ParentsTalk: Experts' Advice: Toy Experts: Character, Toys and Play

From Toy Tips Magazine

The greatest vulnerability to character is in the first decade of life: childhood. We, as parents, as educators, and as citizens, need to be concerned about the way the character of our children is influenced by various factors.

Character may be understood as the set of enduring tendencies of a person to act in specific ways; for example, to tell the truth or lie, to help or to ignore. Character includes one's values, habits, personality, reasoning, capacities, emotions and sense of self.

So what do toys and play have to do with this? We know, for instance, that aggressive play in childhood predicts aggression later in life. It is also clear that such play can be increased by the media images children see and by the kinds of toys they play with.

Does this mean that toys and play are only destructive? Of course not. Toys and play have great potential for positive development. Some of the most widely accepted theories of childhood play focus on the powerful influence of play on the development of skills. Play is in fact one of the primary ways that children master new, complex skills. It is by playfully interacting with objects (such as buttons or shoelaces or spoons or puzzle pieces) that children come to be able to manipulate them effectively. Toys often have the potential for teaching as well. Toys that challenge children may stimulate their capacity to reason well.

Parents need to monitor the kinds of toys and images to which children are exposed. Prudent purchasing and regulating media consumption can support the important responsibility of ensuring that our children develop good character.

Marvin W. Berkowitz, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Director, Center for Ethics Studies
Marquette University