To celebrate Argos’s 50th Birthday, new research commissioned by the retailer* has revealed how children’s play has transformed over the last half a decade.
According to 1,000 parents of Gen Z kids, four in ten (38 per cent) have never played Cribbage or grandmother’s footsteps (36 per cent), while a third have not heard of the game ‘Yahtzee’.
Sardines (35 per cent), cat’s cradle (34 per cent), Strategic Warfare board game, Risk (32 per cent), and capture the flag (31 per cent) also made the list of lost games, according to the survey, as did building a treehouse, which has not been done by a third of today’s kids (32 per cent).
One in three (30 per cent) didn’t know how to play British bulldog, while a further 30 per cent have never played Trivial Pursuit, Game of Life (30 per cent) or blind man’s bluff (30 per cent).
Chess (27 per cent), conkers (24 per cent), Monopoly (22 per cent), leapfrog (19 per cent), piggy in the middle (18 per cent) and doctors and nurses (17 per cent) have also been consigned to history, along with making mud pies (23 per cent), climbing trees (18 per cent) and hopscotch (16 per cent).
The nation’s children spend much of their time playing with technology (one hour and 21 minutes a day), eating into time spent outside (one hour and 15 minutes a day).
To tackle this and to help children rediscover their love for play and imagination, Argos is giving away £20,000 worth of toys in celebration of its 50th anniversary. This comes in response to almost half (48 per cent) of parents confessing they would like their children to play more traditional games as they help spark children’s imaginations (64 per cent), while 56 per cent have tried to engage them in the games they used to play as a child.
From 6th July to 13th July, customers can enter the competition to receive a £20 Argos voucher to buy a toy for themselves or their children. Argos has also teamed up with Comic Relief who will split a donation of £10,000 evenly between two of its key projects - Feeding Britain and The Bread and Butter Thing. This donation will go towards providing toys to families in need of support.
The research also found that parents hear the words ‘I’m bored’ an average of seven times a week, with a quarter (23 per cent) admitting that their children don’t use their imagination as much as they themselves did when they were young. A sixth (17 per cent) say that their offspring’s attention span is too short for some of the games they used to play as a child.
The research uncovered the retailer’s – and its iconic catalogue’s - prominent role in inspiring the nation’s passion for play, with eight in ten Brits (78 per cent) stating they have circled and bought a toy from Argos in their lifetime – the equivalent of 52 million toys. Creative toys such as sewing or painting kits (29 per cent), role-play toys like a doctors and nurses kits (25 per cent) and sports equipment (22 per cent) all sparked lifelong passions or interests.
Fay Williams, Head of Toy Buying for Argos, said, “Argos has been passionate about play since we opened our first store in 1973 - eight in ten people in the UK have received a toy from Argos in their lifetime. Fifty years later, our ambition to champion the power of play remains just as strong.
“Being at the forefront of children’s toys for 50 years has shown us that the way we play as kids has a big impact on our adult life. It’s wonderful to know that role-playing doctors and nurses using one of our playsets or cooking up a storm in a toy kitchen might spark a passion that lasts a lifetime. That’s why we’re so proud to be launching our biggest-ever toy giveaway and reigniting a life-long love of play in the next generation.”
Four in ten (43 per cent) say their child spends less time playing outdoors than they did at the same age, while a further 79 per cent admit they would like their child to spend more time playing with other children like they did when they were young. One in three (29 per cent) believe they got more fresh air when they were little.
One in three (31 per cent) say their child prefers playing with technology, so much so that 34 per cent limit the amount of time their youngsters spend using devices and watching TV (28 per cent). Despite this, four in ten (41 per cent) agree that technology has a place in children’s lives and can be a positive influence.
Commenting on the study, Psychologist Dr Elizabeth Kilbey said, “As a parent and specialist in child development, I cannot state the importance of play enough. It can help children hone their imagination skills, has been proven to develop social skills, and promotes independence. I hope this research makes us reminisce back to our childhoods and how play was a key part of our every day and, in some cases, has gone on to influence our present day via our choice of hobbies and even our careers”.
Argos has teamed up with McFly drummer Harry Judd, who attributes playing with musical toys for inspiring his love of music and his career since 2003. Harry Judd said: “I distinctly remember some of the first toys I was given as a child being musical toys and I absolutely loved them. Simple instruments like tambourines and shakers, they made this amazing sound and definitely sparked my love of music - as I grew up the toys just got bigger.
“Obviously as you get older, play takes a back seat - but I remember spending hours and hours playing games with my siblings and friends, back in the 1990s when we were young! It’s great that having my own children has brought back that sense of play and imagination - I’m pretty active, so like playing cricket and catch in the garden and my eldest son is massively into drums and guitars, so it’s lovely to be able to connect with them, whilst watching them learn and grow”.
More than half (56 per cent) of parents have tried to encourage their children to play the games they played as a child, as they believe their kids are missing out on the fun that traditional children’s toys and games can bring (52 per cent).
Four in ten (44 per cent) love playing games with their children because it is how they bond as a family (34 per cent). Ten years old is the age that parents believe children stop playing with traditional toys and games such as dolls, action figures and toy cars.
