Over the past 29 years, the toy industry has grown a phenomenal 150 percent. In 2012, it was good for $29.9 billion of revenue in the United States alone, according to the Toy Manufacturers of America.
Every parent knows that toys are an integral and essential part of a child’s life, and the supply of toys is endless.
But what kind of toys should children use? Could play possibly be harmful? Can it be used as a teaching method? To find the answers, let’s take a closer look at the process of child play and the role of toys.
Creating Covetous Desire
The toy industry’s $885 million annual advertising budget—90 percent of which is spent on television advertising—is geared at creating instant desires. A high turnover of products ensures a very lucrative business, with profit margins ranging from 15 to 40 percent.
The Children’s Television Act of October 1990 regulates that television broadcasters and cable operators must limit advertising in children’s programming to 12 minutes per hour. But that is still one fifth of children’s television experience. How much of this time is focused on the development of the mind and character of the child? We can confidently state that this is negligible. Far more important is brand-recognition and creating a desire in children to have that which is portrayed as cool.
“Research done by Nickelodeon reveals that kids today know their brands, know what marketing is all about, and are capable of critically evaluating the marketing they see” (Toy Industry Fact Book). Even though the marketing is geared toward children, their minds cannot distinguish what is good for their mental and character development. Instead, they are conditioned to lust after products offered on tv.
Learned Behavior
The marketing periodical Advertising Age described children of this generation (nicknamed “millenials”) as “Tech-savvy and educated; … bombarded by media messages; accustomed to sex and violence; growing up in an affluent society; and [possessing] big spending power” (emphasis added).
This dulling of the senses is only amplified by children’s constant exposure to violence in something considered as seemingly innocent as cartoons. For instance, in every episode of the cartoon show The Power Rangers, a new monster, created by the bad guys, uses violence to destroy things. The Power Rangers, armed with magic crystals, megazords and the ancient secrets of martial arts, claim to be the saviors of the world and defeat their enemy by crushing some purple ooze monster to the wall.
Children learn behavior. These kind of toys, and the cartoons that promote them, teach them that aggression solves problems and that enemies are just faceless creatures without names.
Promotion of the false idea that acting out violence in play keeps children from acting it out in real life starts at a very early age where toy guns and action figures, like Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joes, Power Rangers, Star Wars, X-Men, wwe, Pokémon and Spiderman toys, are marketed to pre-schoolers and grade-schoolers.
These instruments of destruction have a great appeal to young boys. Yet we wonder what went wrong when we witness excessive violence among our youth.
Obsession with power, violence and martial arts can prove fatal. Norway, Sweden and Denmark banned The Power Rangers for a season after a 5-year-old Norwegian girl died in the snow after being kicked unconscious by classmates who were imitating their supernaturally empowered tv heroes.
Seeing is believing. To the millions of youngsters who see people die and then get up to live normally again, the deadly seriousness and reality of aiming a dangerous weapon at another human being, of jumping from a building to fly like Spiderman or of stepping off a curb into swirling traffic, is lost!
The Columbine shooting is still etched in many American minds. But few fail to see that unsupervised, aimless play of young children pretending to shoot and kill creates fertile ground for recurrences of that tragedy.
Parents should avoid any toy that promotes hatred, violence or anything else contrary to God’s Ten Commandments. Guns were designed to kill. If you intend to kill, use a gun. If you don’t intend to kill, don’t use a gun—the real thing or an imitation!
Out of 2012’s top 10 video games (one of the fastest growing toy categories), only one was rated “Everyone.” The other nine carried a “Teen” or “Mature” rating, due to excessive violence, sex and other “adult” content.
Mr. Armstrong used to remind members of God’s Church that they are the children of God—and that includes our children. Anything geared or tailored to an adult mind, in the sense of “entertainment,” ought to be approached with the greatest of care.
The Toy Industry Fact Book states, “Today’s youth are the first generation to grow up in a digital world. … To accommodate children’s changing play patterns, manufacturers have devised a unique blend of new and classic elements, which is evidenced in the wide variety of toys that offer a new level of play for children today.”
