Play.
It's the ‘work’ of little people. How they explore, engage and interact with the world around them. Early childhood research is unequivocal - play is fundamental for healthy physical and emotional development.
After more than a decade of parenting, we’ve come to realise that one of our greatest responsibilities as a parent is to ensure our children have access to play time. It sounds simple enough, but it’s so often overlooked for today’s over-structured children. Kids need space and time to just be. To get bored so they can stretch their imaginations. To sometimes have time alone, and to often have a truly present parent/play partner who will follow the child’s lead and let themselves get immersed in play.
We too have been guilty of trying to wrap up a game to get back to pressing adult duties, but as time goes on and our kids get older, we really try to prioritise these opportunities. And after all, play is fun!
Our advice: be silly with your kids. Be curious, adopt their pace, and relish stepping away from the seriousness of grown up life as often as you can!
You don’t always need a prop or toy to inspire play. Nature will always be our favourite source of inspiration, and you are your child’s favourite toy.
But there are key periods in children's development when children are drawn to toys that mimic key familiar routines in their day, and that’s why we designed our Nostalgia collection. A core collection of pieces that set the stage for rich, open-ended imaginary play.
