The game remains an essential tool in child development, although it has changed in recent decades. Today, both in Argentina and other parts of the world, the childhoods that have fun with traditional outdoor games with those who explore virtual worlds through digital devices coexist. For many, this coexistence is not a competition, but a sample of how the ways of playing are extended and adapt to the times.
In the current market, toys reinvent themselves to continue capturing the attention of childhoods that grow in an increasingly digital environment. It is common to find physical products that incorporate QR codes, access to apps or immersive experiences that integrate the online universe. Thus, titles like Minecraft, Stumble Guys or the contents of YouTube Kids They not only live on the screen, but they move to shelves and games boxes. This cross between the tangible and the virtual redefines the link with the game and responds to the interest of the little ones in hybrid, interactive and personalized experiences.
“Toys are no longer only physical objects: they are entrance doors to narrative, social and emotional worlds that also exist in digital. The brands that understand this can build more relevant proposals for new generations,” he said Cristina Caffaro, Vulcanite Marketing Manager.
This change in ways of playing is also reflected in global trends. According to the latest report of the Toy Fair2025 toys are increasingly designed depending on the interests, lifestyles and individual preferences of boys and girls, as do social platforms. It seeks to offer personalized products and unique purchase experiences that allow them to express their personality and style. 69% of parents of school -age children are influenced by online or influencers recommendations. For this reason, manufacturers are developing more inclusive and personalized proposals to strengthen the link with their favorite brands.
A curious fact. The toys that combine the past and the present are closing the generational gap: 73% of parents have bought toys for themselves, and 61% have done so with the aim of connecting with their children. Almost half collects or plays with toys as a way of reliving childhood memories, while 40% enjoy sharing them with new generations.
For specialists in mental and psycho-pedagogue health, far from being just a source of entertainment, the game meets a crucial role in emotional, cognitive and social development. Through the game, the boys and girls learn to imagine, to put themselves in the place of the other, to work as a team, to face challenges and to solve problems. Whether building a fortress with pillows or completing a mission in a collaborative video game, childhoods are developing fundamental skills for their personal and professional future.
Creativity, for example, is enhanced when a child invents a story for their dolls or designs levels in a digital game. Empathy appears when they negotiate roles in a symbolic game or when they collaborate in an online game. Resilience is strengthened by learning to lose in a board game or overcoming a difficult obstacle in an educational app. Each playful dynamic offers a different opportunity for learning and growth, so it is important not to underestimate the formative value of the game.
The role of families, educators and adults in general is key to accompanying these processes. Encourage curiosity, propose games that involve movement, dialogue or reflection, and encourage the conscious use of screens are essential actions to enrich the playful experience. In addition, recognizing that the game is a right of childhood, and not a luxury, is the first step to build environments that promote their integral well -being. “Today’s toy has to compete with very fast stimuli. Therefore, rather than resisting digital, the industry is finding ways to integrate it with the physical so as not to lose connection with what childhoods really want,” they conclude since Vulcanita.
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