Editing Toy (section)

==Child development==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2022}}
[[File:Child playing with a toy cart and horse. -front- (9726037522).jpg|thumb|19th century illustration of a child playing with a toy [[Horse-drawn vehicle|horse and cart]]]]
Toys, like play itself, serve multiple purposes in both humans and animals. They provide entertainment while fulfilling an educational role. Toys enhance [[cognition|cognitive behavior]] and stimulate creativity. They aid in the development of physical and mental skills which are necessary in later life.

Wooden [[Block (toy)|blocks]], though simple, are regarded by early childhood education experts such as Sally Cartwright (1974) as an excellent toy for young children; she praised the fact that they are relatively easy to engage with, can be used in repeatable and predictable ways, and are versatile and open-ended, allowing for a wide variety of developmentally appropriate play.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cartwright |first1=Sally |title=Blocks and learning |journal=Young Children |date=March 1974 |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=141–146 |jstor=42657609 }}</ref> Andrew Witkin, director of marketing for [[Mega Brands]], told ''[[Investor's Business Daily]]'' that "They help develop hand-eye coordination, math and science skills and also let kids be creative."<ref name=Tsuruoka>{{cite journal|last=Tsuruoka |first=Doug |title=Toys: Not All Fun And Games |journal=Investor's Business Daily |date=5 January 2007 |url=http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=23&issue=20070105 |access-date=8 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009073731/http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=23&issue=20070105 |archive-date=9 October 2009 }}</ref> Other toys like [[marbles]], [[jackstones]], and [[ball]]s serve similar functions in child development, allowing children to use their minds and bodies to learn about [[spatial relationships]], [[cause and effect]], and a wide range of other skills.

[[File:Hitting the Ball in the Shadow of the Banana Leaves.jpg|thumb|Two children playing with [[paddle ball]]s in ''Hitting the Ball in the Shadow of the Banana'', a painting by the [[History of Chinese art|Chinese artist]] Su Hanchen (苏汉臣, active 1130s–1160s AD), [[Song dynasty]]]]
One example of the dramatic ways that toys can influence child development involves clay sculpting toys such as [[Play-Doh]] and [[Silly Putty]] and their home-made counterparts. Mary Ucci, Educational Director of the Child Study Center of [[Wellesley College]], has demonstrated how such toys positively impact the [[physical development]], [[cognitive development]], [[Child development#Social-emotional|emotional development]], and [[Social change|social development]] of children.<ref name=Ucci>{{cite journal | last =Ucci | first =Mary | title =Playdough: 50 Years' Old, And Still Gooey, Fun, And Educational | journal =Child Health Alert | volume =24 | date =April 2006 | url =http://web110.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=sid+50E579A7%2D22F7%2D4ED5%2DADF6%2DF699A2D5EB3B%40sessionmgr2+dbs+afh+cp+1+B804&_us=mh+1+sl+%2D1+hs+False+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+mdbs+afh+ri+KAAAGEIB00091355+dstb+KS+sel+False+frn+1+1CD0&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Dafh+hd+False+op%5B0+%2D+st%5B0+%2DToys++in++Child++development++AND++DE++%22TOYS%22+ex%5B0+%2Dproximity+mdb%5B0+%2Dimh+A6B6&cf=1&fn=1&rn=2& | access-date =17 February 2007 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} (Note that the full-text online version requires login.)</ref>

Toys for infants often make use of distinctive sounds, bright colors, and unique [[Texture (visual arts)|textures]]. Through repetition of play with toys, infants begin to recognize shapes and colors. [[Play-Doh]], [[Silly Putty]] and other hands-on materials allow the child to make toys of their own.

[[Educational toy]]s for school age children of often contain a [[puzzle]], problem-solving technique, or mathematical proposition. Often toys designed for older audiences, such as teenagers or adults, demonstrate advanced concepts. [[Newton's cradle]], a desk toy designed by [[Simon Prebble]], demonstrates the [[Conservation law|conservation of momentum and energy]].

