“Good “toys: How parents choose toys for their children.

Abstract

In contrast with the past, today what most characterises the way children play is the enormous presence of toys. By today understanding, toys are objects and tools designed by adults for children play; they represent merchandise for a target “market”. Therefore, we can affirm that toys strongly condition the way children play, as well as that, through toys, parents themselves can condition the way children play in a considerable way. Moving from this assumption, we have carried out a survey involving about 200 parents of children aged 2-3 (attending the last grade of nursery school) and of children aged 5-6 (attending the last grade of kindergarten); the goal was to point out the criteria parents adopt when choosing toys for their children, their educational models, as well as the ‘educational care profile” which is designed around and through toys. The data coming from this survey underline, on the one hand, the complex identity of toys and the fundamental role toys play in this field; on the other hand, the survey helps to understand some possible profiles characterising the way parents manage and consider toys.