Toys and Games

Toys are tools of play that most often connote the pleasures of childhood. Games are structures for play that usually involve socially agreed upon rules and goals. Some form of toys and games are [Page 2253]evident across historical epochs and cultural communities, suggesting their deep significance as part of human development. At the same time, the particular types of toys and games most central to development vary significantly by age, gender, and other sociocultural contexts, suggesting the importance of understanding their meanings in context. In other words, toy use and game play simultaneously reflect and refract developmental trajectories. In the study of life-span development, toys and games have most often been studied as part of the broader phenomenon of children’s play, and the role of ...