We have lived long enough to observe the decline of play, and we are young enough to remember and miss the play of our childhood. The decreasing number of children playing outdoors is visible to everyone, especially in urban areas; parents and teachers are also noticing that the quality of indoor play is deteriorating. Children seem to be less and less capable of playing creatively on their own or with their peers, and they need more and more guidance and entertainment from adults and screens.
At the same time there is growing research on the importance of play, and how it can foster the emotional, aesthetic, intellectual, social, neurological, speech and motor development of children and have therapeutic effects.
Play is a natural phenomenon – this is what children naturally “produce” if their environment does not frustrate it, sometimes even with the best intentions to support it. It can be enriched with the help of adults, but it could also be stunted by the very attempts on the part of adults to develop it.
We are deeply interested in the topic, and we will be sharing our findings in our blog and on our social media channels. Our knowledge will always inform our toy design decisions.