IKEA Play Report 2015

For us, the home acts as a great space to explore and to play – a big and important playground. We want families with children to have homes where they can play more and live out their dreams together.

In 2015, IKEA conducted the world’s largest research study on play. We wanted to learn more about how people all around the world spend their free time together. The study showed us that an important part of our job creating a better everyday life at home is to inspire and enable people to play more together.

Today we see many different family constellations, cultural behaviors and everyday activities, but no matter the differences, some things remain universal; the importance of sleep to grow, play to learn and time to spend with the people you love. The study focused on exactly these three universal needs.

The results of the play report have given us valuable insights into how children's play is viewed by parents. The study revealed that parents consider play very important for children’s development.

It is a high priority that the home be a place for fun and play. However, it is sometimes hard to make time to be together. Half of the participants expressed that they didn’t have enough time to play with their children, and 73% said they would like to spend more time with their children.

These results have prompted us at IKEA to put a special emphasis on helping parents find more time together with their kids. One approach to this problem is to find playfulness in everyday activities. We hope that these insights will allow us to create solutions that let families find the time to be together, play and have fun.

Playing is fundamental for our wellbeing and happiness. At Children's IKEA, we are continuously learning, developing and exploring new ways to help families all over the world make their homes into places to have fun together.

Say yes to play!

Facts

• A major research-driven project was conducted in 2014 with almost 30,000 parents and children across 12 countries.

• The aim of the reportwas to explore the subjects of children’s development and play, and young people's and parents’ perceptions of family life at home. It became the largest global study ever carried out on play, parenting and life at home. This is a continuation of the 2009 Play Report.