Toys that I used to play with as a kid included kitchen sets, Barbie dolls, miniature toy superheroes, and toy cars. Children’s toys are rather gender-specific and should be used appropriately (Kendall, 2020). Kitchen sets were supposed to be played by girls, and toy cars were suited for small boys. The comprehension and connection with my kitchen set or Barbie dolls made me realize several issues during the game. I saw my parents, the activities they did with each other; I assumed I was playing them. I had it in my head that the mother was the primary caregiver. The mother feeds the children and the dad at home. In my play, I was in charge of the ‘kitchen’ and ‘toy children.’ I snapped when my sister came to my cafeteria because I thought it would be my fault if anything goes wrong. Pretending to play lets children discover their environment by leading to the development of strained connections. Nevertheless, it is often the things that have been learned and experienced that helps them learn to communicate with the community.
Taking part in young children’s games is essential for kids to engage and socialize with their friends to build confidence and personality. Importantly, they can thus demonstrate their abilities and learn from their peers when they are still young. Children commonly use toys to facilitate their encounters to form friendships (Ibáñez-Cubillas et al., 2017). A toy car was one of my favorite objects when I was younger. This specific toy car helped me to make friends with other children both in school and in the community. When I grew up, I was what people called the ‘tom boy,’ I opted to play with girls and not with boys. I have learned skills and ideas as well as how to connect to others through exchanging toys.
References
Ibáñez-Cubillas, P., Díaz-Martín, C., & Pérez-Torregrosa, A. B. (2017). Social networks and childhood. New agents of socialization. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 237, 64-69.
Kendall, D. (2020). Sociology in our times: The essentials (12th ed.). Cengage Learning.