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Traditional Toy and its Significance to a Child

Article  in  Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology · August 2015

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 TRADITIONAL TOY AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE TO A CHILD

ABSTRACT
The article is concerned with the pedagogical question associated with the significance of a traditional toy for a
kid. A toy has gone through many historical changes throughout its evolution and even at the present time it has
an irreplaceable significance because its nature stays the same. When a child plays with a toy, it positively
contributes to the cognitive, emotional and physical development of a child. In the article we are also concerned
with the criteria for the quality of toys.

INTRODUCTION
Most of the games need a material impulse – a physical object, a real thing from the surroundings of a child or an
object specially made for a play – a toy. For a child a toy represents the world in a realistic or stylized way, the
world which surrounds them, motivates their activity, living and acting. During a play the children use toys
which define the type, manner and richness of their playing activities. Actually, a toy defines, influences and
develops a playing activity and because of that a variety of toys and its social, art and creative value is important.
A play with a good, functional toy encourages the fantasy and creative thinking, it supports the physical
development and it helps a child to integrate into the world of other people and into their present and future life.
The disciplines which are concerned with the study of a toy are ethnography, archaeology, pedagogy,
psychology and cultural anthropology. From their findings it results that the basic repertory of toys in different
historical eras has not essentially changed. It differed only in the level of visual realization and the quality of the
used materials. The toys were almost exclusively the miniaturized objects from the working area, family life,
combat activities, taking care of a family or human amusement. Such toys fulfilled the didactic and socializing
function, they reflected the real life and they helped children to be prepared for it.
There is a number of time-proved toys. The requirements for a good toy come from the fact that through them
the motional, sensorial, mental and emotional development of a child should be encouraged. The social attitudes
and habits of a child should also be developed and the fantasy of a child should be encouraged. The requirements
for the hygienic and safety-related quality of the toys and their aesthetic level are also non-negligible. A toy
should also be durable and safe and the price of a toy is also important.
In the most cases, the choice of a toy is not given to the children. Exceptions are the cases when a child chooses
an object from the surroundings, an object which is not primarily meant to be a toy.

SIGNIFICANCE OF A TOY TO A CHILD

Parents and the relatives who buy the toys have the impact on how valuable and beneficial is the toy in the
didactic, artistic and emotional respect. Duplinský (1993) cites the American research which shows that a child
has an opportunity to choose a toy in only 20 % of the cases. In 40 % of the cases a toy is picked by the parents
with intention to amuse the child and so that the children do not disturb them. 87 % of the parents are willing to
buy a militaristic toy. Only a third of the parents (with a higher education) state that the educational aspect of a
toy is more important to them.
This many requirements on the quality and the level of the toy of course make it harder for the parents to choose
a proper toy, mainly when they also need to take into account the developing and psychological aspect. The role
of the teachers, psychologists and nursery teachers steps forward so that they make sure that they choose toys
which are suitable for the specific age of the children. Very important is also the role of the mainstream effect on
the parenting society so that they don’t choose the toys only according to the market and financial mechanisms.
Children should get their toys in an appropriate age. In this regard, Zdeněk Matějíček (1995) defines two
meanings of a toy – developmental and stimulating, whereby he finds the developmental meaning as the crucial
one. He definitely insists on the fact that “a toy needs to match the mental age of a child” and he criticizes the
situation when the manufacturer states on the packaging of toy a very vague information as “recommended age
is from 3 to 8 years”, whereby this interval covers four different development stages. On the spread idea that the
toys suitable for older kids stimulate and accelerate their development he reacts “…we do not give simpler toys
to small children because we think they are too stupid for them, but simply because their nervous system needs
them at the given development stage…the most modern toys are very perfect but rather monothematic and that
fact takes away the possibility from children to use their own creativity.
Also Stoppard says that adequacy of a toy to age plays an important role when choosing the right toy. She
emphasizes the importance of a stimulating environment for a realization of a play that means enjoyable and for
a child attractive environment, organization and presentation of the toys should not be in boxes or on a pile but in
the motivating configurations and positions, in the situations which stimulate the imagination and creativity of a
child (Stoppardová, 1992).
E. Opravilová (1995) and A. M. Dostál (1988) are of the same opinion: “Continual integration of the children to
the world of adults secured by educational influence in the broadest sense (but of course also by a toy) takes for
granted the existence of an environment, where a child can play in the manner of what the patterns of their
mental and physical development demand.
