Category
Lifestyle
Protein Personalization
Trend cluster
Category
Therapeutic
Play
Toys target children's anxieties with helpful stress relief features.
4.5
Trend score
Trend
What is the Therapeutic Play trend?
Therapeutic Play: As stress and anxieties continue to grow among younger generations, toys brands are adopting a more health-conscious approach to entertainment. Offering interactive, multisensory features to help alleviate stress, these products speak to a growing desire for methods of health and wellness that are less abrasive and more integrated, particularly among youth.
Trend themes
Themes within the Therapeutic Play trend
Three behaviours holding the trend together01
Health-Conscious Toys
As stress levels continue to rise among younger generations, toy brands are adopting a more health-conscious approach to entertainment, offering interactive and multisensory features to help alleviate stress.
02
Therapeutic Technology
From anxiety-alleviating robots to plush wellness toys and light therapy toy lamps, a growing trend in therapeutic technology is emerging, offering a new form of health and wellness that is less abrasive and more integrated for youth.
03
Mindfulness-Inspired Toys
With an aim to promote health and mindfulness, toys such as the Meddy Teddy have been created for children to instill the importance of yoga and meditation practices, teaching kids the value of flexibility, muscle development and a positive body image.
Industry implications
What the Therapeutic Play trend means for industry
Where the trend changes the playbookFor
Toy Industry
Toy manufacturers are embracing new opportunities to produce health-conscious and therapeutic play products that offer interactive experiences for children.
For
Healthcare Industry
With the emergence of therapeutic toys, hospitals and medical professionals can adopt these products as new means of addressing issues of anxiety, pain, and isolation faced by many young patients.
For
Home Decor Industry
The Elenker Bedroom Night Light is part of the growing trend in home decor that offers interactive and modular designs, combining elements of technology and wellness for children's rooms.
Workshop question
What challenges does the next generation of your consumers face and how are you supporting them?
Trend signals
Trend signals for Therapeutic Play
Trend score 4.5 out of 10, from popularity 67%, activity 61%, freshness 8%.
Popularity67%
Activity61%
Freshness8%
Audience
50%Men
50%Women
- Gen Alpha
- Gen Z
- Millennial (not a primary audience)
- Gen X (not a primary audience)
- Boomer (not a primary audience)
Market
North America
Europe
Evidence
Examples of the Therapeutic Play trend
4 featured examples from Apr 25, 2015 to May 14, 2016CategoryLife-Stages
Light Therapy Toy Lamps
The Elenker Bedroom Night Light is Part Lamp, Part Interactive Toy
Incorporating therapeutic features in toys to promote better physical, mental and emotional health among children.
CategoryLife-Stages
Yoga-Posing Plushies
The Meddy Teddy Encourages Children to be Healthier and More Mindful
Opportunity for toy manufacturers to create yoga-inspired toys for children.
CategoryLife-Stages
Plush Wellness Toys
The Doodle Toy Monitor's a Child's Health and Wellness Through Play
Toy companies can leverage the growing demand for interactive and connected toys that promote children's well-being and assist parents in monitoring their health.
CategoryTech
Anxiety-Alleviating Robots
'Huggable' is a Robot Teddy That Helps Comfort Hospitalized Children
With the potential to revolutionize patient care and treatment, therapeutic robots offer a disruptive innovation opportunity for the healthcare industry to improve outcomes and in…
