A backlash is emerging over children being too exposed to electronic play – so the traditional Victorian playhouse is making a comeback…

Toy retailers and manufacturers alike have discovered that British parents are increasingly worried about the effect that technology is having on their children. On top of concerns about violence in computer games, mothers are worried that hours spent staring at a screen can stunt their children’s capacity to use their own imagination…

So among the list of best-sellers this year, expect to see a raft of products that have been deliberately designed as technology free zones: Wendy houses, arts-and-crafts kits, rocking horses and word-based board games.

Such items are set to form a large chunk of the £1.2bn that is spent on toys over the 12 weeks in the run up to Christmas. Games, jigsaw puzzles and educational toys have become the most popular categories of presents from adults to children, according to recent research, and companies that provide these toys could be set for a bumper festive season…

Toy industry insiders are hailing the return of so-called “open-ended play” – as opposed to the “on a plate” entertainment provided by computer games or talking robots – as one of the biggest trends in the industry.

There are various factors prompting the trend. The increasingly hectic working lives of adults means they want the limited time that they have with their children to be as interactive and fulfilling as possible. This is far more likely to occur if the child’s eyes are not glued to a computer screen…

“Mums are increasingly worried about the amount of time their children spend watching television and playing on the computer,” says Nigel Robertson, chief executive of Early Learning Centre, the toy chain that was bought by larger rival Mothercare earlier this year…

“Parents want to make the most of spending time with their kids. So it is not just about giving them the box, it is about mum and dad being able to sit down with the children and play with them,” says Gary Grant, chairman of the Toy Retailers Association…

Source: Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
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