial play. As a result, the average time a parent would let their child play with a digital toy is half that of a traditional one.
The survey also found that traditional toys still hold a special place in our hearts with half of us (44%) admitting that we still feel nostalgic for our own childhood toys, with more than one in 10 keeping their favourite childhood toys now.
What’s more, despite all that technology has to offer these days, a third (33%) believe that toys were better when they were a child, and 78% said that traditional toys still hold their own, even today.
The poll was carried out online between 16July 16 and 26 July with a sample of 2,005 UK adults. Its release coincides with Playday: the national day for play, which is traditionally held on the first Wednesday in August to highlight the importance of play in children’s lives. Playday is coordinated by Play England, in partnership with Play Wales, Play Scotland and PlayBoard Northern Ireland.
 and understanding of the world (54%), as well as fine motor skills, co-ordination, and concentration (53%).){kind=link}