Official distributor of Rex London

Rex London makes retro-style non-digital toys. Its range draws on popular toys from a dozen or several dozen years ago, such as blowing toys, kites, knockdown cans, pick-up sticks and dominoes. Many adults would call them “the toys of my childhood”. Although this type of entertainment has lost some popularity among children today, it is worth rediscovering its potential and the hugely positive influence it has on little ones’ motor, cognitive, social and emotional development.

Retro games such as pick-up sticks, dominoes, tiddlywinks and tin-can knockdown are familiar even to our grandparents. They are easy to set up and have very simple rules, yet often keep children occupied for hours. They exercise fine motor skills, including grip, precision of movement and pressure applied to objects. They develop hand–eye coordination, dexterity and accuracy.

Outdoor play, such as skipping, flying a kite or knocking down cans, helps children develop fine and gross motor skills and overall coordination. It has a positive effect on muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness, and exercises the sense of balance. When little ones play alongside their peers, they have an excellent opportunity to learn to wait their turn, follow agreed rules and cope with failure. Outdoor play also helps build resilience to stress, positive self-esteem and self-confidence. It teaches children to cope with difficulties and sparks creativity.

Games of skill, such as pinball or a yo-yo, develop concentration, dexterity and hand–eye coordination. They teach children to judge distances and move precisely, and help develop reflexes.

Non-digital toys are excellent at “bringing generations together”! Spending time with parents or grandparents strengthens family bonds. Shared activities are a chance to tell children about your childhood and share memories and experiences. This builds a child’s identity and gives them a sense of belonging within the family. Adults are also very good role models for social behaviour, such as using polite language and responding to failure. They introduce healthy competition and fair play. Playing with older people helps children develop empathy and patience, and pay attention to older people’s needs and difficulties.

Building blocks and construction sets improve logical thinking, technical thinking and spatial imagination. They also teach the laws of physics and offer a great introduction to mathematics. Through play, children practise planning and finding the best solutions. These toys engage attention and fine motor skills. They give little ones a simple introduction to how certain devices work, at a time when children have fewer and fewer opportunities to watch their dad or grandad taking things apart, putting them together or repairing them.

Role-play sets, such as those for playing doctors or house, are exceptionally beneficial for development. This type of activity primarily supports a broad range of social skills. During role play, children improve communication skills such as holding a conversation and expand their active and passive vocabulary. They learn to see things from someone else’s perspective and practise following rules. They also discover the characteristics of particular social roles, develop their interests and broaden their knowledge. Role play very often helps children work through difficult situations: little ones explore topics that stir strong emotions they do not understand, giving this play a therapeutic role.

Another advantage of non-digital toys is their usually small size. They fit in a backpack or handbag, so you can always have them with you to make a walk more interesting or waiting more enjoyable, for example when waiting to see a doctor.

Remember that the younger the child, the simpler the toys they need. Their nervous system can become overstimulated by objects that engage too many senses at once, for example by playing sounds, lighting up, moving and requiring complicated manipulation. Non-digital toys are therefore an ideal solution!

Observing a child playing with non-digital toys is also a very good opportunity for parents or teachers to assess their development. This includes motor skills (such as grip quality, how they manipulate objects and their posture), possible sensory difficulties (such as hypersensitivity to touch or sound), the quality of peer relationships (whether the child plays alone or with others, how they communicate with peers, whether they follow rules and what role they take in a group), and their level of emotional development (for example, how they cope with failure).

Childhood is the time when we form habits that will stay with us later in life, so it is worth ensuring they are positive and healthy. Teaching children to enjoy playing without screens or electronic gadgets, outdoors and with their peers instead, will certainly benefit their future development.