In the conditions of a nursery it is a question of so called pedagogically adapted environment, that means it is
adjusted so that a child has a constant opportunity to a rich and stimulating playful activity and a sufficiency of
toys and game impulses. In the conditions of a family it is also a question of where and how to place the toys so
that they are not dead and expensive investment but so that they are always pedagogically and motivationally
accessible and ready to use. In the both environments a child should have a freedom of movement and they
should not be restricted by anything else but safety aspects.
The price of a toy is not a crucial aspect for a success of a toy with kids. The children play with a toy, they are
satisfied with it, they are focused and they develop if the toy meets the criteria of the age suitability, i.e. an
appropriate period to give the toy. In the connection with this M. Stoppard (1992) states the experience of most
of the parents, that a child often plays with an object that is not a toy, that is not made for playing but a child is
interested and fascinated by it and returns to it. The fact that a child wants to imitate the role of the adults
probably also plays a role and maybe the objects of normal use should be used as toys and they should
supplement the set of the “main” pedagogically and psychologically important toys.
Whichever object from the surroundings of a child hides a potential to become a toy. Such a toy helps to gain
experience of the real world, development of the fantasy and to a natural integration to the world of the adults.
However, it is not possible to agree with an opinion that “the children mostly make the toys themselves.”
(Vocilka, 1995)
It is mostly said about a toy that it is a miniaturized or stylized object from the real world and through it the
children gain knowledge about the reality by which they are not surrounded at the moment. From this point of
view there are two possible levels of understanding a toy. A child can either choose an object as a toy (its
purpose is different) itself, - Dostál calls this level the primary function of a toy or a child chooses a toy, which is
an object directly made for a play, when the choice and schematization is made by an adult. Then the same
author speaks of the secondary function of a toy. (Dostál, Opravilová,1988)
Very little children (until the age of 1) need such toys that develop all of the five senses. Because of that the toys
which offer enough experiences with the knowing of colours, surfaces, materials, shapes and sounds are
considered to be appropriate and age suitable toys. By the toddlers the age suitable games are for “putting things
in and out” so cubes, circles which are put on a vertical sticks, pyramid puzzles can be used.
Children around the age of two are adopting the ability to rotate their wrists, which enables them to rotate things,
unscrew the caps, and open the doors. Because of this such a toy is suitable, which enables such a manipulation –
shapes which fit into each other, differently shaped blocks which fit only into specific shapes, planks in different
shapes and plates.
Despite the development of technology and modernisation of the toys and against the expectations of the parents
it is a known fact that the less shaped and simpler toy is handled to a child, the more opportunities it offers to the
child´s imagination. A piece of wood can represent to a preschool aged child a sword, a magic wand, a baton, a
tower, an object for passing, a bridge across a river, a tollgate and many other things, while for example a costly
dressed and even a talking and walking doll, which is mostly more expensive, has only one function
(Stoppardová, 1992).
When choosing a toy a parent or a tutor should ask these kinds of questions: is the toy safe, is it stimulating, is it
worth the play, is it universal enough so that it suits more types of games, will it “grow” with a child, is it fun to
play with? Ideally a box (set, collection) of blocks which spans a longer age period and it stimulates the
imagination and activity meets these criteria. Mechanical toys are in this aspect very often a let-down because
their use is very often one-sided, unrepeated and the children often get bored because their imagination is not
activated.
Otokar Chlup (Chlup, Kubálek, 1938) emphasized (same like Matějček, 1995) the importance of choosing the
toy by a child itself and he dealt with the question of suitability of toys and their adequacy to age and
development stage of a child. He also says that there is no need for the redundancy of toys, too big selection of
toys rather distresses a child than pleases. Further he says that the toys should be made from a proper material
and “they should not imitate other material from which they are made” – as if he anticipated the later era of
plastic, which “looked” differently, than the artificial material should or they substituted other material. He
emphasizes the level and quality of folk toys unlike many industrially made toys. He states that the toys do not
only occupy the children but they also train and educate them in many ways. They develop a child´s memory,
attention and fantasy. Because of that mainly very simple but thorough and solid toys are the most favourite ones
with the children. According to Chlup, the toys which a child can observe and use only in the presence of an
adult or toys which seduce to vulgarity or brutality are totally inappropriate. Toys which offer to children an
opportunity to act superior above other children, do not have a good educational influence on them.

ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE WORD TOY AND CATEGORIZATION OF TOYS

In the broader sense of a word we can call a toy anything that a child uses during a play. A child can play with
nearly everything, with every object of daily need; they sometimes even prefer these objects to the real and
costly toys. The toys in real sense of the word are the objects, specially made for children playing activity. The
toys can be made of various materials – wood, plastic, paper, textile and others. If we talk about the industrially
or handily made objects, Mišurcová (Mišurcová, Fišer, Fixl, 1980) states these toys as suitable ones for the
category of preschool children.
• A doll with accessories (clothes, toiletries, a bed, a stroller, a room, a medical bag),
• A miniature doll with travelling equipment,
• A dummy, teddy bear or other textile animal,
• Puppets, or puppet theatre, building blocks (constructive, consisting of wooden cubes, plastic),
• Thematic toys (cities, villages),
• Vehicles (a train, a truck, a crane truck, miniature cars),
• Board games (domino, bingo, flashcards, mosaics, shape sorters, picture puzzle),
• Motion toys (a ball, a hoop, a jump rope, circles for throwing, ninepins, a windmill, a rocking-horse,
tricycle, a scooter, children bicycle, roller-skates, sledge, skates, bobsled, skis),
• Creative toys (black boards, chalks, crayons, tempera paints, pencils, brushes, modelling materials,
modelling clay, cut-outs, colouring books, magnetic board, stringing beads and shapes),
• Work tools (a hammer, pliers)
• Gardening tools (a spade, a rake, a shovel, watering-can),
• Toys for a sandbox (a pail, a scoop, shapes, trolley for sand)
• Toys to water (plastic and rubber animals, inflatable toys),
• Sound toys (drums, a whistle, a trumpet, xylophone, triangle).
This list is of course only informative, i tis aimed to educative influence in the nurseries and it would be
possible to add new types of toys (Duplo, Lego) or to divide the desirable (possible) set of toys according to
shorter age periods. For example like this:
Toys for babies until 6 months:
• Hanging toys moving with the airflow,
• Toys which can be squeezed or sucked on,
• Soft toys and balloons,
• Rattles, bells, squeaking toys.
Toys for babies from 7 to 12 months:
• Standing rattles,
• Books made of hard paper, textile, wood or vinyl,
• Balls,
• Motion toys,
• Big, soft cubes,
• Stuffed animals,
• Buckets, forms and toys to water.
Toys for toddlers from 12 to 18 months:
• Picture books with variously adjusted surface,
• Music toys,
• Puzzles,
• Cars,
• Things for colouring and colouring books,
• Toys which fit into each other,
• Toys for putting on each other,
• Toys which are pulled.
Toys for toddlers from 18 months to 2 years:
• Dolls,
• Toys that can be hit, sorting and stringing toys,
• Toys with wheels,
• Child mobile phone,
• Music toys.
Toys for children from 2 to 3,5 years:
• Changing clothes of the dolls,
• Tempera pains or water paints and pieces of paper,
• Building blocks of many kinds
• Simple games and puzzles,
• Manipulating toys,
 • Tools and objects of daily need in the household.
Toys for children from 3,5 to 5 years:
• Set of various constructing models and cars,
• Magnetic or flannel boards,
• Miniature situational models (a house for dolls, game on a shop),
• Sport equipment in children modification,
• Books, gramophone, tape recorder, magnifying glass, binoculars.
