Toys & Play for Gen Alpha
Published 17 April 2025
Vying for the attention of Gen Alpha, toy design is becoming increasingly extra, merging subcategories to create character-based building sets, collectable fidget toys and electronics that both soothe and entertain. We define the need-to-know opportunities, from delighting parents with active play and aesthetics to suit adult spaces to enticing young shoppers to part with their pocket money via surprising novelty, collectability and curious characters.
Empowering Self-Expression
The Anxious Generation
Winning Commerce for Kids
Creative play consistently delights parents – but building sets are truly captivating young audiences. Globally, 27% of three- to 15-year-olds prefer construction toys (The Insights Family, 2025), making them the favourite. Meanwhile, with a mix of enticing materiality, wonder and science, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) toys also engage. Clever brands are keenly observing children’s play patterns to design toys with enduring appeal.
Creative play consistently delights parents – but building sets are truly captivating young audiences. Globally, 27% of three- to 15-year-olds prefer construction toys (The Insights Family, 2025), making them the favourite. Meanwhile, with a mix of enticing materiality, wonder and science, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) toys also engage. Clever brands are keenly observing children’s play patterns to design toys with enduring appeal.
Many Gen Alphas face significant mental health challenges. Parents are taking note, as evidenced by the 75% of millennials with children who prioritise health and mental wellbeing management skills in their family entertainment choices (The Insights Family, 2025). Brands are stepping up with toys that offer sensory relief, help with bedtime and relaxation via soothing story-time devices, and screen-free play that focuses on nurture or action.
As covered in Gen Alpha: New Rules of Childhood, kids spend more money at a younger age. In the US, 61.5% of those aged 10 and under spend their personal allowance on toys (Numerator, 2024). Pocket money also drives sales in the UK, with toys costing less than £10 ($13) taking up 28% of 2024’s market share (BTHA, 2025). Meanwhile, seasonal celebrations and shared entertainment interests bolster family spending.
Toys & Play for Gen Alpha
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