THE IMPORTANCE OF OFFLINE & OUTDOOR PLAY FOR YOUNG KIDS

It is no secret that digital activities and hobbies are on the rise with kids. When it comes to older and more developed kids aged 9-15 in the UK, gaming ranks as the number one hobby, joint favourite with football with 14% of kids saying this is their top pastime. However, for younger kids around the preschool age group, offline play remains an undeniable part of their daily lives. Since the start of 2023, four out of the top five hobbies for kids aged 3-5 are offline activities, this includes playing with toys (15.4%), playing outside (8.1%), football (7.9%) and arts and crafts (5.8%).

According to kids across the 22 countries across six continents that we survey, 3-5s spent around 1 hour 21 minutes on average playing with toys and games indoors in 2022, this is a -20% decrease when compared to the amount of time spent doing the same thing in 2020 and 2021. Kids across the EU5 are spending more time being active and playing outside then they are with toys and games, with an average time spent being active in the UK lying at around 1 hour 8 minutes for 3-12s on a typical day, compared to 1 hour 4 minutes being spent playing with toys and games.

Hobbies serve a range of purposes for both kids and parents globally. Most notably they are a medium for fun and entertainment, and are something to occupy kids, parents and they are also capable of bringing the family better together and bonding, providing educational value, helping with personal development, but also, they can help kids to be healthy and encourage them to be active. Over the last three months, 24% of parents of 1-5s in the UK said that their favourite family hobby was being active, 9% said it was activity-led days out and 6% stated it was participating in sports. These parents that reported to preferring outdoor-focused family hobbies over-index on these activities being fun (+4%), helping the family to bond (+11%) and it being healthy (+41%) as the reasons for these activities being their favourite.

The toy preference for kids across the UK has also been evolving following similar patterns. While construction toys dominate the

The favourite toy type category, outdoor toys have seen a significant growth in preference among 3-5s over the last 12 months. Compared to the same time last year, outdoor toy preference among preschool kids has grown by +52% and risen to the sixth favourite toy type.

Feeling Happy

Since the beginning of 2022, we have seen mental health as a top concern only grow across kids. 3-5s have reported a +9% increase in mental health concerns, with 6-9s reporting a +14%, and 10-12s reporting a +8% increase.

Interestingly, preschool kids aged between 3-5 that say outdoor toys are their favourite toy type over-index on being most concerned with mental health (+18%), as well as health and well-being (+4%). These concerns are also more prevalent among girls aged 3-5, as they significantly over-index on mental health concerns by +68% compared to the average UK girl aged 3-5. Additionally, the mental and physical benefits of outdoor play are also reflected by these preschoolers. Over the last three months, UK kids that say outdoor toys are their favourite type are +11% more likely to say they feel happy all the time compared to the average 3-5-year-old, as well as being +10% more likely to feel fit and healthy.

With more IPs and content available to young kids every day, brands need to continue to provide engaging offline touchpoints that young kids can resonate with, especially as we approach the summer months, and the weather improves across Europe.