Effects of a Toy on Children and Society
Effects of a Toy on Children and Society
Toys are essential things in the current world in the life of a child. In the present world, there is no society without toys. In case the commonly advertised toys are not there children in such societies come up with their own toys from readily available objects in the environment. Play an important aspect of a child's life, is normally associated with toys. Toys help children to learn their surrounding. They are objects of entertainment and a means of interaction in a social set up. Toys have brought about mixed feelings on people in the society some believing that they have negative effects on children while others argue the opposite. This article presents evidence that toys have positive effects on children as well as the society.
Toys help children learn the social norms and roles of their society. On the other hand it gives peace to parents as they take the chaos of common consumer culture to their families. Play by use of toys help in instilling the roles expected of them in the society. For example when a girl learns that certain toys are associated with boys she tends to associate that toy with the societal roles given to boys. There are plays that children also are not allowed to go overboard in their toy play and thus help them know that the society does not like it. It therefore means that plays not only teach the roles but also the stereotypes. On the other hand giving a child toys that promote healthful thought will promote positive development a great deal (Benson). The toys help the children visualize the lives of adults and therefore learn skills that are not only necessary at that particular time but even in years to come during adulthood. Children like doing what mummy and daddy do, it might be house leaning, or lawn mowing. Toys associated with kitchen items or vacuum cleaners would help children cooperate with their parents at work. The toys will therefore promote responsibility and establish self-esteem in children. Girls even during the traditional days would come up with their own toys made from clay and they would embark on cookery as they did observe their mothers do so. In addition, since it involves exercising of muscles and other body parts it builds motor skills (Vineyar Designs, 2009).
Toys help children a lot in discovering their talents since they engage in the acquisition of new skills and in the process a child is able to identify with what he or she likes most. Psychologists put more emphasis on the role that toys and play have in a child's growth. They point out that they stimulate the imagination of children thus aiding them in physical and social development. Learning through observation boosts great retention and so if children are to be encouraged to remember what they learn it is encouraged to utilize the available resources or anything in the likeness (Oravec 1).
Toys encourage mental acuity. It makes the learning process enjoyable both at school and even outside the school. Hands-on experience is usually viewed as one of the best way of teaching. In the process of entertainment a child still is able to learn for instance the colors or sounds in the surrounding unlike if learning was verbal only. Puzzles and trivia help children in problem solving and fact remembrance skills(All Business 2008). The joint play of both children and parents using toys is shown by research that they promote the performance of children in school (Samra et al.).
Apart from the positive lessons that children learn, there are also negative ones. If a child for instance associates with gun toys then he or she learns to associate his community with violence. Boys have been cited to be a good example when they meet strangers instead of greeting them; they point them with two fingers as if shooting them. Unless an elderly person is there to guide a child, there are high chances that the child will not separate reality from fantasy (New Brunswick Advisory Council of Women). War toys do not only impart negative effects on the behavior of a child but also implant negative ideas in their minds. It calls for provisions of toys that promote creativity and discourage vices such as violence. It therefore calls for parental control of what the children watch because some of the practices are attributed to what they gain from the media. In equatorial Africa, children have always made such items as spears for toys and so they grow up knowing that their culture is violent or are warriors (Tvo 1).
Since toys have positive effects on the development of a child as well as that of the society, it would be wise for parents to give them toys that promote creativity and imagination. It should also be toys that encourage the spirit of cooperation among children, one that builds rather than destroy the talents of children. It would be possible to nurture anti-violent and impart conflict solving skills and promotion of acquisition of new skills in children. It would be advisable to go for toys that are open ended that is, they do not predetermine right or wrong thus helping children become creative. Make Christening And Baptism A Memorable Day For Your Child Summer camps 2011 for kids and toddlers Techniques for dealing hyperactive children Is The Best ADHD Treatment A Psychostimulant? -Learning The Facts To Give Your Child A Much Better Chance Techniques To Teach Your Children How To Eat Properly and Make Wise Diet Choices Kids with Reading Difficulties - How to Help Them Multiple vulnerabilities for mentally retarded children Singing Tips To Help You Learn How To Sing Better - Singing Tips For guys and Singing Tips For Kids Entertaining Your Kids With Free Coloring Pages Guidelines To Buying A Youngsters Bunk Bed Which Your Kids Will Adore Treating ADHD In Children – Costs, Problems And Safer Alternatives Preparing For Your Child Custody Hearing Seeing Your Kids And About Child Custody