Recently, I watched a short video based on the toys in which children play with (above). However it is not the children who intentionally pick these toys, it’s the adults surrounding them that subconsciously repeat this throughout society. But why does there need to be a divide between girls and boys toys?

As a society we have invented this notion of “pink for girls” and “blue for boys” and even when you ask children what there favourite colour is girls will normally go for pink and boys will normally go for blue. But is this because we are subjecting them to this from a young age through the toys they receive?

My favourite colour is blue, does that mean I am boy?

Even when you walk into a toy shop you can clearly see already where the “boys toys” are and the “girls toys”. Even certain brands have made specific gendered toys even although they could all play with it regardless of the colour. But there seems to be this perception that only girls can play with dolls and boys can play with cars.

Lets put this into an adult situation where both elements of play are real. The women stay at home all the time and look after the children and the men go out and work in a mechanics for example. We would not be happy with that way of living, we would want change. Which we have……haven’t we?

Subjecting children like this is not helping there development in this modern world. They need to be taught that it is okay to be who you want to be and play with who and what you want to play with.

I have recently seen, in a nursery setting, how all the girls loved to dress up, walking over to the hangers with confidence with the idea of “who am I going to be today?”. They dress up as anything from their favourite Disney princess to a police officer. However the boys tend not to sway with this idea, normally going to the lego or to the house corner to play with the babies. I’m not saying that boys don’t play dressing up, they do, but from what I’ve seen most boys ask if it would be okay first.

If girls can then why can’t boys?

Relating back to the video at the beginning, the adults with the children tried to give them toys relating to their “gender”. Subconsciously they are giving the children these toys as society has brought us all up to believe that is right. However, if you give children a set of random toys they will play with anything, they will not think that this is the toy I have to play with.

They just want to play.

And play is essential to learning, developing and ultimately making our children happy. Which is an equal understanding we all share.

Letting children chose what they want to play with rather than telling them will, I believe, help with this. Even in a classroom setting let the children be who they want to be, if not we are restraining them from being themselves. Let them bring their own toys in which they enjoy playing with as it will make them happy.

Next time you walk into a toy shop just see how many “boys and girls toys” there are.
I think you’ll be surprised!