Feature
Pre-school
Starting out
Despite a declining birth rate as the long-term trend towards people having fewer children continues, the Pre-School toy category remains buoyant, as Sam Giltrow discovers.
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irth rates in Britain are on the decline. In 2020, the total fertility rate, or to put it more simply the number of children per woman, stood at just 1.58 in England – almost half that of the World War Two peak of 2.93. Already plummeting, it went into yet steeper decline during the pandemic, leaving many fearing an economic stagnation in the UK. However, toy manufacturers remain upbeat and while acknowledging that they are unable to change the situation, are continuing to develop new ranges of innovative toys that will entice children to play, learn and develop. “There is nothing we can do to change birth rates, but we can control our own destiny, making the right decisions from a product development and licensing perspective and investing in the right marketing media,” says Mary Wood, general manager, UK & Ireland at Tomy. While Joe Smith, senior director Global Marketing
(Pre-School) at Moose Toys, adds: “ For us it’s about making sure we are continually engaging with our current consumers, tapping into what they love about our properties and giving them more of what they want. Brand loyalty and advocation from both kids and parents is crucial to sustaining success in Pre-School.” Children learn a lot from playing, whether it’s developing fine motor skills, understanding the importance of sharing or increasing their IQ and problem-solving skills. Indeed Albert Einstein once said that ‘Play is the highest form of research’. So it’s imperative that pre-school toys tap into the key areas for development while allowing kids to have fun and explore the world around them. There are myriad ways for little ones to boost their brain power or engage in activities that will help them progress on their development path, while topping many parents’ list of requirements is that the toy will hold their child’s attention.
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“The pandemic and ensuing lockdowns saw a surge in sales of role play, arts and crafts and developmental toys, as parents kept their pre-schoolers busy and stimulated,” explains David Lubliner, head of Customer Marketing at Melissa & Doug. “This trend has continued, with increased demand for our products that inspire open-ended play and ignite children’s imaginations.” He says that consumers are increasingly looking for toys that help children familiarise themselves with real world scenarios. Melissa & Dough continues to expand its range of pretend play products, which will include the launch in autumn winter 2022 of a Patisserie Bake Shop, which will inspire children to set up shop at home and role play being either the patisserie owner or customer, using the predominately wooden accessories. “This is a great example of Melissa & Doug’s pretend play sets which children can use to mirror and learn from their parent’s behaviour,” adds David.
