Children across the country have been busy writing their Christmas wish-lists and new research reveals buying gifts for little ones may be more scientific than it seems.
So we have pulled together the 13 most wanted gifts parents must know about this Christmas according to the likes of Hasbro, Vtech, Nintendo, Amazon and other major players. But be warned some of them are proving increasingly difficult to get hold of due to their popularity.
A poll of 2,000 UK parents by global toy brand Hasbro reveals over half (52%) admit their child has previously ended up disappointed with a Christmas present received from a family member or friend.
And 44 per cent of parents also admitted they have struggled knowing what to buy their kids for Christmas in the past and that often family and friends also struggle – a third (33%) of grandparents will buy an incompatible gift for a child at Christmas, closely followed by aunties (30%), distant relatives (26%) and friends (24%).
With a third (31%) of parents saying that often their children don’t like a toy as much as they thought they would, it comes as no surprise that relatives struggle to find the perfect toy for youngsters. Factors such as TV ads (56%), what kids see in shops (55%), what their friends have (49%) – or what they are asking for at Christmas (44%) – and social media (34%) were named as the top five influences on what a child puts on their Christmas list.
According to Hasbro and child psychologist Dr. Antrobus, the incompatibility can be a result of a child’s dominant ‘play personality’, which means children can sometimes ask for toys that are not suited to the way they like to play.
A further 38% of parents admit they even choose toys for their kids based on what they will enjoy playing with themselves.
With 58% wishing that their children’s toys had a longer lifespan and 39% of parents stating that they’d like to know more about how to choose suitable toys for their child, Hasbro has created a light-hearted and enlightening Play Personality quiz to help parents identify which toys their children maybe more likely to fall in love with.
Hasbro has created the online play personality quiz by studying the scientific theory of play personalities previously developed by Dr. Stuart Brown and partnering with child psychologist Dr. Laverne Antrobus to enable parents and gift givers to discover new insights about their child’s play personality.
Talking about Hasbro’s Love at First Play campaign, Child Psychologist Dr. Antrobus says: "Science has shown us that a child’s play personality has a huge impact on the types of toys they will enjoy playing with and also the way they learn and develop.
“While for most adults, ‘work’ and ‘play’ are separate pursuits, for children play is their work – instead of being just a fun break, it is in fact how they learn, both about the world and themselves. By identifying a child’s most dominant play personalities, parents and gift givers may be more likely to choose a compatible present for their child this Christmas.”
Upon completing the quiz parents and gift givers will receive a summary of the most dominant play personalities their child has and information about the types of toys that may be more suited to the way their child engages in play.
Play personas identified by Hasbro include: The Enthusiast, The Energiser, The Imagineer, The Leader, The Discoverer, The Jokester, The Enchanter and The Champion.
Find toy compatibility for the children in your life this Christmas by visiting the Love At First Play website.
Help is at hand, though. Scroll through our gallery of what experts consider to be the 13 most wanted gifts for Children this Christmas. Although visit the official websites for up to date stock of two of the listings - Nintendo Switch OLED and Sony PS5.