Abstract
This study examined the effects of nine toys on the play of 60 3- and 4-year-old children in culturally diverse preschool classrooms. The toys, which varied in their features and intended uses, were selected from a list of those that were nominated by teachers and parents as being developmentally beneficial. Each toy was video recorded for 240 h during free play time in four different classrooms. Researchers coded 828 two-minute segments of children’s play with these toys using a play quality with toys (PQT) rating instrument developed in a previous investigation. Toys were found to vary significantly in their impact on play quality. PQT scores were also found to vary for each toy depending on the gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity of the child playing with it, and the length of time it was available in the classroom. Implications for selecting toys for classrooms and observing children’s play with them are presented.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bergen, D. (2001). The role of pretend play in children’s cognitive development. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 4, 1–12.
Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2007). Tools of the mind. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Campenni, C. E. (1999). Gender stereotyping of children’s toys: A comparison of parents and nonparents. Sex Roles, 40, 121–138.
Cherney, I. D., Kelly, V. L., Glover, K. G., Ruane, A., & Ryalls, B. O. (2004). The effects of stereotyped toys and gender on play-based assessment in 18–48 months old children. Educational Psychology, 23, 95–106.
Doyle, A., Ceschin, R., & Tessier, O. (1991). The relation of age and social class factors in children’s social pretend play to cognitive and symbolic ability. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 14, 395–410.
Elias, C. L., & Berk, L. E.(2002). Self-regulation in young children: Is there a role for sociodramatic play? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17, 216–238.
Ginsberg, H. (2006). Mathematical play and playful mathematics: A guide for early education. In D. Singer, R. M. Golinkoff, & K. Hirsh-Pasek (Eds.) Play = learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional growth (pp. 145-165). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Goncu, A., Mistry, J., & Mosier, C. (2000). Cultural variations in the play of toddlers. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 24, 321–329.
Hale-Benson, J. E. (1986). Black children: Their roots, culture, and learning styles. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Hanline, M. F., Milton, S., & Phelps, P. C. (2009). The relationship between preschool block play and reading and math abilities in early elementary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without disabilities. Early Child Development and Care, 189, 117–147.
Hendrickson, J., Tremblay, A., Strain, P., & Shores, R. (1981). Relationship between toy and material use and the occurrence of social interactive behaviors by normally developing preschool children. Psychology in the Schools, 18, 500–504.
Howes, C., & Matheson, C. C. (1992). Sequences in the development of competent play with peers: Social and social pretend play. Developmental Psychology, 28, 961.
Hughes, C., & Carter, M. (2002). Toys and materials as setting events for the social interaction of preschool children with special needs. Educational Psychology, 22, 429–444.
Hunter, M. A., Ross, H. S., & Ames, E. W. (1982). Preferences for familiar or novel toys: Effect of familiarization time in 1-year-olds. Developmental Psychology, 18, 519.
Ivory, J. J., & McCollum, J. A. (1999). Effects of social and isolate toys on social play in an inclusive setting. Journal of Special Education, 32, 238–243.
Lloyd, B., & Howe, N. (2003). Solitary play and convergent and divergent thinking skills in preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18, 22–41.
McLoyd, V. C. (1983). The effects of structure of play objects on the pretend play of low income children. Child Development, 54, 626–635.
McLoyd, V. (1986). Scaffolds or shackles? The role of toys in preschool children’s pretend play. In G. Fein & M. Rivkin (Eds.), Young child at play: Reviews of research (pp. 63–78). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Miller, C. L. (1987). Qualitative differences among gender–stereotyped toys: Implications for cognitive and social development in girls and boys. Sex Roles, 16, 473–487.
Mundy, P., & Newell, L. (2007). Attention, joint attention, and social cognition. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 269–274.
Pellegrini, A. D., & Bjorklund, D. F. (2004). The ontogeny and phylogeny of children’s object and fantasy play. Human Nature, 15, 23–43.
Prescott, E., Kritchevsky, S., & Jones, E. (1972). The day care environmental inventory. Pasadena, CA: Pacific Oaks College.
Rabinowitz, F. M., Moely, B. E., Finkel, N., & McClinton, S. (1975). The effects of toy novelty and social interaction on the exploratory behavior of preschool children. Child Development, 46, 286–289.
Rettig, M., Kallam, M., & McCarthy-Salm, K. (1993). The effect of social and isolate toys on the social interactions of preschool-aged children. Education and Training in Mental Retardation, 28, 252–256.
Riojas-Cortéz, M. (2001). Preschoolers’ funds of knowledge displayed through sociodramatic play episodes in a bilingual classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29, 157–170.
Roskos, K. A., Christie, J. F., Widman, S., & Holding, A. (2010). Three decades in: Priming for meta-analysis in play-literacy research. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10, 55–96.
Rubin, K. H. (1977). The social and cognitive value of preschool toys and activities. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 9, 382–385.
Saltz, E., Dixon, D., & Johnson, J. (1977). Training disadvantaged preschoolers on various fantasy activities: Effects on cognitive functioning and impulse control. Child Development, 48, 367–380.
Shutts, K., Banaji, M. R., & Spelke, E. S. (2010). Social categories guide young children’s preferences for novel objects. Developmental Science, 13, 599–610.
Smilansky, S. (1968). The effects of sociodramatic play on disadvantaged preschool children. New York, NY: Wiley.
Sutton-Smith, B. (1986). Toys as culture. New York, NY: Gardner Press.
Sutton-Smith, B. (2009). The ambiguity of play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Tizzard, B., Phelps, J., & Plewis, L. (1976). Play in preschool centres: Play measures and their relation to age, sex, and IQ. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 251–264.
Trawick-Smith, J. (1990). Effects of realistic vs. non-realistic play materials on young children’s symbolic transformation of objects. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 5, 27–36.
Trawick-Smith, J. (1992). A descriptive study of spatial arrangement in a family day care home. Child & Youth Care Forum, 21, 356–397.
Trawick-Smith, J. (1993). Effects of realistic, non-realistic, and mixed-realism play environments on young children symbolization, social interaction, and language. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta.
Trawick-Smith, J. (2010). Drawing back the lens on play: A frame analysis of young children’s play in Puerto Rico. Early Education and Development, 21, 1–32.
Trawick-Smith, J., & Dzuirgot, T. (2010a). “Good-fit” teacher–child play interactions and subsequent autonomous play in preschool. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 110–123.
Trawick-Smith, J., & Dzuirgot, T. (2010b). Untangling teacher–child play interactions: Do teacher education and experience influence “good-fit” responses to children’s play? Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 31, 1–24.
Trawick-Smith, J., Russell, H., & Swaminathan, S. (2010). Measuring the effects of toys on the cognitive, creative, and social play behaviors of preschool children. Early Child Development and Care, 181, 909–927.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1976). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. In J. Bruner, A. Jolly, & K. Sylva (Eds.), Play: Its role in development and evolution (pp. 6–18). New York, NY: Basic Books.
Whiting, B. B., & Edwards, C. P. (1988). Children of different worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wolfgang, C. H., Standard, L., & Jones, I. (2001). Block play performance among preschoolers as a predictor of later school achievement in mathematics. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15, 173–180.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Trawick-Smith, J., Wolff, J., Koschel, M. et al. Effects of Toys on the Play Quality of Preschool Children: Influence of Gender, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status. Early Childhood Educ J 43, 249–256 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0644-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0644-7