Toy Evaluation
Toy Evaluation
Introduction
Toys are normally the first things that children own as they grow up. They are useful as they help to entertain little children, on the other hand they may also be used to learn about the world. The first experiences that the children have are normally are normally a lasting experience on the kid. Toys may impact the children negatively while others may impact on them positively as well shall see. Some toys may instill an aspect of violence and aggression. With the restriction from watching violent television programs, most parents do not know that war toys have the same influence on children. According to experts, guns and other toys promote negative influence lie violence (Johnson, Vol 10, 2010). The toys portray a picture that violence is acceptable and conflict is the best way to resolve conflicts.
There other toys that helps to instill positive behaviors to children. The use of toys to acquire pro-social behavior is one of them. This is when children help other people without any form of malice. Children are able to play and correlate with others and help to know which social behavior is acceptable and which is not acceptable. While discipline is necessary parents, teachers and other child handlers can influence a child’s influence through toys (Johnson, 2010).
Parents on the other hand may have a gender role stereotyping in the socialization of the children through selection of toys. It is argued that both boys and children a naturally inclined towards choosing the same gender toys. It arises that the social happenings and more so the early impact by parents do much to impact on the toy selection preference. The selection of toys and their play have the impact of providing venues through which parents share knowledge and anticipations in relation to gender-appropriate behavior. According to researchers, suggest that toy selection and prenatal reaction to the toy play act as the basic influence in the acquisition of knowledge of their respective gender roles (Johnson, 2010).
Summary
Most toys today are divided into the tow major categories of boys and girls. Toys like Spiderman, which is an action figure that is known to possess powers of jumping from one building to another and wears a red costume for the boys and for the girls“The Care Bears” which are colorful bears and are sweet to play around with for the girls these toys pass down stereotypes of the gender tasks for the boys and girls. It is through these gender-based toys that boys are able to learn “warrior-like” roles while the girls learn to nurture. The Girl’s toys impress upon physical beauty and appearance while the boys toys insists on respect for physical strength. Gender socialization using toys helps children to learn and impress upon stereotypic roles.
There are also culturally related toys that are believed to help children to acquire good attributes and become better beings. Children are bale to acquire preferable attitudes and values in relation to their culture. Though it was quite common in the earlier point in times, the aspect is till common though diminishing. Other instances of cultural stereotypes are negative and should be avoided as they only advance hatred.
Toys that encourage violence and aggression
As children grow up they are able to play with several toys which encourage violence. Toy guns areplastic at times wooden that children use to represent the real life guns. The present society is too violent as stated by Dr. Marilyn Heins who is a parenting expert, Hiens further stats that toys bring a picture of what our culture is (Wisco, July 2008). The matter of concern is that these children using the toy guns have a trouble differentiating reality form fantasy. Violent toys do not make children acquire violent antiques, the toys that promote hurt and killing like toy guns can be harmful if the parents are not there to guide them. In the 21st century the society is affected by violence that forces the parents to hinder the violence that bring about violent actions, though the bigger picture is making sure that children are appreciated, impressing upon the interfacing between children with the family, community and read between the lines to them what really occurs (Wisco, July 2008).
Toy guns are quite common amongst little children, even with restriction to use guns; children still use other objects to stand in place of the guns and sounding the “Bang! Bang!” words. The objects that are used to represent guns may be bananas, twigs or cutlery. According to Heins, so long as children get to realize that these are fictitious, it is okay. But as we are living in a society that is flourished with look-alike weapons which has been brought about by the vicious society, children are increasingly using realistic semi-automatic guns. It is not easy for parents to hinder their children to know about weapon and violence as they will eventually will in relation to the society we are living in (Wisco, July 2008).
Parents may be quite useful to their children by not being overactive through banning the toys as the children may have an increasing desire to have what they are not allowed to have. The possession of the toy guns does not make him a killer, as the children grow up; they get to know that violence in real life does not happen as they think. They get to know that there is a contrast between imagination and reality and when one fires a gun it results to loss of life; one does not come back to life after that (Wisco, July 2008).
Toys that may promote pro-social behavior
Prosocial behavior is a form of behavior that is projectedto benefit another person. Emotions have a great impact on the on the advancement of prosocial values, motives and behaviors (EISENBERG, & FABES, n.d., pp. 646). The meaning attributed to prosocial behavior may contrast as one grows up. Children may share their toys as a symbol of simple play or interact with their friends about the objects they are using. Video games are a good example of a toy used by children to show prosocial behavior (EISENBERG & FABES). Video games are computer cartoons that children use to accomplish certain missions or play around with cartoons as they desire. These games involve certain features that make the children to assist each other hence establishing friendship. Though the video games have an acquired a bad press from the median through advancement of violence, it is good method that children may use for their benefit (Johnson, 2010, pp. 33). There is evidence that playing games is a good prosocial act for children.
