The toy connection

While the industry grew at a blushingly modest 1.7 percent in 2001, the infant/preschool category saw a 14 percent jump. Susan Oliver, executive director of the non-profit organization Playing for Keeps, discusses the mini-boom with PLAYTHINGS' senior editor Dave Gerardi as well as what the toys ought to be doing for kids on a functional level.

What is the most important factor in the continued growth of the infant/preschool category?

Parents with dollars to spend, typically those who have greater amounts of education, are increasingly aware of the connection between play and healthy development. There has been a lot of media coverage about brain development, with an emphasis on the critical role of a stimulating environment during the first three years of a child's life. Some of this information has clearly broken through to the intended audience and is impacting day-to-day parenting.

As parents delay starting a family, as more and more families have dual incomes, and as more and more grandparents with disposable income live longer, the average per capita spending on toys for young children has been increasing steadily.

In general, what are the most important functions for infant toys?

For any child, a toy is most useful if it fits the child's developmental level, interests and abilities. When you ask about the most important functions of a toy, you are really asking "What is the child working to learn and master at this stage of development?"

Healthy, constructive play encourages creativity, makes learning fun, stimulates children to develop skills and positive relationships, and is part of the process that helps a child achieve his or her potential. Squeak toys and rattles, for example, help develop fine motor pincer skills and the understanding of cause and effect.

Toddlers (aged 1 to 2 years) are a whirlwind of activity. They have typically discovered how to walk and climb and they use their new mobility to explore this wondrous world they find around them. They like to experience the world in a hands-on way, so you'll see them touching, feeling, pushing, pulling, emptying, filling, lifting, dropping, and carrying—all in an effort to figure out how things work in their environment. They often enjoy products that let them use their increasing physical prowess and help them mimic the people and routines of their life.

For preschool toys?

The rapid rate of skill building continues through the preschool years, and toys and play continue to have a central role in the process. In addition to all the types of development they started as babies and toddlers, many children spend significant time during these years in play that will contribute to literacy development and understanding mathematical concepts. It is important to have a range of play materials available that can help them explore and "name" the physical world around them, resolve conflicts, learn how to be a friend, communicate effectively, solve problems, unleash their imagination, and develop a strong self-concept.

What have manufacturers done right in the infant/preschool category?

A growing group of manufacturers have made the connection between play products and child development. You see evidence of this in toy design and packaging, which sometimes includes information on play or other developmental issues for parents and caregivers. You also see an increasing amount of play information on company Web sites.

What have they done wrong in this category?

So much of today's product seems to value bells and whistles and other adornments (usually electronic) that lead the child to ask: "What does the toy do?" This puts the child into a passive role in relation to the toy. Part of our work at Playing for Keeps is designed to change the question to "What does the child do?"

Susan Oliver is executive director at Playing for Keeps, a national non-profit organization devoted to the role of play.