Mrs.Chacra
Ece Uconn -19
25 Nov 2019
Toddler Play and Characteristics
Toddlers between the age of 2-3 years old show distinct and interesting characteristics regarding the types of toys they prefer to play with. Studies in this article written by Marion O'Brien and Aletha Huston show that children prefer to play with toys that are made for their gender rather than neutral toys of the opposite sex's. This study shows that children are influenced by many environmental factors, a major one being parental guardians. As home visitors conduct a 2 month investigation, they find that parents push their children to to interact with toys according to their gender. One of many intriguing characteristic of toddler play is that as children mature in their play, they begin to recognize their roles and "norms" in life. This is shown when statistics reveal that children of a older age were likely to choose toys of their gender more often than younger kids. Throughout a toddlers years, they show to be very possessive towards their toys and refuse to share. This is shown when the article states that children only shared 3.5% of the time, a shockingly low rate. Another interesting characteristic about toddler play is that they have a very short attention span. While conducting the study, investigators show that children would play from 5-10 min and then move to a different activity.
(American Psychological Assoc.)
References
O’Brien, M., & Huston, A. C. (1985). Development of Sex-Typed Play Behavior in Toddlers. Developmental Psychology, 21(5), 866–871. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=SN035753&site=ehost-live
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ReplyDeleteI agree with the article. Our first opinions or thoughts were most likely influenced, intentionally or unintentionally, by a parent's opinion or thought. Therefore, it makes sense that children grow up preferring toys for their gender based off their parents' choice to surround them with those specific toys.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this summary, I feel that as we move forward and eventually become parents ourselves we should encourage children to play with all toys. Personally, I see myself buying my daughter dolls and my sons trucks. However I will encourage that they explore playing with all toys.
ReplyDeleteI agree that children are influenced by environmental factors. Exploring is the way children learn and develop and it is important for them to be able to explore
ReplyDelete