IKEA – they make our lives that bit simpler, more organised, more Scandi-cool. I mean, how else would we organise our spices and our sock drawers? People always laugh at how they can’t leave the store without an over-sized blue bag brimming with things they simply don’t need – we are all guilty of spending time buying and doing things we don’t need, but nothing amplifies this more than a child telling you this.
Today, IKEA unveiled this super-cute video series to accompany research they undertook with over 2,000 children in the UK on what they thought the secrets to being a happy adult were. The videos (a play on TED Talks are called Teddy Talks!) have been created to support Save the Children and Unicef, tackling subjects like ‘how to be happy and ‘what children need from adults’ as well as telling us ‘the importance of education’ and ‘how to find your imagination’, using their too-cute teddies as props to communicate.
The overwhelming findings from the poll were that children feel they do not have enough time to play with their parents – with stress, mobile technology and work getting in the way of family time. Ugh, here comes the mom guilt…
When asked what would make them happier and help bring children and their parents together? The top 10 things the kids said they would like their parents to do were…
- Come home earlier from work
- Go outdoors together
- Parents to join in with playing with toys
- Play a video game together
- The family to play a board game together
- Find time to read together
- Get cooking and bake together
- Help with homework
- Watch TV at the same time
- Set time aside to talk
Through the Teddy Talks videos, IKEA hopes to raise awareness of these issues and help parents reconnect through play as well as give children a voice to spread wisdom that encourages happy families.
A spokesperson from IKEA added: “We believe every child has the right to a healthy, secure childhood and access to quality education, no matter where in the world they live.”
With this in mind, for every soft toy, children’s book, dressing up clothing and children’s card games sold between now and the 19 December 2015, they will donate €1 to support educational programmes run by UNICEF and Save the Children around the world. A total of €77 million has been raised since the initiative began in 2003, reaching 11 million children through 99 projects in 46 different countries.
Pretty cool, eh? Watch this. Then, get your good selves to IKEA for all your Christmas presses, we say.
