Compare and Contrast the Toys Traditionally Given to Boys and to Girls

There is a significant difference between the toys given to girls and boys. This significance is rooted in the fact that the toys given to children tend to have a major influence in their bring-up, thereby playing a role in the children's lives that lasts well into the long run. This discussion will attempt to highlight the multiple ways in which the toys given to boys differ from those that are given to girls, as well the role and relevance of the difference.

Children learn the difference between right and wrong by identifying positive practices that their elders approve of and identifying negative practices that their elders disapprove of. It is important to note that this process merely helps them determine the difference between right and wrong but has no influence on their decision to adopt either kind of practices. In the same vein, the toys that are given to children serve as teaching instruments for them. Children imagine using their toys and hence the toys become a major part of their lives. It is because of the same reason that it has become common to find cases in which children will identify specific toys as their favorites; going as far as sleeping with their favorite toy in their hand at night.

As a result of this close association that a child forms with his/her toy, it is only natural that the nature of the toy has an influence them. A child given army related toys (such as army men and guns) will grow up to develop an appreciation for the armed forces and will feel a particular relationship with military elements. In comparison, child given toys with a domestic tendency (such as doll houses and cooking utensil sets) will develop a ...