The Importance Of Toys In Child Development

Playtime is necessary for the healthy growth and development of a child. It teaches children to explore their world, get curious and even hone their skills says K John Baby, CEO, Funskool

- K John Baby

Although play is important for people of all ages, it is essential and most important for children, particularly during their formative years. Play helps and supports the physical, emotional and intellectual development of a child. According to Elizebeth B. Hurlock in her book Developmental Psychology, “While the whole childhood, but especially the early years are generally regarded as the foundation age; baby hood is the true foundation period of life, because at this time, many behaviour patterns, many attitudes, and many patterns of emotional expressions are being established.”

One of the main results of human evolution is that we have become a species in which behaviour is strongly influenced by learning. As M S Shookla states his is book A Handbook of Human Relations: With Structured Experiences and Instruments, “Human behaviour is influenced by learning and by the unique events of each individual’s life.”

Research and studies by UNICEF on early childhood developmental needs, found that play is an integral part of development. Play demands attention and concentration. It develops problem solving, decision making and learning skills. Play enhances relationships, both with parents and other children. Children learn how to take turns and cooperate, learn rules, negotiate and resolve conflicts.

Child development is a continuous progressive process across several domains like fine motor skills, social and emotional behaviour development, cognitive development etc. Cognitive development very much depends on the degree of stimulation in the environment. This includes thinking skill development, processing of information received through sensory organs and responding to the processed information.