Toys for children from 5 to 7 years:
• Dressing dolls,
• Miniaturized machines from the adult world (cash registers, typewriters, a simple camera),
• Simple handicraft tools,
• Trains, cars
• Books with several chapters, musical instruments (a flute, a mouth organ),
• Group games. (Stoppardová, 1992)

QUALITY OF THE TOYS

There are many attempts in the literature to define a set of toys that are necessary to secure an opportunity for
versatile psychological development of a child. Besides the two above stated it is O. Elmanová (1964), activities
of the international organization ICCP (International Council for Children´s Play) – founded in Ulm already in
1959. This organization defined the criteria and requirements for a good toy. The aspects of academic disciplines
which are concerned with a play and a toy as well as the aspects and requirements of practical disciplines which
are concerned with a toy are contained in these criteria:
• The age of a child for which the toys are suitable, so that a toy is up-to-date from the aspect of current
development stage of a child;
• The necessity of a full usage of child´s imagination when playing – if a child learns from a young age to
use simple objects and shapes with which the imagination must be used, it can later better and more
creatively manipulate with the miniaturized and stylized toys, to take more out of them;
• The variability or the multitude of playing possibilities. The more possibilities a toy offers the more
interesting i tis for a child and the more developing value it has. Single use toy can tire soon and it creates
disinterest and passivity;
• Comprehensibility of a toy – the design and shape design of a toy contain an information, which should
be comprehensible mainly during the first phase of contact of a child with a toy;
• The size of a toy – a younger child needs for example with a construction toy bigger parts because its
motor skills are not evolved enough to manipulate with smaller parts;
• Number and composition of toys – the selection of toys in families is random and in the nurseries i tis
controlled in so that the number of toys is not abundant or insufficient;
• Suitability of the materials – for every toy a different material is suitable and typical. It should correspond
to aesthetical and pedagogical purpose of a toy, its function and character;
• Shape and colour of a toy – which play role by the acceptance of a toy by a child; an opinion that a child
clearly prefers bright colours is not really proven; experiences from the practice indicates that bright
brown tones (natural wood) are optimal, supplemented with areas of bright saturated colours (white,
yellow, red); a colour does not have to match the reality;
• Solidity and durability of a toy – it is important mainly by the toys which are with a child for a longer
period (a doll, a teddy bear, a puppet) or by a construction toys, which is being dismantled by a child in
the analytical age;
• Construction and mechanics with regard to comprehensibility of a toy; comprehensible toy is the one
which is well and logically constructed; a technical complexity of a toy is a mistake in regard of young
age of a child
• Safety of a toy – nontoxicity of the paints, resistance saliva and sweat, resistance to fire, sanitariness, a
safe size of a toy and its parts, roundedness;
• Price of a toy – it needs to be viewed with regard to its playing meaning, durability and life span. (Dostál,
Opravilová, 1988)
It is interesting that the especially defined pedagogical value of a toy, latently hidden in the manner of
presentation of a toy to a child is not stated or it is stated in different context than the criteria of quality and
selection of toys. In this regard we must realize the danger of two extremes – excessive control over the child
playing activities on one hand and complete freedom for a child during the manipulation with a toy on the other
hand. Both extremes occur in dependence on whether a child play in a nursery or at home, whether the parents
are pedagogically informed or not, whether they devote more or less time to a child, whether a child has the
majority of toys that are artificially made or most of the toys are made by a child using the objects of a daily use
and using the imagination. Social environment of a child is important for its development stage. A good parent
and of course a good teacher tries to find a reasonable degree of controlling and influencing of the child playing
spontaneity.
Almost the whole nonfiction literature agrees on the opinion that a toy is irreplaceable in the development of a
child and in the pedagogical and educational work of the teachers in the nurseries. It must be stated that there is
also a controversial opinion which (maybe in the connection with antipedagogics) denies the role of a toy. For
example, there is a project called “A nursery without toys” which comes from a massive preference of
imaginative abilities of a child. It claims that taking the toys away from the children, makes them more creative.
In this project a child makes toys out of ordinary objects, instead of taking an intentionally methodically offered
toy. A theoretical way out of this approach is an opinion (maybe even reality) that a child mostly reaches for an
attractive thing instead of a pedagogically, ethically or life beneficial object – so at older age a child can reach
for a drug, for example. However, according to the authors of the project if a child is from the beginning
systematically led to creating an own world and own values through the objects of the surroundings and own
abilities, under inconspicuous and indirect leadership and influence, without any purposeful manipulation by a
pedagogue, it will not create a harmful and wrong values and it will not reach for a drug or any other dangerous
objects. Only one thing needs to be added to this opinion and that is the fact that it is in the stage of tests and
verification and here not even these tendencies are visible.
