Curated by: Akiva, Yassah, Rahel, Kate-Lynn, and Gabrielle
What does the types of toys and how we choose to spend our time playing say about us?
According to Holland (2003), “…many girls will absorb themselves with sill and ingenuity equal to the boys in construction activities” (p. 18).
Children from an early age are exposed to play. Play is one of the most important components at such an early age. Exploratory play is vital to a child’s social skills, social emotional skills, problem solving, and even identity. With play, comes props whatever that might be – toys included. It is beneficial to observe children while they are playing, no matter the environment. One could learn a great deal about a child that is in the middle of play, because the child is just beginning to discover themselves, their interests, and personality.
For example, if a child is observed building something of the sort, working on a puzzle, stringing beads, etc. one could mentally note that the child is very persistent and has the characteristics of someone determined and persevering. If a child is observed playing and while they are playing, they group all of the toys by categories or line them up, one could mentally note that the child perhaps has the characteristics of being organized. If a child is observed using their play time that involves art, one could mentally note that the child is exhibiting traits of being creative and artistic. If a child is observed playing dress up or in an environment with toys and props that represent a kitchen, an adult could mentally note if that child has knowledge of basic appliances as well as their use. Additionally, if the child is engaging in dress up and is doing a great job with their role, perhaps they have the characteristics of someone who is dramatic and enjoys theatre. If a child is being observed playing with magnifying glasses, magnets, sand, and putting things apart just to put them back today, one could mentally note that the child is showing characteristics of someone who is curious.
Children are at the early stages of figuring out who they are as well as their interests, but if a child is consistently playing with a specific prop or toy it is telling about what potential personality and characteristics they will have later in life.
Works Cited
- Holland, Penny. Boys will be boys and girls will sit nicely. We don’t play with guns here: War, Weapon and Superhero Play in the Early Years. Philadelphia. Open University Press. 2003. 0335210902. pp 15-29.
How Do Toys Reflect or Reinforce Societal Norms?
Boys and girls are told from a young age to play with toys that match their gender. Boys are given blue fire trucks and soccer ball while girls receive pink kitchen sets and dolls. These toys sometimes represent the behavior a child should exhibit during their developmental stages. Furthermore, because of the way the toys are distributed, it is observed how girls will play only with group of girls and vice versa for the boys. Such socialization categorizes and represents rules that govern the way males and females should act in the society. The fact that girls should look forward to being a mother and housewife, toys like strollers, bottles and kitchen utilities are displayed in marketplaces. On the other hand, boys are expected to be brave and display independence. So, toys like guns, trucks, and handle man tools are sold in the stores. Unfortunately, some of these toys might limit children’s aspiration for obtaining potential goals in life. By playing with dolls, girls might think that they are only needed in society as caregivers which can potentially deter them from acquiring their dream careers and being independent. For young boys, considering caregiving jobs might not be an option. To conclude, toys shape societal norms and influence children’s ambitions.
“Children at this point in the process of forming gender identity are seeking certainty; they are trying to find a rule or rules that will make them feel that they belong in the gendered world that surrounds them” (Penny, 2003, p.19).
Boys Made Toy Cars of Plastic Bottles and Soda Cans.
Playing with selfmade toys | Africa, African toys, South Africa
“Toy Of The Year” Continues To Perpetrate Gender Stereotypes – Urban Moms
Should Packaging be Gender biased? (redrocketcreative.com)
Work cited:
Penny, H. (2003). Boys will be boys and girls will sit nicely. We don’t play with guns here: War, Weapon and Superhero Play in the Early Years. Philadelphia. Open University Press, pp. 15-29.
Open-Ended Toys
This section of the side-exhibit is specifically about open-ended toys. On CleverStuff.com, they describe Open-ended toys as “a type of toy that does not have a specific predetermined use or outcome, allowing for creativity and imagination in play. These types of toys can be used in a variety of ways, encouraging kids to experiment, create and explore. Examples include building blocks, art supplies, and dress-up clothing. “
Here are some of the best open-ended toys that I’ve personally seen Toddlers and other young children spend hours upon hours playing with:
Magna Tiles. These magnetic tiles are truly incredible! One can build a home, a castle, fort, road, airport, or whatever they want. They also mix well with other toys like balls, and dolls. The play possibilities are endless. Additionally the magnetic feature makes them a very pleasurable tactile experience.
There’s a reason blocks are in every Montessori classroom. Much like magna tiles, blocks have endless possibilities for play. (accessed from Babylist.com)
These rainbow stacking toys from Grimm’s toys are also incredible. They are made of a material that allows them to stack in all sorts of fun ways. (accessed from Bella Luna toys)
There are countless other great examples of open-ended toys (like Legos!) raw natural materials (sticks and rocks), and next time you’re observing children play, try to see if they gravitate towards the open-ended toys or the ones with pre-determined usage.
