Why is play important?

When you consider that much of childhood is made up of playtime, it begs the question: ‘why is play important?’ Supporting physical and mental development, as well as creating happy memories and allowing your child to have fun, the importance of play in infants and young children can’t be highlighted enough.

Little Tikes recognises the importance of play in child development, in addition to being a proven stress buster for adults. A pivotal part of stimulating the imagination, play is imperative to all aspects of life and can support in solving problems and boosting creativity.

Little Tikes is passionate about play and believes there’s no right or wrong way to explore little ones’ imaginations. We believe play enhances and develops their creativity and dexterity, as well as physical, cognitive and emotional strength. Play has been demonstrated to enable children to explore and challenge different types of play in their own imagination bubble.

Imaginative play is important not just because of its wonderful cognitive benefits, but because pretend play is often physical and is a great way for children to stay active, exercise and develop their motor skills too. We like to encourage play at all ages – from babies to toddlers and children aged five years and over.

Allow our Little Tikes toys to be the perfect play partner between you and your child when creating those magical, memorable moments. Here, we take a look at the best Little Tikes toys for your child’s development.

The Little Tikes 3-in-1 Activity Walker is the toy that forms part of those super special, sentimental memories of your child’s first steps. For children aged nine months to three years old, this multi-use activity centre provides hours of independent fun and is great for building strength and stability in little growing legs. From crawling to sitting and walking, our walker is a step in the right direction to teaching your little one how to take their first steps at their own pace. We understand those first toddles and signs of movement can sometimes be accidental. However, our Activity Walker is specifically designed for this developmental stage to inspire your baby to get moving.

The walker’s bright colours and lights provide a sensory delight, increasing your little tike’s engagement with the walker. Why is sensory play important? It encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. With over 70 songs, sounds and activities to choose from, our 3-in-1 Activity Walker is a fun ideal all-round first toy for baby to use on their own personal discovery journey to taking their all-important first steps.

Take your child’s imagination on the road with our Cozy Coupe® Classic. Available for children aged 18 months to five years old, the Cozy Coupe® is adaptable for toddlers and older children too. Its real-life key features, including a petrol cap, key ignition and stickers, encourage toddlers to stretch their mind to adapt to real-life situations and provide a quirky personalisation element.

Drive your child around in their Cozy Coupe® with the foot panel fitted or let older ones explore with an open floor. This popular ride also comes in a roarsome Go Green Cozy Coupe® Dino edition made from recycled plastic, with spikes on the roof and reptile scale motifs on the door! Refuel their imagination with our Cozy Pumper, an all-weather pump which comes with a hose, pretend nozzle, and weatherproof buttons and sounds to stimulate interaction.

Your little tike is about to become to coolest kid on the block with this contemporary children’s playhouse! Cape Cottage brings make believe to life with awesome modern windows and doors, working shutters, a letter box and flag holder. Cooperative play is important because we know that children learn by observing, so why not invite their BFF round for some playhouse fun? Role play is a great way to encourage their understanding of cooperation and sharing by giving them small tasks around the playhouse.

We also understand the home environment plays a huge part in every child’s life. That’s why using the home as a play setting works extremely well when encouraging play. Inspire your child to complete simple house tasks and make them exciting such as posting mail through the mail slot. This playhouse is the ideal opportunity for free play, allowing your child to create their own make-believe play scenarios. Some toddlers are more socially orientated than others and our Cape Cottage is the ideal role play asset for facilitating group play.

Featuring both a bubble machine and a foam machine with a motor, the Little Tikes FOAMO^™ 3-in-1 Water Table is the perfect way to encourage little ones to spend time outside. We all know that fresh air is good for us, but outdoor play is important for reasons beyond boosting our health and wellbeing. Spending time outdoors provides rich opportunities for developing children’s imaginations, inventiveness and resourcefulness as well as encouraging exploration and boosting self-esteem.

To ensure fun outside for hours on end, the Little Tikes FOAMO^™ 3-in-1 Water Table has a centre tower that fills up with foam, cool water play accessories, a Ferris wheel that spins and picks up foam, and a fun foam clapper for even more surprises!

Little Tikes trusts that play is immensely important for growing and developing children. Whatever the age of your child, our toys can support in your little one’s fast developing skill sets. Browse our full range of toys.