Of course not even in the ideal case it cannot mean that a child under a kind oversight of a teacher only plays
on its own and “creates its own world”. And also it cannot mean that the work of the teachers would be easier in
this case. It is much more effective to work with a child according to pre-made plan with the use of toys, or
eventually didactic materials and to, as Opravilová says “manipulate” a child in some way for a good and
pedagogically and human justified purpose, than to “bring every single child to a self-realization and a
self-expression in a play”, to analyse its actions and build upon that with some indirect, but creative, however
unsystematical creating of its individuality. (Opravilová, 1994)
The basic question for classification of toys from the aspect of the type and kind of a toy in the connection
with the age and development aspect is “with what and when to play?” This question is asked by Opravilová and
it connects the adequate (recommended) age of a child with a type of a toy, not with a specific toy like Stoppard
(1992).
The significance of a toy lies in the development of various aspects of child´s psychic, knowledge and
socializing processes, in the process of maturing and learning, in the development of independence, in gaining
the sensual experiences, experiences in movement in the room, in discovering and searching of the new by
means of a playing activity, in adopting the surrounding world and the world yet hidden to a child.
The most appropriate classification of toys with the acceptance of generally known and proven influences
which a toy has on a child, like: growth of the needs of a child, its socialization, influencing the maturing and
learning, gaining the sensual experiences, growing of independence, gaining experiences in movement in the
room, growing fine motor skills, searching and discovering in a creative activity, seems to be the one made by
Opravilová, which comes from an older concept (H. S. Hertzke 1964), whose main criteria is the development of
a child and a link-up of this activity on the process of knowing.
Because of that Opravilová (Dostál, Opravilová, 1988) sorts the toys into twelve basic categories:
1. First toys (2 to 9 months) – objects for hanging above the crib, circles, a rattle, simple animals, hygienic
materials, polished wood, plastic.
2. Hollow forms (till 2,5 years) – versatile usage, they strengthen and exercise the grip of a hand and an arm
of a child and coordination of both hands, they soften the movements and muscles of fingers. Joining of
the hollow forms with water and sand is proving well. Material: wood with a natural colour or lively
varnished, perhaps even simply ornamented with stylized pictures.
3. Forms, shapes and stringing games (1,5 to 4 years) – around the second year a child gains an ability to
make simple shapes, put various pieces together and take them back to pieces. Inserting of objects into
holes and delicate manipulation with material exercises the position of fingers against each other. A
colour and shape differentiation also comes later. Choosing of puzzles, stringing and pyramid shapes,
assembling figures, cars, trains, trolleys or even bigger shaped mosaics offer a vast range of opportunities
for a child´s activity.
4. Spinning and screwing (1,5 to 4 years). Around the second year a child begins to orientate itself for
searching of belonging shapes and pieces. That is a great exercise for cooperation between both hands and
motion coordination. Various assembling and screwing dolls and figures, boxes and plates with a
possibility to screw various shapes on them belong here.
5. Building and constructing (1,5 to 4,5 years). Approximately from 7 months a child can hold two things at
the same time and later it can place them on each other. That is a basis for building for which highly
 coordinated movements are needed. A natural wood with simple shaping is the most suitable material for
building blocks. Plastic is not so convenient, because it has smaller surface roughness and with that a
smaller static balance and stability.
6. Balls and throwing (1 to 7 years, later balls specific for a sport activity). A ball accompanies a child
throughout the whole childhood. It should be optimised with its size to the age of a child. A ball can be
used since year one for practicing the coordination of muscle movements on hands, fingers, arms. Balls,
ninepins, hoops and throwing rings has a special significance for children with eye defects and lack of
motion coordination because they help with removing the spatial uncertainty of a child.
7. Dolls, animals, villages, cities (6 months to 7 years). Since a young age there are miniaturized objects
which accompany a child. They enable them to live through relations which a child in reality only sees as
a spectator. By means of these toys a child can reproduce all of its experiences. The toys themselves are
not the only important thing but also other additional accessories, mainly if they are made by the children
itself or with a help from an adult: clothes for dolls, accessories for an apartment, shop, household. For
children who are limited in movement, have a long term illness, live in an institutional environment has
this category a value in helping them to mediate many impressions which they cannot experience
themselves. V. Borecký (1982) notices a special meaning of these kinds of toys that are being applied in
so called mimetic (displaying) plays. He also suggests the possibility to diagnose the educational
problems with the help of these plays, where a child combines the pieces into a picture of the world in the
way it comprehences and understands the world.
