Playing Together: Why Representation in Toys Matters (and What We Thought of the Fire Engine Set)
Libby and her son Rohan, 4, love sharing treats and playing big make-believe games together. Find out what they thought about the Tender Leaf Fire Engine and how diversity in toys can help representation to show up in everyday play.
Toys like this sit at the heart of imaginative play for toddlers, where everyday objects become part of much bigger stories. This fire engine toy invites role play and small world storytelling, giving children the freedom to act out familiar scenes in their own way. Like many wooden toys for 3–6 year olds, it’s designed to support open-ended play.
Rohan age 4
What’s your favourite thing to play with?
My toy kitchen. I like making food and giving everyone ice creams and chocolates. Mummy buys chocolates from my chocolate shop and a lot of funny flavours of ice cream!
What do you and Mummy play together?
We make potions, cook things and make towers and dens. We build train sets, then turn out the lights and watch them go round. Mummy pretends to be my cat. She meows and purrs!
What do you think of the wooden Fire Engine set?
I like all of it! I played ‘emergency!’ I blocked off the roads and the fire engine drove to the fire so fast. I shouted ‘Nee-naw!’ and they put out the fire. I like all of the bits that go inside the fire engine.
Libby, Rohan’s mum
How do you like to spend your time with Rohan?
Sharing a piece of cake and a chat in a café with Rohan is a real treat! It gives us a happy space to talk to each other, which can be hard with young children. At home, we like to build imaginary worlds with blocks, bricks and magnets, then add animals or vehicles.
How does playing with Rohan benefit you?
Being silly with him is my favourite thing. I love making him laugh and being his playmate as well as his mum. It helps me not take myself too seriously.
What did he think about the fire engine?
Rohan started singing as soon as he saw the set – a sure sign that he was happy! He loves to figure things out, so I let him unpack it. He is an expert problem solver, so he enjoyed working out how the hose, vehicle and firefighters fit together. We then played ‘emergencies’ together and helped the firefighters to rescue animals.
And what did you think about it?
The way the hoses connect to the vehicle and the firefighters is clever. It gave Rohan something to figure out, which he really enjoyed. I liked the diversity in the figures to normalise for Rohan that all different people are firefighters, I especially liked seeing female ones. I think as Rohan has the toy for longer it will become part of larger imaginative play. I can see him adding dinosaurs, towers and other vehicles alongside the fire engine to create bigger scenarios and worlds for him to explore.
Are diverse toys important to your family?
I would choose a toy that shows diversity over one that doesn't, but I also don’t want to filter too heavily what my children play with. Rohan and his brother are drawn to animal figures rather than human but even here you can find diversity (for example Tweak, the female engineer in Octonauts). My children are fans of Tonie box (audio story boxes) and their ‘creative Tonie’ figures come with different choices of skin tone. I chose one that most looked like them – I liked that the company had thought to do that.
How do your children respond to toys that look more like them?
"I don’t think Rohan consciously registers the difference, but I think that having varied toys (whether that’s through their skin tone, hair, gender or ways of talking) is really important. It helps them to be less concerned about the differences in the world around them. I think they would start to notice if none of their toys looked like them, and that providing diverse toys means they’re less likely to focus on anything different about themselves. I like the diversity in the fire engine set – it normalises that firefighters can have various skin tones and genders."
Toys like this do more than entertain. They become part of the stories children tell about the world, as well as the people who belong in it.
For many families, choosing toys now goes beyond durability and design. Questions around representation in children’s toys and inclusive toys for children are becoming part of everyday decisions. Toys that reflect a wider range of people and roles can help children build a more open understanding of the world around them.
As this Tender Leaf fire engine review shows, the best wooden toys for 3-6 year olds support open-ended play, encourage storytelling and quietly reflect the world children are growing up in.
1. What age is the Tender Leaf fire engine suitable for?
The Tender Leaf fire engine is suitable for children aged 3 and up. Its small world design supports imaginative play, storytelling and problem-solving, making it a good choice for early years development.
2. Is a fire engine toy good for imaginative play?
Yes. Fire engine toys encourage role play and storytelling, helping children act out real-world scenarios and develop language, creativity and social understanding.
3. Why is diversity in toys important?
Diversity in toys helps children see a wider range of people and roles represented. This supports empathy, confidence and a better understanding of the world around them.
4. How can toys support diversity and inclusion?
Toys that represent different people, roles and backgrounds help children build a broader understanding of the world. Inclusive toys can encourage empathy, confidence and more open-ended, imaginative play.
5. What makes a good quality wooden toy?
A good wooden toy is durable, well-designed and open-ended. It should encourage creative play, be made from safe materials and remain engaging as children grow.
6. Are wooden toys better than plastic toys?
Wooden toys are often more durable and open-ended than plastic alternatives. Many are made from sustainable materials and encourage more creative, less prescriptive play.