Not all toys are appropriate for all ages of children.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cffd4f9HBL0C&q=Not+all+toys+are+appropriate+for+all+ages+of+children|title=The Mommy Guide: Real-life Advice and Tips from Over 250 Moms and Other Experts|last=Bernard|first=Susan|date=1994|publisher=Contemporary Books|isbn=978-0-8092-3797-5|language=en}}</ref> Even some toys which are marketed for a specific age range can even harm the development of children in that range, such as when for example toys meant for young girls contribute to the ongoing problem of girls' sexualization in Western culture.<ref>{{cite web |title=Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls |url=https://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report |website=American Psychological Association |access-date=10 April 2022}}</ref>

A study suggested that supplying fewer toys in the environment allows toddlers to better focus to explore and play more creatively. The provision of four rather than sixteen toys is thus suggested to promote children's development and healthy play.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dauch|first1=Carly|last2=Imwalle|first2=Michelle|last3=Ocasio|first3=Brooke|last4=Metz|first4=Alexia E.|date=February 2018|title=The influence of the number of toys in the environment on toddlers' play |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0163638317301613|journal=Infant Behavior and Development|language=en|volume=50|pages=78–87 |doi=10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.11.005|pmid=29190457}}</ref>

===Age compression===
Age compression is the modern trend of children moving through play stages faster than was the case in the past. Children have a desire to progress to more complex toys at a faster pace, girls in particular. Barbie dolls, for example, were once marketed to girls around 8 years old but have been found to be more popular in recent years with girls around 3 years old,<ref name="Pressler">{{cite news|last=Pressler|first=Margaret Webb|title=Bored with her toys|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040100186.html|access-date=2 April 2006|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=29 October 2011}}</ref> with most girls outgrowing the brand by about age 7.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hains |first1=Rebecca |title=A Barbie with curves is still all about looks |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/02/01/a-barbie-with-curves-is-still-all-about-looks/ |access-date=10 April 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=1 February 2016}}</ref> The packaging for the dolls labels them appropriate for ages 3 and up. Boys, in contrast, apparently enjoy toys and games over a longer timespan, gravitating towards toys that meet their interest in assembling and disassembling mechanical toys, and toys that "move fast and things that fight". An industry executive points out that girls have entered the "[[Preadolescence|tween]]" phase by the time they are 8 years old and want non-traditional toys, whereas boys have been maintaining an interest in traditional toys until they are 12 years old, meaning the traditional toy industry holds onto their boy customers for 50% longer than their girl customers.<ref name="Pressler"/>

Girls gravitate towards "music, clothes, make-up, television talent shows and celebrities". As young children are more exposed to and drawn to music intended for older children and teens, companies are having to rethink how they develop and market their products.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xMEAAAAMBAJ&q=KID+RHINO+ADDRESSES+AGE+COMPRESSION+BY+TWEAKING+PRODUCTS,+STRATEGIES&pg=PA69|title=Kid Rhino Addresses Age Compression By Tweaking Products, Strategies|date=10 March 2001|magazine=Billboard|via=Google Books|language=en-US|access-date=15 February 2018}}</ref> Girls also demonstrate a longer loyalty to characters in toys and games marketed towards them.<ref name="Tansel">{{cite web|last=Tansel|first=Utku|title=Effects of age compression on traditional toys and games|url=http://blog.euromonitor.com/2010/10/effects-of-age-compression-on-traditional-toys-and-games.html|publisher=Euromonitor International|access-date=29 October 2011|date=19 October 2010|archive-date=5 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405114828/http://blog.euromonitor.com/2010/10/effects-of-age-compression-on-traditional-toys-and-games.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> A variety of global toy companies have marketed themselves to this aspect of girls' development, for example, the [[Hello Kitty]] brand and the [[Disney Princess]] franchise.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hains |first1=Rebecca |title=The Princess Problem |date=2014 |publisher=Sourcebooks |isbn=978-1402294037}}</ref> Boys have shown an interest in computer games at an ever-younger age in recent years.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}