8. The first mechanics (15 months to 4 years). One of the main principles for this kind of toys is that they
should be constructed in a way that a child can control their functions and motional mechanism. We find
various types of these toys in the folk creations – pecking chicken, a fight of two bears, working
craftsmen or a figurine with moving limbs and they are represented in almost all cultures. Various pulling
toys and rollers are industrially made. A child brings them into motion by pulling it behind, or the better
option is if the children push it in front on a stick so that they can watch the movement.
9. The first machines (1,5 to 6 years). The principle of mechanism should also be available to a child. It is
not necessary to imitate the reality perfectly, i tis enough to represent the typical features. A correct
functionality and durability is important with these toys, because a quick malfunction of the mechanism
can discourage a child from this toy. More complicated mechanical toys – trains, remote control cars,
electronic building kit, planes, and models of ships belong to the much older children, where a elementary
understanding of the principle of movement is presumed. Simple wooden cars, cranes, a lift, a digger on
which they can load things, transport and control them are the first machines that will serve to pre-school
children.
10. The first working material (1,5 to 7 years). A possibility to have a contact with water and sand is one of
the most important conditions of the upbringing of a young child. A possibility to manipulate with them
should be everywhere, where are the children. The same goes for drawing, painting and the whole artistic
expressing, clay or plasticine modelling, cutting out and making collages. For these activities there are
various kinds of colours, first the ones that a child can put right on the fingers, later use a brush or a stick,
crayons, chalks and various boards and surfaces where a child can perform these artistic activities.
11. Placing and assembling (1,5 to 7 years). A special didactic significance has always been given to these
activities in theory and in practice as well. Searching for specific geometrical shapes, inserting of specific
shapes to exact holes, assembling a whole out of parts, so called jigsaw puzzle belong to this category.
Unlike from sooner, where more abstract shapes were used (e.g. by Montessori), these shapes are coming
closer to real objects in contemporary approach, and there is an effort to keep not only the shape but also
a logical context (e.g. a triangle as a traffic sign). These activities are offered to a child in the form of
board games, dominos, puzzles and mosaics.
12. Various (1,5 to 7 years). A number of small things belong to this category, which are intended mainly
for the joy and amusement of a child, but that can also lead to practicing of some of the functions.
Examples are windmills, soap bubbles, inflatable balloons, marbles, yoyo, brain-teasers, card pairs and
triplets, cut-outs, colouring books and object made to create collections. It is also important to leave time
and space to a child for these objects and their arrangement. Buttons, match boxes, stickers from cheeses,
chewing gum and chocolate wrappers can also be very good materials, because also with these a child can
learn a formal operation of sorting.
Jarmila Svobodová (1989) suggests a simple but also well-arranged and methodically interesting proposal for
assortment of toys for pre-school children, where she takes in account the age and related abilities of a child:
Toys for 0 – 6 months old:
• Toys for sensomotorics games – for development of visual perception, hearing perception, tactile
perception, for development of gross motor skills (motional), manipulative toys – (toys for hanging into
 the field of vision, a hanging bar for the crib, rattles, rubber toys with sound, inflatable animals, figurines,
hollow forms, first building kits, cubes),
• Toys developing emotional and aesthetic experiencing (first dolls, soft toys),
• Toys for sensomotoric games – fine motor skills, hearing perception, gross motor skills – (cubes, hollow
forms, inserting cubes with holes, toys for spinning and screwing, puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, vehicles, cars,
trains, balls, ninepins, scooter, tricycle),
• Toys for development of intelligence and personality – constructive toys, toys for imitative games,
creative games – (the first building kit, children dishes, vehicles, kitchens, objects from household,
working tools, toys for a play in the sand),
• Toys developing emotional and aesthetic experiencing (dolls, puppets, marionettes, textile and plush toy
to a crib, first mechanical toys).
Toys for 3 – 6 years old:
• Toys for imitative and sensory games – gross motor skills, fine motor skills, visual perception – (see
previous period, throwing rings, ninepins, toys for a play in the water, a jump rope, mosaic building kits,
stringing and slip-on shapes and beads, marbles, simple musical instruments),
• Toys for development of intelligence and personality – constructive toys, toys for thematic games, toys
for creative games – (building kits with various types of materials, sets for imitating various occupations,
miniatures of objects, houses, work machines and tools, figures of animals and figurines, sets of materials
and additional objects),
• Toys developing emotional and aesthetical experiencing (plush, textile toys, sets for completion, sets for
dramatizing and role plays, toys for joy and amusement),
• Toys for group games (board games, picture dominos, Ludo, sets of games).
