Walmart's National Play Day brings fun for children at local store
By Sierra Rains / srains@ardmoreite.com
The Ardmore Walmart Supercenter was alive with the sound of children playing and bike bells ringing Saturday afternoon.
From noon to 4 p.m., a life-size, blue cardboard train stood in front of the toy section, with passengers like Barbie, Hatchimals and various other toys, as a part of Walmart's 2nd National Play Day.
Walmart introduced it's first-ever National Play Day last year as a way for children to test toys for free and to live the dream of playing with toys normally left on the shelf.
Lindsay Sykes, an employee with the vendor company running the activities, was manning the event in her train conductor outfit. Sykes said several children had come out to play while their parents shopped.
When children stopped by the train station, Sykes would open up a compartment inside the train and hand them a packet containing a map for a scavenger hunt and a tiny, red magnifying glass.
The hunt took children all around the store in search of various toys and items. Others chose to simply play with the toys at hand, with one girl finding a particular interest in a sloth toy that had been sitting on the train.
"It helps them interact with other people," Sykes said, while watching the children run around the store together. Playtime can also help children express creativity and release energy, she said.