Video games make up a larger segment of the toy purchases pie every year. With popular titles such as Grand Theft Auto v, Assasin’s Creed iv: Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, The Last of Us and Dead Rising 3, one only has to imagine the moral degradation that is forced upon dulled, young minds.
Read this description of another game in a popular series, Doom 3: “Take part in a terrifying battle with the forces of Hell. A massive demonic invasion has overwhelmed the Union Aerospace Corporations’ Mars Research Facility, leaving only chaos and horror in its wake. As one of only a few survivors, you struggle with shock and fear as you fight your way to Hell and back in an epic clash against pure evil.” Nothing could be more poisonous to the mind of a child, adolescent or adult!
Although many of these games are not marketed directly at young children, the habit-forming pastime of playing video games is being promoted to children as young as preschoolers, at the expense of educational, physical or socially interactive playtime. Once habits are formed by these highly addictive pastimes, these children would naturally move on to adult-themed games.
Failing to Educate
For centuries, toys in one shape or another have been the leading source of entertainment for children. But more than that, toys are a child’s tool for learning. Toys encourage discovery and exploration and can develop a child’s mind and character. Certain toys also help the development of children’s bodies and personality.
But did you know that instead of aiding your child’s development you could actually ruin it by the wrong selection of toys? The saying “garbage in, garbage out” is as applicable here as anywhere else.
Considering the amount of time a child spends playing, his or her development should be foremost in any parent’s mind when selecting a toy.
Conceptualize a parent and child in a department store. Walking down the isles, the child suddenly starts pulling the adult, pointing to a particular toy he’s spotted on the shelf, his eyes filled with great joy. (Often the child recognizes that which has been seared in his mind’s eye by the repetitive images of tv advertising.) When the parent ignores the child and starts to walk away, the child begins to cry and screams for the object of his affection. Lo and behold, the parent quickly consents and buys the toy.
Why is this?
The parent simply gave in to the emotional desires of the child. No thought, planning or purpose went into the purchase. In order to stop his child from crying and causing a scene, the parent bought a toy that would amuse his child for a few hours or, at most, a few days.
After the newness has worn off, many toys end up either broken or discarded. You only need to visit a thrift store or garage sale to find hundreds of dollars worth of rejected toys, bought to satisfy the impulses of a child and without any thought or planning as to what they would do for the development of the child. How many people really give thought to the entertainment of their children? How many have a purpose in mind when they buy toys for their children?
Avoid Aimless Play and Frustration
Toys purchased as a result of such impulse-buying often leads to a fruitless passing of time, leaving the child bored and without any sense of accomplishment. One way Webster’s Dictionary defines the word play is, “to move aimlessly about.” But play shouldn’t be aimless. Play should be creative and constructive. Childhood is the preparatory phase for adolescence and adulthood and ought, in its own way, to be as productive as any other stage in life.
How can parents ensure their children’s playtime isn’t wasted by aimless play? First, they should use wisdom in purchasing toys for their children; and second, they should be involved in their children’s play.
Knowing how instrumental toys are in the development of children, toy manufacturers have developed many so-called educational toys. In nearly any category of toys, you will find this variety.
But how educational are these toys? Many of them are designed in such a way that they appeal to the parents. But when purchased, many of these toys become disappointing because parents will give them to their children and then sit back to watch their children become educated. In most cases, a child is only frustrated by a toy that is supposed to educate them unless time and direction is given to help teach him or her. Desiring to speed the development of their child, many adults are tempted to buy toys that are far above their child’s intellectual level, only adding to the frustration of children, who need support, explanation and guidance from their parents.
Children need interaction with their parents in order to have their minds and characters developed. The removal of the mother from the home has greatly contributed to this lack of guidance, leaving children entirely to themselves.
The Greatest Gift
To make up for the lack of time spent with their children, many parents try to buy their affection by overloading them with toys. In Western society especially, children have far too many toys. Too many toys are worse than not enough. Too many toys create confusion and boredom in a young person’s mind, and he or she will seldom play with any of them.
