Educational toy brand Edx Education is anticipating a bumper Christmas following worldwide growth in the educational toy market in 2020. The combination of Covid-19 school closures and lockdown measures is fuelling a home learning trend set to extend well into 2021 and beyond.

 

 

According to Technavio, the global educational toy market will grow by $24.30bn during 2020-2024.

“Factors such as the increased emphasis on STEM toys and the increasing number of investments in the market will have a significant impact on the growth of the learning toys market value during the forecast period,” says a senior analyst at Technavio.

In the wider toy market, retailers are seeing a big reduction in impulse buying and ‘pester power’ sales. This is due to customers spending less time in ‘non-essential’ toy shops together with more cautious spending patterns.

 

 

The result is parents making more considered buying choices; opting for educational toys with longer play value.

Commenting is Heather Welch, international brand manager at Edx Education. “Open-ended learning toys represent great value. They have endless play options and encourage creativity, critical thinking and independent play skills. Our Rainbow Pebbles are a perfect example of an open-ended learning toy as they can be sorted according to size, shape or colour, stacked to build a structure, or can be used to create a picture or patterns and so much more.”

According to Technavio’s report, sustainable and eco-friendly ‘green toys’ are forecast to experience notable growth in popularity. This is due to parents increasingly looking for ways to lessen their impact on the planet.

Welch continues; “As market leaders, we recognise our responsibility to find alternative manufacturing processes and materials which are kinder to our planet. We have recently launched eco-friendly versions of some of our best-selling toys. They are made from a natural Fibre Particulate Composite (FPC) material derived from 100% agricultural waste from rice husks and stems.

“This is a great alternative material. It is fully recyclable and breaks down in the environment. It also produces minimal pollution with large savings in water and energy during the manufacturing process.”

 

 

Since discovering home schooling, many parents have witnessed first-hand the multiple benefits of educational toys and ‘child-led play’.

According to a recent FanFinders survey conducted with over 4,000 mums, 76% consider playing and toys ‘vital’ for their child’s development. In fact, 88% of mums said they actively encourage child-led play. The survey also found that both expectant mums and those with young children consider education and developmental potential the most important feature of a toy.

Welsh concludes; “With over 30 years in the educational toy market, we are delighted to see parents embracing home-learning more than ever. Not only does it create a perfect synergy between school and home learning, but it also encourages bonding experiences between parent and child; giving parents a better understanding of their children and how they learn.

“Learning Through Play has long been recognised as the most effective form of learning for children in early years. The process allows children to ‘learn without realising’. Developing concentration skills; curiosity, speech and language; social and emotional skills; cognitive development; critical thinking; gross and fine motor skills, and more. With parents supporting their child’s learning, they are helping build confidence and a love of learning that will last a lifetime.”

For further information on Edx Education, please click here.