Little Citizens Boutique Urge US Consumers to Get Aboard the New ‘Slow Toy Movement’
(PRWEB) August 07, 2014 -- Little Citizens Boutique launches a campaign to promote the Slow Toy movement to US families.
This growing European parenting trend can help new parents make informed decisions about what toys to buy, especially coming up to the busy Christmas gift giving season. Studies show that children who engage with role play toys are more likely to grow into well adjusted adults.
The Slow Toy movement celebrates old fashioned toys. The fewer bells and whistles a toy has the more likely a child is to bring their own imagination to the table and develop their creativity and resilience. Little Citizens Boutique specialises in unique toys that are designed with imaginary play in mind.
Alicia Peyrano, Owner at Little Citizens Boutique says: “We believe that role play toys are so much more effective at keeping a child happy and preparing them for their future. The idea behind our campaign for the Slow Toy Movement is to help new parents navigate the crowded toy aisles and make informed decisions when it comes to raising open-minded citizens of the future.”
Compelling studies show that when children engage in unstructured play and make believe they develop a critical cognitive skill called executive function. Executive function helps kids to self-regulate, which means controlling their emotions and behaviours. The study found that, “today's 5-year-olds were acting at the level of 3-year-olds 60 years ago, and today's 7-year-olds were barely approaching the level of a 5-year-old 60 years ago”. Self-regulation is incredibly important, child development specialists believe that a good executive function is a better predictor of success in school than a child's IQ. The study concluded that the more we can help our children self-regulate the better they will be prepared for their future. (Research adapted from The Mid Continent Research for Early Learning, an important learning think tank in the US: http://www.mcrel.org/.)
Thierry Bourret, a French toy distributor in the UK coined the term in 2011. Bourret also founded the Slow Toy Awards, held annually in London, they award toys that are well made and beautifully designed.
Peyrano continues: “Slow Toys encourage parents or caregivers to get down on their knees and play, increasing learning interactivity and making great memories. Our collection of toys aims to bring people closer together.”
The Slow Toy movement allows children to do what they do best “use their imagination to explore the world” concludes Peyrano. “And then hope that you can keep that spirit alive well into adulthood."
This holiday season, while you are carefully curating your gift guides, keep the slow toy movement in mind.
Alicia Peyrano, Little Citizens Boutique, http://www.littlecitizensboutique.com, +44 7736067529, [email protected]
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