Parents should concentrate on purposeful and useful toys. Better to buy a few used toys than a dozen in toy boxes that are never touched.
The greatest gift you can hand to your children is your time, attention and involvement. Rather than buying a myriad of toys, make time to sit down with your children and enjoy the toys they already have. A meaningful way to do this can be by scheduling a regular family games night. Children of all ages enjoy board games, and they will look forward to a scheduled time to enjoy your company. Whether you have preschoolers or teens, you can make this time special for all of them. Have them anticipate it by scheduling it on a regular basis. Perhaps you can do it once a week, every fortnight, or once a month. Whatever your decision is, the important thing to remember is that your time and attention is the greatest gift you can grant them.
But aside from these scheduled times, surprise them on occasion. Take some time out to play cars or dolls with your children, to help them with their artwork and educate them through play.
Develop the Body and Mind
There is an abundance of toys that will give hours of fun and entertainment to your children and at the same time give plenty of exercise for developing the body.
Many of these toys are relatively inexpensive, yet they will develop a multitude of skills in your child.
Balls, swing sets and bicycles teach coordination, agility, balance and timing. Blocks promote construction skills and teach basic math and logic. Dolls, cars, trains and toy animals can all prepare a young mind for the principles of caretaking, order and obedience to rules, laws and government. Activity books and craft projects promote coordination and concentration. Toys like Play-Doh inspire creativity and imagination; at the same time they also aid the development of fine motor skills.
Games and puzzles help develop problem-solving skills. Combined with guided reading of carefully selected books, they can also contribute to a craving for more and expansion of a child’s interests and knowledge base.
Sadly, most toys that stimulate the mind and body have made way for passive toys that solely entertain, but fail to develop or educate.
Develop the Personality and Character
Whether your child develops creative, technical or artistic skills largely depends on whether or not these skills are brought out early enough.
Music is one of the best forms of entertainment to help children round out their personalities. Children easily pick up tunes and can develop an appreciation for the arts by being exposed to a wide variety of music.
Starting your child on a musical instrument, however simple, not only develops his feeling for melody and rhythm, it helps in discipline and creative skills and an appreciation of the finer things in life.
Personality can also be brought out through creative play with construction toys such as lego.
In selecting toys for a child of any age, parents should ask, Is the play in the toy, or is the play in the child? A proper toy stimulates play in the child. A poor toy is one that operates itself and neutralizes imaginative, creative thinking in your child. These toys make your child a passive component of playtime rather than the proactive, driving force behind their play. The best examples of such poor toys are video games, where everything is pre-programmed.
With toys come responsibilities for your child. Parents should teach their children to take care of their toys. This includes use according to the designed purpose of the toy and putting away their toys.
Toys with many parts should have designated containers in which, after a child is finished playing, he or she is to put away all the pieces. Parents should emphasize that it is the child’s responsibility. By obeying the instruction, the child develops character. Thus children learn the fundamental lesson to do what they are told to do—when they are told to do it.
This is play with purpose!
Guided Play Teaches God’s Law
Toys are important. They can be used to develop a strong, healthy body and an alert and educated mind. But most importantly, toys can teach your children the formation and foundation of right character.
God delights in the right kind of constructive, uplifting play of children. In the Millennium, children will not be locked inside, staring at a television set, computer monitor or tablet screen. They will be playing outside, developing their minds and bodies, their personalities and character.
Notice these scriptures: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. … And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den” (Isaiah 11:6, 8). “And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 8:5-6).
No longer will children be raised on violence. God says, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Micah 4:3).
Shouldn’t you be starting now to teach and train the children God has placed in your custody, to prepare them to rule in God’s Kingdom, administering a loving government, based upon the laws of God, of cooperation and sharing and promotion of true values? God has made you a steward over your children.
God instructed ancient Israel to “love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7). In everything we do, we should give honor and glory to God and bring our thoughts in line with God’s.
As we prepare now to teach people God’s way of love, peace and cooperation, it is our responsibility as parents to purchase fitting, meaningful toys for our children and to teach them how to play with them in a constructive and cooperative manner.