Homeschooled Kids Teach Toys How to Play

The 700,000 families in the United States who homeschool spend approximately $400 per year for each of the 2,000,000 children involved, according to the HomeSchooling Legal Defense Association. And what do they buy? Not a whole lot of educational toys, according to a survey of homeschooling moms in North Carolina and talks with retailers across the nation.

Instead, homeschoolers look for toys that are open-ended and encourage creative play. “Six different pieces of colored silk are more entertaining than all of Polly Pocket’s Adventureland,” said Lynn Costine, one of the homeschooling mothers. Nature toys, dress-up items and board games were the top toys in the homeschooling homes.

Find out if this growing and lucrative market is a perfect match for your store in the November issue of TDmonthly Magazine.