THE 50 TRADITIONAL CHILDHOOD GAMES THAT ARE FALLING BY THE WAYSIDE
- Cribbage – 38%
- Grandmother's footsteps – 36%
- Yahtzee – 35%
- Sardines – 35%
- Cat’s cradle – 34%
- Risk – 32%
- Building a treehouse – 32%
- Capture the flag – 31%
- British bulldog – 30%
- Trivial Pursuit – 30%
- Game of Life – 30%
- Blind man’s bluff – 28%
- Battleships – 28%
- Checkers – 27%
- Chess – 27%
- Poohsticks – 27%
- Cluedo – 25%
- Patience – 25%
- Conkers – 24%
- Stuck in the mud – 24%
- Charades – 24%
- Scrabble – 23%
- Building a den in the woods – 23%
- Making mud pies – 23%
- Uno – 22%
- Monopoly – 22%
- Rounders – 21%
- Swingball – 20%
- Leapfrog – 19%
- Twister – 19%
- Dominoes – 19%
- Piggy in the middle 18%
- Flown a kite – 18%
- Climbing trees – 18%
- Scavenger hunts – 18%
- Pat-a-cake – 18%
- Put on a play in the living room – 18%
- Hungry Hippos – 18%
- Doctors and nurses – 17%
- Rope swing – 17%
- Jenga – 17%
- What’s the time Mr Wolf? – 17%
- Operation – 17%
- Skip rope – 16%
- Simon says – 16%
- Hopscotch – 16%
- Guess Who? – 15%
- Frisbee – 15%
- Snap – 15%
- Connect Four – 14%
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
For more information please contact:
Hope&Glory PR:
[email protected]
Research:
*This research of 1,000 parents of under 14 years old was commissioned by Argos and conducted by Perspectus Global in June 2023.
About Argos:
Established in 1973, Argos is a leading UK general merchandise retailer offering approximately 40,000 products through its website, apps, stores, and convenient Click & Collect points inside Sainsbury's supermarkets. Argos is a technology-led retailer, with its website and app receiving more than a billion combined visits annually, and up to 80% of sales originating online. Argos' market-leading Fast Track delivery service is available across more than 90% of UK postcodes, seven days a week, with home delivery in as little as four hours until 10pm.
Argos is part of Sainsbury's, a company focused on great value food and convenient shopping, both in-store and online. Sainsbury's brands include Argos, Habitat, Tu, Nectar, and Sainsbury's Bank. J Sainsbury
About Comic Relief:
Comic Relief uses the power of humour and popular culture to engage people to help others and raises money to support organisations working towards a just world free from poverty. Our mission combines Comic and Relief - we believe that helping others can be easy and fun, even in the face of the challenges we face every day.
Everyone should be able to have a decent standard of living and to live life with dignity and respect – but right now, in the UK and around the world, poverty and injustice restrict too many of us.
We know that a better world is possible. We provide funding to fantastic organisations who are closest to the communities who can make change happen. We support work that will help to alleviate poverty’s consequences, tackle related injustices, and address the link between climate change and poverty.
For information about Comic Relief and the work it carries out, please visit www.comicrelief.com or follow @ComicRelief on social media for the latest content, news and information. Comic Relief is the operating name of Charity Projects, registered charity in England & Wales (326568) and Scotland (SC039730).
Argos Toys voucher Terms & Conditions:
- No purchase necessary. Only one entry per person.
- By entering the prize draw, entrants accept these terms and conditions.
- The prize draw is open to all UK residents, except employees of Sainsbury’s SSL.
- The prize is as follows: One £20 promotional code per winner to be redeemed against products included in the toys category on www.argos.co.uk. There will be 500 winners selected.
- To enter the prize draw you will be asked to provide your name and contact details.
- Any personal data relating to entrants will be used solely for the purposes of these Promotions by the Promoter and/or by any agent appointed to it to assist with running the Promotion on behalf of the Promoter and will not be disclosed to a third party for any other purpose. Entrants’ personal data will be handled in accordance with the Promoter’s privacy policy, available at https://privacy-hub.sainsburys.co.uk/privacy-policy/.
- Runs until 23:59 on 13th July 2023 inclusive.
- The winner will be notified via e-mail by Argos within 14 days of the closing date. Please refer to email for promotional code T&Cs.
- The winning entry(ies) will be randomly selected by an independent judge and the judge's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
- The prize is supplied by Argos. No cash alternatives will be substituted for the prize.
- The promoter reserves the right to offer alternative items/activities of a greater or equivalent value should unforeseen circumstances require it.
- Use of a false name or address will disqualify any applicant from receiving the prize. Additionally we reserve the right to ask for proof of age or any other variable the promotion requires.
- The winner may be requested to participate in post-event publicity arranged by or on behalf of the promoter.
- The Promoter must either publish or make available information that indicates that a valid award took place. To comply with this obligation the Promoter, will send the surname and county of the winner to anyone who requests such details (enclosing a self-addressed envelope) within one month after the closing date of the competition. If you object to any or all of your surname or county being published or made available, please contact the Promoter. In such circumstances, the Promoter must still provide the information and winning entry to the Advertising Standards Authority on request.
- The Promoter will only process your personal information as set out in the privacy policy and in accordance with these terms and conditions.
- Insofar as is permitted by law, the Promoter, will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate the winner or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize except where it is caused by the negligence of the promoter or that of its employees. Your statutory rights are not affected.
- Promoted by Argos Limited, 33 Holborn, London, United Kingdom, EC1N 2HT.