Some parents still follow cultural gender bias when it comes to toys.
If parents believed everything toy stores and marketing companies had to say, they might think a boy would never pick up a doll and a girl simply wouldn’t be interested in building toys. It’s hard to believe that in 2013, toy marketing still hasn’t figured out that young boys and girls can and should be encouraged to play with any toy, regardless of what gender it is targeted towards.
Recently, Toys “R” Us made news when it announced that its U.K. stores will stop using “boys” and “girls” labels on its toys, and store signs and images would be changed to reflect that both boys and girls can play with toys traditionally marketed towards one gender. The changes are being made in response to the “Let Toys Be Toys” campaign. It’s not clear why these changes aren’t being instituted in the U.S.
At the same time, while I don’t like that such marketing exists, I think these changes should not be necessary. In our home, when the children express an interest in a certain toy, either by seeing an advertisement for it in the Sunday flyers, or playing with it at a friend’s house, we consider getting it for them. Are parents so easily influenced that they don’t think they can walk down that aisle with the Lego Star Wars, even if their daughter has shown an interest in that toy?
I remember when my children were younger, and I had a conversation with another parent who laughed when she said her husband would “flip out” if his son played with dolls or put on a princess dress-up outfit. At first, I thought she was joking. In this day and age, I find it hard to believe that there are still parents who think boys and girls must play with certain toys.
And the imbalance doesn’t make sense. Why do some parents think it’s OK for a girl to play with building toys, yet boys shouldn’t be encouraged to play with a toy kitchen? Surely, preparing for a lifetime of meal preparations is something most parents would agree that boys can benefit from. Or do we still think that boys don’t need to learn how to cook?
We all know the benefits of allowing children to explore and learn through creative play of all kinds. Learning through unstructured play – not directed by parents – helps children use their imaginations and learn critical thinking skills. Encouraging children to use these skills at a young age is said to help children as they learn to problem solve as they get older.
The years when children can explore their interests through play like this go so quickly. We, as parents, should encourage them to play with whatever interests them, whether they are traditionally for boys or for girls. Urging them to try everything will allow them to figure out on their own what they love. And parents should ignore toy marketing strategies and buy what their children enjoy.
Kate Roy can be reached at kate_roy@live.com.