A recent survey has revealed that most people would prefer to keep their old toys rather than make money by selling them. Early years childcare provider Busy Bees carried out a poll with 2,000 respondents, revealing that 65% are planning to pass their loved toys on to children and grandchildren, while 47% of parents and grandparents have no intention of selling them.
The research was aimed at working out how toys and the manner in which children play with them have developed forty years on from when Busy Bees opened their first nursery in 1983.
Some of the most popular toys that parents and grandparents keep include LEGO, Barbie and Hotwheels, which are also the three most searched toys in the UK each month, with 658,000, 105,000 and 57,000 people looking for them online per month, respectively.
Each of the toys are also the most expensive to buy on eBay in the UK, with Hot Wheels leading the way at £3,999, LEGO at runner-up at a cost of up to £3,995, and Barbie in third at up to £2,500.
Busy Bees noted how dramatically toys have changed over the years due to advances in manufacturing and plastics taking over from natural materials, which alters the way children interact with them. Another highlighted change is an advancement in technology, which has massively changed the way children want to play.
While Game Boys and SEGA have been around since the 1980s, the changes in technology means that electric toys are more accessible for children now.
The study also listed multiple positive affects that playing with toys can have on a child's development. This includes encouraging learning, building self-confidence, improving motor skills, promoting physical activity, enhancing social skills and speeding up creativity and imagination.
Marg Randles, Co-founder of Busy Bees commented: “No matter how drastically toys may have changed in the past 40 years, it’s the values of play that remain the same and that’s why so many parents and grandparents want to pass on the beloved toys from their childhood to share in their joy with future generations.”
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