Can you make children interested in Playmobil/ Sylvanians/ dolls house and similar stuff?

[JingleCells]

I have six year old girl/boy twins (year 1). Some of my favourite childhood toys were my dolls house and Sylvanians. I didn't have Playmobil as a child but have fallen in love with it as an adult as I just think all the tiny accessories and the different sets are adorable.

I am writing this in full knowledge that people are different, and you can't make them like things, but I'm really gutted that neither of them play with any of the Playmobil sets (police, house, vets, nursery) they've been given for Christmas and birthdays, nor the Sylvanian stuff I had as a child, or the dolls house and dolls, furniture etc that was a requested Christmas gift last year (played with briefly after opening and then left alone).

Is there anything I can do to gently encourage this stuff, or do I just accept it's not for them and pass it all on to someone who'll like it?

The dolls house is always out on full view, but for tidiness/space reasons the Playmobil and Sylvanian stuff does get packed away. Do I just keep bringing it out and setting up scenes? Play with it myself and hope they'll join in? Or exchange them for better children?

I can't really remember the age I was when I was really into this stuff, so are they too young maybe? They don't really seem massively into imaginary play with toys although they do like having feasts with play food, so maybe it's just not their thing.

I played with it myself and DC eventually joined in.

Agree with PP and juat start playing with it yourself. Either they join in or you get a half hour or so very peacefully immersed in playmobil or sylvanian worlds.

I got my DC into Duplo and Lego by joyfully building houses and so on. Ever so slightly miffed when they took over and ruined changed things...

I’m a Lego fanatic and all three kids have followed suit, albeit one more in a role-play with figures way. Top tip, cover the dining table in it

My 35mth old adores her playmobil house and caravan and just gets it out and goes. We join in sometimes (and I love it) but it's the guaranteed toy I know she will play alone with! I just assumed it was the same for all kids (sorry!).

Try playing with it yourself but narrate out loud "mummy is going to the shops... daddy is having dinner" etc.

Neither of mine were into that role play type play at all. Devastating for me!

My kids never liked any of those toys.
They liked lego though.
And soft cuddly toys.

Put the sylvanians in the dolls house - mine spend ages playing with it this way

I have tried that, but no dice unfortunately!

See, I also loved Lego, but one of them has no interest, and the other loves making the models, but just makes them and that's that, no playing, just having them displayed in some kind of shrine, whereas I did loads of actual play with my Lego as a child.

This is true, I would actually get much enjoy getting it out and setting it up so not much lost if they ignore it I guess!

I'm just wondering if it is an age or personality thing really, and when I just give up and resign myself to having created two humans who are very different from me!

Sounds like I might need to take them back for a refund then.

I feel particularly pained as I adored Sylvanians for years, but ended up with very little as it was so expensive and my parents didn't have much spare money. Whereas now, especially buying secondhand, I could get my kids far more than I had and live out my childhood fantasies.

That’s exactly how I felt. I actively wanted to play with dolls, toy kitchens, dolls houses. But my kids just did not roleplay. They were more into crafts and being active. I did buy the stuff. And tried to play with them. But really it was a waste of money. Maybe when I’m a grandma…!

Another vote for putting the sylvanians in the dolls house and playing with it yourself 🤣 my DD is 3.5 and got into it because I was playing with it 😆 I hope it continues because I absolutely loved this stuff as a kid and the games DD comes up with drive me to drink

When you find out, let me know. 😔

I rolled the dice and went for Sylvanian families for my daughter as I loved them when I was young. Some Barbie stuff too as well as some dolls. No dice. She's played with them sporadically, but she's far more into colouring and creativity than role play.

My son likes hot wheels and dinosaurs, and they've gotten some play time. I would love to try Playmobil with him (as I took would have loved it all those years ago), but it's (still) so expensive and we're already limited for space as it is.

What they both love (other than the TV) is Magnatiles and Lego. I'm happy to encourage that though I am sad about the Sylvanian families.

In my experience, no, your DC like what they like and you can’t really influence it. I would admit defeat and put it all away for eventual grandchildren!

There should be some sort of temporary child loan system to cater to this (like an inter-library loan!). My 4 year old absolutely loves Playmobil, Sylvanians, the dolls' house, anything where he can move little figures about and roleplay with them. I did not like or understand such games as a child - I used to set my barbies or sylvanians up into 'scenes' but then just put them away again as I didn't get quite 'how' to play with them - and find them very boring now. Maybe I can send you DS to play with for a bit, and I can borrow yours? Do they like baking, painting, crafts or bike rides?! I'm good at those, if so!

I covered a large plastic gardening tray with foil. Put some cotton wool balls around and maybe a little saucer of water for snowy/arctic play. Add a penguin or two if you’ve got them! Same play things but a different slant can reignite interest.

I'm another mum who as a child loved her Sylvanians, dolls of all kinds and thought Playmobil was excellent the few times I came across it. Also loved Lego, both building according to the instructions and dismantling/making my own plays. My daughters were not interested in any of it, except the lego. I think partly its personality, partly its that they had too many toys, (lots of family buying for them & toys much less expensive compared to incomes than they were in the 80s). I think maybe there has been a big shift in how children play too, in the modern age with many children's TV channels, streaming services and computer gaming, this is likely to have had an impact. My children also went to nursery, at least 2 full days a week, from around 1, and the play there is so organized, so maybe they don't develop the skills to chose what to play with in the same way. All very different from my own childhood, with a SAHM and only a younger brother for a playmate. I didn't go to any form of nursery until I was 3 and then it was just 3 mornings a week.

Both DS loved Playmobil but only certain sets.
They were/are super into F1 so liked the cars and garage to run races and put lanes and the police and fire engines. But not into pirate or the animals really.

Some kids don't know how. Do you model it to them or make up games they can copy? My dd liked barbies but needed lots of one to one to show her how to play make believe like that. She could happily pretend to be a Dr or a shopkeeper but couldn't do the same thing for a toy.

I think they’re probably too old for Playmobil?

And I think Sylvanian Families are a very millennial thing. I don’t know of any kids who enjoy them.

Anecdotally, the girls I know seemed to get into imagination play at around 2, it was 3 for the boys. I think if they’ve shown no interest by 6, it’s not something that appeals, and it’s probably not worth keeping trying. I’d just encourage other things that they do enjoy.

Could you put on a play like in Punch and Judy or The Sound Of Music?!

Make up a story about thwir favourite things and have the toys be the actors. You could put down cushions on the floor for seats, make up pretend tickets together prior, maje a stage (broom handle over two dining chairs supporting curtains of bath towels or whatever) and serve pretend drinks and popcorn they make - or real snacks if they will sit and be entertained.

If that doesn't grab them nothing will. Some kids just aren't into imaginary play fair enough.

@somuchtobits is our resident Playmo expert.

My older 2 were mad for sylvanians and Lego, mostly they would enjoy settings things up and then acting out tea parties which then overspilled into them being the sylvanians and forgetting about the figures entirely.
younger one has no interest in imaginative play and neither do I tbh, it bores me rigid. At least the older 2 had each other to do it with and the youngest didn’t want to get to know about any of it so it spared me again 😂

I'd play with it yourself - at least you'll get to enjoy it, and it might catch on with them, you never know! I make a lot of scenes with Playmobil, even though my ds is 24 (he loved Playmobil at age 6 though). If you want to look at any of them, just search for any threads with "the Playmobil people in our house" in the title.

You could show them to your ds, it might inspire them!