Nearly half of young children prefer playing with a cardboard box, instead of toys and games, according to new research.
A survey of 2,004 parents of children aged three and above, carried out on behalf of Ribena, found that one in seven claim their child prefers playing with packaging than an actual toy.
The Ribena Plus Play report, which compared children’s interactions with modern gadgets, traditional toys and ‘free play’ items-including boxes, revealed that over a third of parents said their children are happiest when engaged in role-play using basic props such as boxes and saucepans.
To indulge children’s love of cupboard boxes, the makers of Ribena Plus have created limited-edition boxes which are available in three different designs - dinosaur/boat, house/car and shop/ rocket.
Around 4,500 of the boxes will be distributed to families across the UK next month (November) by Pickfords Removals company. A further 50 boxes will be available to parents via Ribena’s Twitter account @RibenaUK.
A fifth of parents (21 per cent) claimed that their children prefer playing with electronic gadgets, while 11 per cent said their children like playing with shop bought toys the most. A further 12 per cent of parents chose watching DVDs as their children’s favourite play activity.
The study also revealed that parents are feeling increasingly under pressure to spend more money than they can afford on Christmas gifts for their children.
Almost half of parents (46 per cent) plan to spend £200 or more on each child, while 10 per cent expect to pay out over £500 for gifts. Just one in twenty parents said they plan to spend under £50 on Christmas presents for their children.
Despite this, 18 per cent of parents said they feel like their children are not indulging in enough ‘free play’, and 13 per cent worry that this is restricting their child’s imagination.
Sally Goddard Blythe, a consultant in neuro-developmental education and director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology in Chester, said, ‘To an adult it may be a cardboard box, but to a child it’s the world in miniature. It can be a spaceship, a sailing ship, a fast car or a den to hide in – or all of those things in under ten minutes.
‘The toy marketing industry has done a great job of persuading parents they need to part with their cash and keep buying new and ever more expensive toys and gadgets, but this just isn’t true. As the report proves, simple household goods which let children’s imaginations fly free are the most rewarding toys of all and can actually benefit their development in the long run.’
The Ribena Plus Play report, which compared children’s interactions with modern gadgets, traditional toys and ‘free play’ items-including boxes, revealed that over a third of parents said their children are happiest when engaged in role-play using basic props such as boxes and saucepans.
To indulge children’s love of cupboard boxes, the makers of Ribena Plus have created limited-edition boxes which are available in three different designs - dinosaur/boat, house/car and shop/ rocket.
Around 4,500 of the boxes will be distributed to families across the UK next month (November) by Pickfords Removals company. A further 50 boxes will be available to parents via Ribena’s Twitter account @RibenaUK.
A fifth of parents (21 per cent) claimed that their children prefer playing with electronic gadgets, while 11 per cent said their children like playing with shop bought toys the most. A further 12 per cent of parents chose watching DVDs as their children’s favourite play activity.
The study also revealed that parents are feeling increasingly under pressure to spend more money than they can afford on Christmas gifts for their children.
Almost half of parents (46 per cent) plan to spend £200 or more on each child, while 10 per cent expect to pay out over £500 for gifts. Just one in twenty parents said they plan to spend under £50 on Christmas presents for their children.
Despite this, 18 per cent of parents said they feel like their children are not indulging in enough ‘free play’, and 13 per cent worry that this is restricting their child’s imagination.
Sally Goddard Blythe, a consultant in neuro-developmental education and director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology in Chester, said, ‘To an adult it may be a cardboard box, but to a child it’s the world in miniature. It can be a spaceship, a sailing ship, a fast car or a den to hide in – or all of those things in under ten minutes.
‘The toy marketing industry has done a great job of persuading parents they need to part with their cash and keep buying new and ever more expensive toys and gadgets, but this just isn’t true. As the report proves, simple household goods which let children’s imaginations fly free are the most rewarding toys of all and can actually benefit their development in the long run.’
- The templates for the limited-edition cardboard boxes are also available for parents/carers to download from the Ribena website.