Douglas Gentile holds the idea that some games make children react to real people with sympathy and assistance. A study done in Singapore has shown that children that engage in friendlier video games have a brighter appearance. From the 727 school students who were engaged in the interview, they were involved in varied activities; they were told to name their favorite video games, they also measured the time that they involve for each game and rate of how frequently the players assists each other in the video games. The researchers also measured every child’s prosocial attitudes and behavior. The children were asked is they were happy to engage in sharing with each other. Children were also asked to deduce some social instances. The outcome showed that the kids who spent more time in the prosocial video games showed better behaviors. When offered social instances, they were not bound to show hostile violent actions with other people. The impact of the video games is hence reliant on the content (Dewar, 2010). Policies should be put in place to enable children to develop in the best way possible (Zaff & Smerdon, 2009, pp. 105).
Gender stereotyping in toy selection
As children grow up they have in their minds an image of themselves being boys and girls. These images are acquired from parents, teachers and the society as a whole as well as the toys they use. The desire to play with toys of the same sex is figured to be the start of the gender stereotypes. According to Bryjak and Soroka, the planning for the coming times ahead normally starts with performing activities that are related to one’s sex. The acquisition of knowledge to be an adult hence changes to be learning to be a proper adult (Star, n.d.). With the stereotypes that are there in the society, it has shaped the aspects of being a proper adult.
The aspect of sexism happens through children’s toys. Toys are divided into colors of blue and navy for the boys and pink and white for the girls. The female part of the toys stores is seen to be bigger than the boy’s part perhaps due to the fact that women are more than the boys (Star, n.d.). Most toys meant for girls teach the compulsive value of appearance (Palan, Spring 2010). Girls hence learn to be beautiful and accepted by the community. Girls are known to be good at repetitive tasks. These products are factory-made with the stereotypic thought that girls socialize more than boys. While foe the boys it teaches to be strong and ability to win fights. Generally, toys put forward boys being more valued than girls. Strong toys propel competition and violent behavior as well as better at handling and reality. These toys bring about the message that violence is best applied in solving situations. Due to the stereotypes based on gender children follow the toys they use, they hence impress upon the stereotypes of gender socialization (Star, n.d.).
Culture stereotyping or culture awareness in toys
Toys are material works of art that can be used to tell us more about certain aspects of culture; attributes and values as well as the exercise of control in the society. Toys bring about the attitude of the bigger group; they are applied in legitimizing ideas and experiences while doing away with other ideas and experiences, useful in making the desired group to acquire significance (Nelson).
The Chicken snatcher is a novel toy which when a heavy-duty motor is hurt, the Negro hobbles with the chicken in hand with a dog following it. It is quite funny and is bound to make kids tickle. These toys provided education to children; who aimed to instill a sense of patience and perseverance, the ability to think and formulate ideas so as to achieve a certain mission (Nelson). The toys are applied so as to expand the minds of children and hence make their studies relaxed, most of which is acquired as the child is playing. The culture stereotype was advanced in several media; advertisement, television, and magazines. The ethnic orientation of toys was noted to be quite rife in the earlier times; 1920s. The trend though diminishing with the rise in globalization, there is still some aspects of it in certain societies. The decline was brought about by Civil Rights Movement in countries like America. Negro related toys were not taken well by the section of people. The painting black of this toy was later changed but in other instances it still there but at a limited level (Nelson).
References
EISENBERG, N., & FABES, R. A. (n.d.).Prosocial Development.Philosophical Roots of Prosocial Behavior.
Dewar, G., (2010). The beneficial social effects of video games: Games that promote helpfulness. Parenting Science.
Johnson, G. M. (Vol 10, 2010). Internet Use and Child Development: The Techno-Microsystem. Australian Journal of Educational & Developmental Psychology, pp32 – 43.
Nelson, P. B. (n.d.). Toys as History: Ethnic Images and Cultural Change.
Palan, A. B. (Spring 2010). HOW ARE CHILDREN’S ATTITUDES TOWARD ADS AND BRANDS AFFECTED BY GENDER-RELATED CONTENT IN ADVERTISING? Journal of Advertising, vol. 39, no. 1 pp. 35–48.
Star, D., (n.d.). How Toys Teach Children Stereotypical Gender Roles: A Look Inside a Local Toy Store, NCSU Freshman.
Wisco, A., (July 2008). Violent Toys and Their Effect on Children, Helping parents help their kids succeed in school and life.
Zaff, J. F., & Smerdon, B. (2009).Putting Children Front and Center: Building Coordinated Social Policy for America’s Children.APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, pp. 105–118.
