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It appears to be game over for these traditional puzzles, toys and activities – with new research detailing the board games and playground pastimes that have fallen out of favour.
A survey of 50 games shows the percentage of children who have never played them, with card game cribbage on top at 38 per cent.
Grandmother’s footsteps came in second at 36 per cent, while Yahtzee claimed the third spot with 35 per cent.
The UK’s youngsters are now spending six minutes more playing technology (one hour and 21 minutes a day on average) compared to time spent outside, according to the research by British retailer Argos.
As such, activities like rounders, climbing trees and conkers are becoming games of the past.
It appears to be game over for these traditional puzzles, toys and activities – with new research detailing the board games and playground pastimes that have fallen out of favour. Pictured, Monopoly
A quarter (23 per cent) of parents surveyed confessed that their children don’t use their imagination as much as they themselves did when they were young.
Almost half (48 percent) wish their kids would play more traditional games to spark their imaginations, with parents hearing the words ‘I’m bored’ an average of seven times a week.
Commenting on the research of 2,000 UK-based adults, psychologist Dr Elizabeth Kilbey said: ‘As a parent and specialist in child development, I cannot state the importance of play enough.
‘It can help children hone their imagination skills, has been proven to develop social skills, and promotes independence.
‘I hope this research makes us reminisce back to our childhoods and how play was a key part of our every day and, in some cases, has gone on to influence our present day via our choice of hobbies and even our careers.’
Sardines (35 per cent), cat’s cradle (34 per cent) and capture the flag (31 per cent) also made the list of lost games, according to the survey, as did building a treehouse, which has not been done by a third of today’s kids (32 percent).
One in three apparently don’t know how to play British bulldog, while a further 30 percent have never played Trivial Pursuit or blind man’s bluff.
Chess (27 per cent), conkers (24 per cent), Monopoly (22 per cent), leapfrog (19 per cent), piggy in the middle (18 per cent) and doctors and nurses (17 per cent) are all on their way to being consigned to history, according to the survey.
To help children rediscover their love for play and imagination, Argos is giving away £20,000 worth of toys in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
From 6 July to 13 July, customers can enter the competition to receive a £20 Argos voucher to buy a toy for themselves or their children.
Argos has also teamed up with Comic Relief who will split a donation of £10,000 evenly between two of its key projects – Feeding Britain and The Bread and Butter Thing. This donation will go towards providing toys to families in need of support.
The retailer has also teamed up with McFly drummer Harry Judd, who credits playing with musical toys for inspiring his love of music and his career since 2003.
Harry said: ‘I distinctly remember some of the first toys I was given as a child being musical toys and I absolutely loved them.
‘Simple instruments like tambourines and shakers, they made this amazing sound and sparked my love of music – as I grew up the toys just got bigger.
‘Obviously as you get older, play takes a back seat – but I remember spending hours and hours playing games with my siblings and friends, back in the 1990s when we were young.
‘It’s great that having my own children has brought back that sense of play and imagination – I’m pretty active, so like playing cricket and catch in the garden and my eldest son is massively into drums and guitars, so it’s lovely to be able to connect with them, whilst watching them learn and grow.’
A survey of 50 games shows the percentage of children who have never played them, with card game cribbage on top at 38 per cent. Pictured, chess
The UK’s youngsters are now spending six minutes more playing technology (one hour and 21 minutes a day on average) compared to time spent outside, according to the research by British retailer Argos. As such, activities like rounders, climbing trees and conkers (pictured) are becoming games of the past
One in three apparently don’t know how to play British bulldog, while a further 30 percent have never played Trivial Pursuit (pictured) or blind man’s bluff
Fay Williams, Head of Toy Buying for Argos, said: ‘Argos has been passionate about play since we opened our first store in 1973; fifty years later, our ambition to champion the power of play remains just as strong, with a new toy sold on average every two seconds.
‘Being at the forefront of children’s toys for 50 years has shown us that the way we play as kids has a big impact on our adult life.
‘It’s wonderful to know that role-playing doctors and nurses using one of our playsets or cooking up a storm in a toy kitchen might spark a passion that lasts a lifetime.
‘That’s why we’re so proud to be launching our biggest-ever toy giveaway and reigniting a life-long love of play in the next generation.’
A quarter (23 per cent) of parents surveyed confessed that their children don’t use their imagination as much as they themselves did when they were young. Pictured, Battleships
Almost half (48 percent) wish their kids would play more traditional games to spark their imaginations, with parents hearing the words ‘I’m bored’ an average of seven times a week. Pictured, Cluedo
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