Parents have always said that their children easily get bored of the presents they receive on Christmas Day, and a new report has backed this statement, with mums and dads stating 36% of presents aren't played with after December 25, with a quarter of kids playing with the box holding the toy longer than the toy itself.
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Just before the Christmas Dinner is served, 12.23pm is the most common time for boredom to set in with the children, showing that picking the right present for offspring can be one of the toughest decisions of the year.
Toca Boca found that few presents would hit the mark over the festive period, with almost half (45%) of parents stating their children get bored over the holidays.
Certain gifts are immediately sent to the toy box, with the average child dismissing four gifts in a single day, puzzles and board games faring the worst.
Toys and games with little to no rules and instructions are most likely to continue being played with after the first play, with the 'playability chart' for kids being topped with dolls, arts and crafts, building blocks, tablets and iPads.
It isn't just the kids getting bored however, with nearly four in five (78%) of adults admitting they hate reading rules and instructions before their kids can play, and 46% saying it takes the gloss off playtime.
A thousand parents were surveyed in the Toca Boca commissioned study, 42% of which just buy whatever is on their children's Christmas list with only a quarter thinking about the replayability factor before buying.
CEO and Co-Founder of Toca Boca, Björn Jeffery comments: "Play is not only a way for kids to quite simply have fun, but it is also a crucial part of their growth and development. Toys and games have changed drastically over the years, yet the simple premise of what makes 'play' great remains the same - the ability to create your own story, spark imagination, and, of course, have lots of fun!
"At Toca Boca, we strongly believe in play for the sake of play. This is why we are big proponents of any toy or game that sparks kids' creativity and imaginations. It is also why all of our digital toys are open-ended and inspired by real-world play patterns that kids will enjoy for years."
Professor Lydia Plowman from the University of Edinburh, who's undertaken extensive research into young children, toys and technology adds: "Play has a vital role in the physical, emotional and social development of all children. Some toys have pages of instructions to go through before you can even start. Yet, toys without rules provide more scope for free play and allow children to exercise their imagination.
"Apps like Toca Boca have been clever to base their toys on play without rules. This is so important because when it comes to digital games the rules can be overly restrictive. Children are good at finding workarounds for real-world board games but there isn't usually as much scope when a digital game has been programmed to limit the number of choices available. Play can then become scripted, and the child is playing by the rules of the game designer rather than their own which can restrict their creativity and curiosity.
"Free play is great for learning to understand the world by trying things out without needing to play by the rules. Anything goes - and that gives children the opportunity to explore and to be creative. Unleashing the imagination means that a child can be who they want to be, they can construct their own imaginary worlds, and they can play with one object believing it to be something quite different. This has more scope for magic and enchantment than rule-bound games. If you bear all of this in mind when selecting Christmas presents for your child then you can maximize the 'play-value' of their toys."
Toca Boca have launched a new app based on imaginative construction play, called Toca Blocks - for more information on Toca Boca toys, visit www.tocaboca.com.
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