Svobodová in this summary states to every type of a toy also its characteristics and main contribution for the
development of a child including the appropriate time specification for the usage of the individual toys, their
presumable psychological influences and material or technical execution of the toys.
Any list of all the possible types of toys in connection with an adequate child´s activity is not and never can
be entirely complete. One of the reasons is that the market, inventiveness of the toy makers, industrial production
and advance in technology is bringing and will always be bringing new toys corresponding to the state of
technological development of society. In connection with scientific and technological development, for example
electronic toys, models, remote control vehicles, electronic building kits (Logotronik, Elektronik), computer
games are penetrating into the market and also into the educational practice.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Ethical, pedagogical and communicative problems emerging with the use of electronic toys are usually
pushed back by unquestionable significance of these toys for the development of cognitive processes. Electronic
toys have besides the informatively cognitive value some danger in the fact that they strengthen the bond with
the audio-visual resources too much and they push back the primary life experience and they limit the
interpersonal communication. A question thus emerges – how and to what extent shall we use the electronic toys,
so that the rate of development of children´s cognition would guarantee an advance in technology of the mankind
in the future and at the same time it would not mean the loss of specifically human dimension of communication,
contact, understanding and experiencing. Contemporary opinions of the experts say that the electronic toys are
suitable for children older than the pre-school age, even though in the future there probably will be logical,
programmable machines also in the nurseries, on which the children will practice the speed of thinking,
readiness and decision making activities.
The second and it appears that more serious reason, that a clear classification of toys is difficult is, that a toy
as an object and a play as an activity are very changing variables and the relationship of a child to a toy is itself a
phenomenon very difficult to grasp. Josef Duplinský even eliminates such an option and says: “… a child is the
only real expert in the domain of a play and a toy on one side and a specific toy on the other side, because a toy
is an emotional phenomenon and it also emotionally affects a child in the play…the play expressions of a child
and its virtuosity and the situational varying of the play expressions exceed the professionally accustomed
schemes very often…a very inappropriate term standard child is used when trying to make a classification of
toys”. This author is because of that sceptical about the classification of toys and he only accepts the following
principles:
• A toy should only be developed in the presence of the children and in social interaction with them,
• A toy must be multidimensionally reviewed from different aspects,
• It is necessary to respect the circumstances, under which the toy is really used,
• Repeated and long-term observation of the specific playing activities with a toy and their consequences
plays an important role,
 • A toy must correspond to the physical and mental abilities of a child,
• A toy should invoke a positive emotional satisfaction,
• A toy should include a certain educational effect in some playful form. (Duplinský, 1991)
However, a human factor and a role of pedagogically adapted environment will not (hopefully) lose its
significance in the future, because the development of the intelligence is besides the genetic sources also
dependant on emotional sources, which cannot be fully replaced by an electronic toy.
Similarly disputable toy is the Barbie doll, when the originally good intention was almost completely
destroyed by the mechanism of the market. We can also discuss the combat and war toys from many points of
view. However, if a toy is a representation and reflection of reality, then also the war toy has its justification.
A basic characteristic of a pre-school age is spontaneity and liveliness. The effort of the teachers is resolution
and directedness of the development of motor, perceptual and cognitive functions, which make the socially
adaptable behaviour easier. A child should for its own sake and for the sake of the society, of which it is a
member, adopt the physical agility, skilfulness, swiftness, fine muscle coordination, ability to observe, sort and
evaluate, social literacy and communication skills and many other mental and physical operations. Due to the
age of the pre-school children and to their intellectual level, there is no other option to implement these goals
than a purposeful, directed, but natural play with the use of appropriate, motivating, didactically, emotionally
and aesthetically important toys that are correctly and sensitively used. This applies mainly to the environment
of a nursery, where by the means of intentional and planned choice of the object made specifically for that, toys
and other additional objects, a playing activity is directed in a way that it fulfils educative goals, mainly from the
aspect of gaining the experiences needed for the future life of a child. Also because of that, all of the premises of
a pre-school facility should be adjusted in a way that a child has a constant and permanent opportunity to rich
and stimulating playing activities, to which a child is encouraged by a toy.

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