Works Cited:
12-piece wooden rainbow stacking tunnel. (n.d.). Bella Luna Toys. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from https://www.bellalunatoys.com/products/grimms-large-wooden-rainbow-tunnel-12-pc
Babylist shop. (n.d.). Babylist. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from https://www.babylist.com/gp/haba-26-piece-wooden-blocks-starter-set/38373/1487024
CleverStuff. (n.d.). What is an open ended toy? CleverStuff. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from https://cleverstuff.com.au/blogs/news/what-is-an-open-ended-toy
Https://www. Lakeshorelearning. Com/products/blocks-manipulatives/light-tables-accessories/magna-tilessup-sup-master-set/p/dg547/. (n.d.). Lakeshorelearning.Com.
(N.d.).
The Value of Nature-Based Play
In this exhibit, we have shown many examples of toys for children that can be purchased from any number of retailers. These range from open-ended toys like MagnaTiles to more closed experiences such as dolls or trucks. In this section, we’ll explore what can be considered a “toy” from nature itself.
One example of nature-based play is that of a park or yard in a school or home. These areas give children space to play gross-motor games like tag and catch. The benefits of movement for children are plentiful, from motor development to social skills to complex imaginary play (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). For example, a park that has a creek might offer the chance to create “boats” from leaves and sticks. A park with many trees gives opportunities to climb and explore heights.
Another benefit of outdoor play is that it tends to be low-to-no cost for parents and educators. The market for children’s toys can carry price tags in the triple digits for things like large LEGO sets (see below). In contrast, play in a park or backyard requires minimal purchases to be engaging to children.
LEGO Star Wars Set priced at $849.99. Accessed from Target.com
While indoor play also has its place, outdoor play carries benefits for kids and parents alike. Every school offers outdoor play such as recess and PE classes. This helps students focus and attend to their lessons better (CDC Healthy Schools). It’s important for children to get outdoor time, which is a safe general consensus among educators and parents alike.
Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control, Healthy Schools Project: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/recess.htm#:~:text=Recess%20benefits%20students%20by%3A&text=Increasing%20their%20level%20of%20physical,on%2Dtask%20in%20the%20classroom.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: https://www.chop.edu/news/health-tip/benefits-outdoor-play-why-it-matters
Target LEGO set: https://www.target.com/p/lego-star-wars-at-at-walker-model-ucs-big-set-75313
The Social Impact of Online Play
From this week’s main exhibit and readings, we can come to a singular unanimous decision that physical play is incredibly important to a child’s development, be it in the form of constructing understanding good and bad, or broadening their imagination to limitless boundaries. With that said, we must also recognize that society today is rapidly progressing away from active play and into the realm of online play. What we need to ask ourselves now is, can online play afford to children the same benefits that physical play does?
We know for sure that physical play contains a social aspect to it. It is where children interact with their peers and build meaningful connections that have the potential to last for long periods of time. Despite this, we also know that children are more active in online play (video games) which we may assume to be a negative, but according to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, that is not necessarily the case. It was found that there are friendships that are established digitally, accounting for roughly 57% of friendships made by the participants of the study (Lenhart, 2016). Additionally, it was found that boys tend to make more online friendships through the use of video games, with 84% of the boys being active online gaming participants, and 34% of them only playing with friends they met online. It was even found that 52% of kids reported that they felt more connected to their online peers through playing video games with them (2016). Overall, it can only be assumed that video game usage does not inhibit socialization development in kids, rather it is just another means of connecting with peers.
Now, regarding the negative impact of online play, an article published by Harvard Health outlines the potential harm of excessive online gaming. One potential outcome is something doctors call “gaming thumb”. This is when the tendons that move the thumb around become inflamed causing its owner pain in the area (Grinspoon, 2020). There is also the increased risk of childhood obesity as there is little physical activity involved with online play.
What I think is important for us to recognize is that children are not sacrificing their imagination, their social development, or even their mental well being for the sake of playing online games. There is a plethora of video games targeted at various age ranges that seek to educate, motivate, and nurture the mind to reach certain developmental benchmarks. Video games are utilized within schools to aid in the teaching of different subjects just as they are utilized at home to aid in interacting with peers through the comfort of one’s room. By playing video games, children are not sacrificing benefits of play, rather they are obtaining them through different means.
works cited:
Teens, Technology and Friendships | Pew Research Center. (2020, May 30). Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/
Harvard Health. (2020, December 22). The health effects of too much gaming. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-health-effects-of-too-much-gaming-2020122221645
Team,
I liked your section on toys shaping societal norms. I think a large majority of my daughter’s toys were hand me downs from my son, but she always liked little figurines and dolls. She likes to play with them and have them act out various dramatic events. I love listening to her make voices for all the different characters and create different story lines. My son was never big into toys–he likes building legos, drawing, and playing outside. He also loves Minecraft and video games. He’s always been into mastering a thing. He spent a summer trying to accomplish a back flip, which he can easily do backwards and forwards now. He spent weeks trying to learn tricks on his skateboard. He’s dedicated to the thing he wants to know. My daughter is much more whimsical and less dedicated to mastering one thing. I’m not sure that either of them fell into a specific societal norm, but my daughter’s love of dolls is very prevalent (again she loves to have them act out various dramatic events). It’s like watching a soap opera when she plays.
