In 2006, just over $1.74 billion was spent on toys for Australian children, with 64 million new toys taking up residence in the play room. But the toy box could be thought of as the black hole of the toy world.
It’s where the one indispensable piece disappears forever, jammed somewhere between the layers of discards and latest toy fads. And just as the rest of the house requires a declutter occasionally, so too the toy box. As children grow and develop, the equipment required for play also changes (and sometimes that missing piece turns up!). In doing so, old favourites can be rediscovered and classic toys get another go-round.
Pause a moment and think back to the crazes of your childhood. Were you the proud possessor of a Hot Wheels track set? Or perhaps a Cabbage Patch Doll? Or did Strawberry Shortcake and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles take your fancy? And while Barbies are in a class of their own, if you can remember as far back as hula hoops or GI Joe dolls then that’s probably something you should keep to yourself! Alongside these sit the tried and true - the toys and games that have survived the fickle and the fads and remain popular to this day – Lego and Duplo, Brio trains, Play Mobil, Little Farm, Jenga and UNO, Monopoly and Scrabble.
Before your next toy-buying expedition, think about the nature of children’s play and what kinds of toys are likely to become the classics of the future.
What makes a toy last?
Most parents can name the unsuccessful toy purchases – played with once, mastered and discarded. These are the toys that ‘direct’ children’s play, making the child a passive participant in the play experience. By contrast, the toys that are consistently used and passed on from child to child are the toys that encourage ‘open-ended’ play. That means that toys should be props for a child’s play, not engineering or directing it. They should awaken the child’s imagination and let them work out for themselves how to play with it - that’s a key facilitator of learning. Play to a child is learning – they learn to play and play to learn.
Types of play
Play behaviour is related to the materials and tools of play. Any given play behaviour can fall into several play types:
- Quiet play – picture books, puzzles, dolls, colouring
- Creative play – play doh, sand, collage, water, music, dancing
- Active play – balls, slides, swings, push-pull toys, crates, blocks, running around
- Cooperative play – more than person, ball games, playing house, hide and seek
- Dramatic or social play – role playing (firefighter, nurse, cowboy), dress ups
- Manipulative play – anything which builds fine or gross motor skills, eg cutting, stringing, beading,
using tools
|
How much can you do with it?
Parent educator Michael Grose says it’s important for children to have balanced play. While there is a growing emphasis on electronic toys, children benefit from traditional and simplistic toys.
Playing with dollies lets children create a world of fantasy and imagination, lets them talk and express feelings, and act out role playing. What breast-feeding mother has not been charmed by their toddler gravely lifting their tee and placing dolly to their chest in the correct position, all the while ‘shush-shushing’, and patting dolly’s back in the approved manner!
Can it be taken apart and reassembled into something different?
This is the very definition of open ended play – you’ll know it when you see your child combining bits and pieces to create something new.
Does it have layers of challenge?
Particularly important for electronic toys or computer games; children get bored or frustrated if the toy isn’t age appropriate or has levels of challenge and skill that are either too easy, or conversely too difficult.
Tamara Stein of online toy store Peanut Gallery comments that,
‘I believe many parents are becoming increasingly disenchanted with the latest “gizmos” that have all the bells and whistles as they see the novelty of these toys wear off very quickly.
‘Many are now looking for more traditional toys which kids will continue to play with in many different ways over a longer period.
‘In many cases, the higher quality of wooden and educational toys means that, whilst the initial cost may be higher than plastic toys, they will last longer and can also be enjoyed by younger siblings.’
Does the toy encourage active play and social interaction?
Balls, jump ropes and the like are designed to get kids moving and can be played with by themselves or with others. Electronic toys and games do not generally promote active behaviour. Toys which allow several children to play together will help them learn valuble negotiation skills and even the holy grail of sharing.
Is it safe and durable?
Reputable toy manufacturers, large retailers and educational toy retailers pay particular attention to making sure that toys meet safety standards on breakability of parts, toxicity and durability. Be wary of small ‘discount’ outlets as these often stock no-name toys that may have been cheaply manufactured.
Any toy can be inherently unsafe if given to a child at the wrong age or if misused. Toys need to be able to withstand the wear and tear of normal vigorous play - being dropped, trodden on, chewed, thrown, squeezed, dunked and left out in the rain.
