Optimal Child Development: The Impact of Gender-Neutral Toys

Abstract

Toys can be identified with boys, girls, or neither. For this reason, when parents go out buying toys for their children, the first thing they look at is the gender of the child. From this onset, the parent usually hopes that the child loves the toy because the parent bought it with a particular intention. It turns out contrary in cases where the child does not like the toy in some cases. Generally, toys associated with boys are usually related to fighting or aggression (Slater, 2020). Such may include guns, speed bikes, soldiers, and guns. On the other hand, toys associated with girls are usually related to appearances (Slater, 2020). Such may include toys with make-ups, jewelry, Barbie dolls, and ballerina costumes. In a real sense, girls' toys are usually associated with physical attractiveness and domestic skills, while boys' toys are typically related to competitiveness, violence, and dangerous adventures. Gender roles in children could be influenced by the type of toys (Slater, 2020). For instance, toys for girls could be classified as either being intensely feminine, moderately feminine, or neutral. Similarly, toys for boys could also be classified as being either highly masculine or somewhat masculine. On the same classification note, toys could also be put in particular categories depending on their characteristics (Dinella, Weisgram, and Fulcher, 2017). For instance, toys could be placed in the category of being exciting, educational, musical, and aggressive, or being able to be manipulated. Interestingly, toys considered to be neutral are likely to be educational (Slater, 2020). These particular toys have a different effect on the children than the earlier mentioned because they tend to develop children's physical, artistic, cognitive, and other skills. The moderately masculine toys also have a similar effect on children as the neutral toys (Slater, 2020). Therefore, the strong gender types of toys tend to be less supportive of...