A survey of 1,000 children up to Parents are spending just 31p a day on books before their children lose interest, compared to nearly £5 for devices like tablets, according to research.
The cost per use of various children’s toys has been unveiled, with items such as iPads providing the least value.
Fantasy playsets, including castles and dolls houses, were found to have some of the the highest cost-per-play ratio before a child loses interest in them.
These toys all average a cost of more than £4 per play, with a novelty racing track costing almost £4.96 per use.
However, books were found to be the best value, costing only 31p, while sensory or fidget toys came in second at 38p per play.
As kids are likely to lose interest of find something else to play with, six out of 10 parents regret making an expensive purchase when it comes to toys.
However, 43% would be happy to pass them onto friends and family to use, while 32 per cent will keep them in the hope younger siblings will show more interest.
The research was commissioned by Yoto, a children’s audio platform that produces audio players that kids can operate without using a screen.
(Image: 72Point)
CEO Ben Drury stated: “One important thing parents have to consider is whether a purchase is a ‘fad’ or a longer term investment.”
“So often, a child can obsess over a character or particular toy for a short period before moving onto something else leaving parents with an expensive product to store away.”
“But ultimately, every parent wants a child to be thrilled and repeatedly use a more costly purchase regularly.”
It was revealed that educational toys such as shape sorters only cost 69p per play, while water toys like super soakers or pool toys came in at 72p.
According to the averages, novelty toys like light up yo-yos, slime or a whoopee cushion were least engaged with, followed by science kits.
Data from Yoto reveals that over 75% of customers continue to use their audio players regularly three years after purchase, averaging a cost-effective 9p per day, even three years after purchase.
Ben Drury from Yoto commented: “While some products cost more, parents need to consider the amount of actual time a child plays with a present. If kids are engaged with a gift for a long time and on a regular basis while learning and developing it can pay itself off tenfold.”
“And if it can help a child use their imagination, even better – bringing books and stories to life can really feed a child’s creativity and you can’t put a price on that.”
COST PER PLAY OF KIDS’ TOYS – ACCORDING TO PARENTS
*cost per play calculated with cost of toy, divided by number of uses
Books – £0.31
Sensory toys (e.g. slime, kinetic sand, fidget toys) – £0.38
Art supplies (e.g. drawing kits, sketchbooks) – £0.47
Educational toys (e.g. shape sorter) – £0.69
Water toys (e.g. water guns, pool toys) – £0.72
Painting/crafting toys – £0.74
Novelty toys (e.g. light up yo-yo, slime, whoopee cushion) – £0.76
Robotics and coding kits – £0.79
Role-play and dress-up sets (e.g. costumes, cooking sets) – £0.82
Board games and puzzles – £1.00
Building toys (e.g. LEGO or Duplo) – £1.08
Science kits – £1.12
Outdoor toys (e.g. scooters, skateboards, trampolines) – £1.25
Action figures and playsets (e.g. superhero, movie-themed) – £1.35
Sports equipment (e.g. mini basketball hoops, football goals) – £1.37
Dolls or figures of popular characters – £1.62
Creative building toys (e.g. Play Doh) – £1.66
Vehicles – £1.85
Musical instruments – £1.93
Plush/stuffed toys – £2.03
Remote control toys (e.g. cars, drones, boats) – £2.17
Collectibles like trading cards – £2.93
MP3 players – £3.02
Ride-on toys (e.g. bicycles, electric ride-ons) – £4.14
Electric toys like Scalextric or model trains – £4.53
Fantasy playsets (e.g. castles, dollhouses, pirate ships) – £4.91
Tablet (e.g. an iPad) – £4.96