What values does the toy promote?
Children should be able to play across the gender divide of trucks for boys and dolls for girls. Home corner toys such as play food, shops and toy ovens have been big sellers at Peanut Gallery and Stein believes that the reason these are so popular is because of the opportunity they create for not only imaginative but also social play.
‘Gone are the days when only little girls played with tea sets. These days there is such a variety of home corner toys available such as toy sandwiches, chopping fruit and veggies, eggs that open up, wooden cakes that can be “cut” into pieces, pots and pans, utensils and delectable looking sweets.
‘Both boys and girls love using their own ‘kid sized’ kitchens to prepare delicious looking meals and treats for friends when they come over’.
On the other hand toys which have an unexpected consequence, such as stimulating aggression, anger, frustration or dangerous play, need to be quietly removed.
What about licensed toy characters?
Stein says that that licensed toys feature characters which children may have seen in books or on TV so the way in which they play with them has already been prescribed by someone else. Whereas, non-licensed toys allow children to create their own characters, games and ways of playing using their own imaginations.
Not all character toys are inherently poor, however - character crazes come and go and it does depend a bit on what type of toy and which character. A Thomas the Tank wooden railway set is more likely than many to encourage imaginative play, and for those little boys who disdain playing with baby dolls, action figure dolls can be an option.
TOP TOYS
- Action figure toys – definitely a winners with superheroes. They also like building things.
Chris, dad to Marven 6 and Jai, 3.
- Creative toys such as play dough, learning toys and blocks, make believe, dolls/cars and mosr especially BOOKS.
Margot, grandma to Elizabeth, 5 and Josephine, 4.
- My five year old loves painting whether ‘water paint books, her own creations, or painting eggs, plaster money box kits etc whereas my four year old loves dolls/ babies (all different sizes) in the pram and playing mummies/teachers.
Brioney, mum to Libby, 5 and Josie, 4.
- Boys – construction toys such as Mobilo, Lego, model aeroplanes etc. Girls – dressups such as fairy, princess and fashion accessories.
Dinah, Winston and Helen, grandparents to a host of kids.
- Rohan has an interest in army, Lego and games. Gemma loves Little People and is getting into the whole doll thing. My nephews like destroying things.
Marnie, mum to Rohan, 6 and Gemma, 2 as well as aunty to 3 boys.
- Really watch your kids and see where their passions lie – Isaac was given last year’s Toy of the Year (hot wheels radar gun) form his aunty but has never played with it. He is more into puzzles and jigsaws – anything he needs to work out. He has a great attention span so if we give him puzzles he is in heaven for hours.
Amanda, mum to Isaac, 6 and Gwennyth, 2
Source: A guide to selecting toys, Funtastic Limited
Dr John Irvine, regular contributor to Australian Family, has conducted some research of his own into what works best in toys.
At a university based preschool, children were given a range of Playskool brand toys and the way in which they played both at the centre and at home were observed for two months. Staff and parents recorded how the children played and for how long; how play changed over time; what features of the toy intrigued or frustrated them.
Toys were then rated by Dr John’s SPICE system:
- S - skill-building (physical development and coordination)
- P - problem-solving (thinking and reasoning)
- I - Imagination (creativity)
- C - communication (speaking and listening)
- E - ego satisfaction (child’s feeling of satisfaction and achievement).
Here’s what he discovered:
- toys that give big responses are big winners with babies.
- toys that fire imagination and inspire play with other kids are your top toys for 2 to 5 year olds.
- toys with aggressive options attract aggressive play.
- toys with loose parts, lose parts.
- toys that need batteries need off buttons and tools to change batteries.
- toys don't need to be garishly coloured to attract interest.
- toys that promote solo play often promote disputes.
- toys that promote “social” play are big winners in the social ages (6-10 year olds).
- toys that are just attractive to the senses (sight, sound, touch taste) may get the toys off the shop shelves but they will soon be shelved at home too as they lack play value.
- toys that embody TV identities have their own cult following and long life (Woodie and Buzz Lightyear, Thomas the Tank, Bob the Builder, The Wiggles).
Source: www.drjohnirvine.com |
|