I will say that I learn a lot about them by watching them play. My son is dedicated to knowing how to do a thing and how to do it right. He is not easily frustrated and keeps trying to figure it out. My daughter on the other hand has no interest in being a perfectionist. She’s very imaginative and easy going. How do you as teachers use this knowledge (how kids prefer to play) to better teach students in class?
Thank you for sharing.
Carrie
Hi Carrie,
I wanted to attempt to address your question. I currently teach head start so play is a HUGE part of the day as well as the concept of the program. I, personally, use my know of how my students prefer to play to better teach them specifically when it comes to individualized instruction. We have what we call “large group” which is circle/carpet time and then during exploratory play, we have what is called “small groups”. That is where I typically utilize this time to work with students that need some extra help. I think I am digressing a bit here but – if a student prefers to play in the dramatic play center often, I will typically use that to my advantage when I am doing my individualized instruction. I will pull manipulatives from the dramatic play center to use during my mini lesson and base my mini lesson off of something relatable to that center to help engage and interest the student. Same thing for a student who prefers the block area or the art center.
The image of children using empty bottles to create toy cars was a great piece to include in this side exhibit. I think this shows just how creative children are.
Wonderful job! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on ‘How Do Toys Reflect or Reinforce Societal Norms?’ especially seeing the picture of children creating their own toys. In my old classroom, I had a whole table / section dedicated to students creating toys and making objects all out of recyclables! I was very fortunate to have parents continuously donate objects for students to use in this area and it was a favorite by all students. Oftentimes, students preferred to play with their own creations than any of the ‘fancy’ toys within the classroom! definitely something I wish I could continue in my older grade!
Hi Megan! I love that you had that table in your classroom! I bet your students loved it! I have noticed that in 3rd through 5th grade they prefer to build/create their own things. It truly is amazing to watch some of these kids and what they create!
Thank you for this interesting exhibit. I like that you included open-ended toys (they are my favorite). I have always thought of them as creative toys. I also like that you included outdoor, nature-based play. Growing up, we visited my grandparents every Sunday evening. We pulled out a huge bag of blocks during the winter months and made a different creation with the blocks each week. In the summer, we played outside with all the cousins. An elaborate Capture the Flag (a garden hose down the middle) was a favorite game. Thanks for helping me make these connections and consider the value of these types of play.
I can vividly remember when I was a child and looking at Halloween costumes and asking my parents why only boys could be firefighters and police officers and girls had to be princesses. I think in today’s world we are doing a better job with not stereotyping gender expectations as much but we still tend to do it without being fully aware. I think our brains see in blue and pink still and it is going to take time to both see and appreciate the different combinations of colors.
Hi Akiva, Yassah, Rahel, Kate, and Gabrielle! I appreciate your well-rounded approach of exploring toys and play in these different contexts. Your exhibit is engaging! I enjoyed reading your commentaries and exploring the resources you shared for further exploration. For example, Julie Kim’s “Should Packaging be Gender biased?” discusses “Let Toys Be Toys” in the UK, and there’s a world of information and resources available on their website:
https://www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/
Browsing their website feels empowering, and I’ll be keeping the Toymark award in mind.
I’d love to try the Magna Tiles! The stained-glass colors are beautiful. In reading your thoughts about play and the “flow” experiences of play with open-ended toys, I’m thinking that adults would benefit from a playful approach in leisure activities. In Anne Wilson Schaef’s Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much, she quotes Madeline L’Engle: “The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been” (March 17 entry).
Your discussion about outdoor play really speaks to the importance of connecting with nature. It’s how we develop a sense of place, and nourish wonder. We can gain observation skills, too.
So often as we’ve been working in our Museum, we’ve been thinking of specific children and youths we know, and that’s the case for me in reflecting on your “The Social Impact of Online Play” section. I know a 14-year-old boy who loves video games and values his time online with friends. As one who is familiar with repetitive stress injuries, I was not at all surprised to learn about “gaming thumb” … and I see there are many results in a search on this topic. In more than one source, I saw it referred to as De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. There are so many scholarly articles on gaming in education, too! Here, for instance, is a link to Teemu H. Laine and Renny S. N. Lindberg’s open-access article “Designing Engaging Games for Education: A Systematic Literature Review on Game Motivators and Design Principles” (IEEE Transactions on Learning, 13.4):
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9173738
I’m especially intrigued by the portion on storytelling and fantasy.
Thanks for your insightful exhibit!
Schaef, Anne Wilson. Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much, Revised and Updated Edition. New York: HarperOne-HarperCollins Publishers, 2004.