Importance of Toys for Child Creativity and Development

1. Introduction

Nowadays, there are a lot of newborn baby and children in world. Average one year of newborn baby in Malaysia was 20.41 out of 1,000 population. Kids need toys and plays to entertain them and learn things. So I do believe that when we were young, we used to spend a whole day long sitting in the middle of living room playing toys with brother and sister. Inmy childhood of 90s,we play toy soldier, lego, dolls, puzzle, masak-masak (it means cooking in Malay language) and etc. Playing was fun. We can turn our toys to be anything that we want it to be. This is where we can slowly build up and develop our creativity through toys and absorb to brain. And nowadays we can see that a lot of kids hanging Ipad in anywhere along with parents. No matter they were pooping, shopping, or eating, It has becomes an essential for them, not only for kids, It is also an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults too. Besides, a lot of adult used IPad in their work too. Play is part of their job, part of learning, to work through difficult situation, to gain experience and life skill. They could practice the basic life skills through playing or toys. In this research, I am going to write about howtoys and playscan influence kids to become creative.

1. Objective

The purpose that I doing this research is to know how important of toys can leading kids to be success in their life, to be able think creatively, to guide the world into global thinking, to find out how important of creativity.

1. Hypothesis

If toys canmake a kid to be happy, then it can be a learning tool as well.

Keywords: toy, play, creativity, kids, the impact of toy on children.

1.1 Research Question

1. How important of toys to the kids?

2. How important of creativity to us in the future?

1.2 Literature Review

Every kids is an artist, the problem is how to maintain an artist once you grow-up ( Pablo Picasso 1973). If children are an artist, what to do to maintain them? To become an artist have to train since they are kids. Kids are quicker to learn anything than adults because kids mind are still fresh and brain is still forming (Jandy Jeppson with Judith A. Myers-Walls and Dee Love 2006 ). Kids can absorb massive amounts of information in all the way while they are five was confirmed by ( Dr. Robert Leston and Patrice Bending 2008 ).Toysare an essential way to kid’s learning by ( Matt Damon 2009 ). Besides, children were found they were more active when they were playing toys compare with they were not playing toys or boxes (Fedateal 2011). Some of the parents think that toys arejust an object for kids to play with. They does not know how important of a toy can develop and influence kid’s mind. Toys designed not only for having fun but it was somehow to strengthening their minds and bodies. Children are always uncreditable creative, so toys always the best choice for children to develop creativity thinking by( Andrea Atkinson 2005 ). To work out with toys, the firstthing we must know is how to choose a right toy for our children. When we are planning to buy a toy, we should concern about our kid’s personality, interest, like or dislike and check out for the toy safety standard, but not just simply buy it by ( Alvin Eden, MD 1998 ). So we suggest that parent should buy toys that are not directly tied to the particular theme. By this way, it will help children to think and show out their imagination to the new toys and playing situations by ( Keith Sawyer 7^th December 2005 ). Is creativity important? Yes, Is important because creativity is creation, experimenting, growing, adventure, making mistake and having fun said by ( Mary Lau Cook 2008 ). ( Steve Jobs ) also said that creativity is linking two different thing so that it will become an unique invention. Every kidis born with creative potential. In order to make kids think creatively, Parents should encouraging and nurturing their kids with patience. Besides that, we should make sure those toys are creatively designed instead of just simply buying a toy. There is some of the basic example of toys likes, books, art and craft, musical toys to make noises with, clay or role play toys that you can choose for( Marilyn Lopes October, p. 3 ).

3. Theoretical Framework

Table above has shown the nine stages of Psychosocial Development. ( Erik H. Erikson and Joan Erikson ). It has explained the nine stages of human developing from infancy to late adulthood. In the stage of Initiative vs. guilt which means kids are in age of 4 to 5, they are started to feel curiosity on everything. We should foster their curiosity and the sense of adventure in kid’s learning stage. Trying to play with toys and answer their question to let them learn or parents can play belong with them such like pretend play. This could make them learn the imagination.

4. Research Methodology
   1. Research Strategy

I am using different kind of techniques like observations, interviews and surveys, I would like to examine on play based learning in individual participants and apply to ethnographic data on it. I will prepare some surveys and questionnaires, and having a 10 minutes of the interview to the couple or parents to answer my questions. Besides that, i will arrange the kids who are from those parents that i having interview for having fun with toys and i will asking them some of the ideas and thoughts from them for helping me to complete my research. I will be choosing some specific toys such like wooden blocks or lego. I will also ask for their opinion if they like or dislike the toys and ask for their reasons. Through the data collect by surveys, I will choose to analyze the facts by using qualitative research. In last, I also will use literature review in helping me to understand this topic more and to support my research.

2. Audience & Social Contexts

My target audience would be those couple who just married and ready to have a baby and parents that have little kids at home. Why my target audience would be them? Because for new born parents they have no experience in choosing children’s toys. My research would be a guide for them.

3. Design Contexts

My design context in my research is purposely for education.Because toys can be separate to different types. Example like books, musical toys and so on. So children can learn through this kind of stuff. But Besides education, it is also a guide to the parent and couple who ready to have a baby. Toys can said is an important play to our children or kids. Why we said so? Because a good toy it will help our children to point out their abilities. A good toy can develop and influence our children’s thinking, their interest and even children’s creativity. In my research, it related to art and design. Toy can branch out a kid or children’s creativity, their playing situation and their playing performance. From this way parent can know that what are their children’s interest, like or dislike. Besides, toy also can release stress and enjoy the happy hour with children. Last but not least, Toy and play are related and connecting with art and designs.

4. Key Terminology

I would be choosing qualitative research for my key terminology. I will try to make a survey and pass out to the couples who are just get married and parents from age 25-35 to gather up the needed details for my qualitative research.

5. Ethical Consideration

Toys are much more useful than just being influence creativity. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of playing toy are letting your kids have a chance to play with sibling or friends. It can make you stay close with your friendship or even meet some new friends too. Besides that, it can reduce stress too, although kids normally don’t have too much of stress, but when parents play along with their kids, they can connect with their kids, reduce the stress from working and the most important is can closer relationship between kids and parents.

5. Summary

In summary, Toys are bringing enjoyment and happiness to kids. It can be a learning tool that could lead your kids to be success in their life too. Toys could enhance kids’ cognitive behavior and stimulate creativity. It helps your kids to develop their mind to be creative, share their thoughts and idea to guide the whole world into the new era. Kids are our future, nurturing them when they are kids.