Toys are essential items to each and every developing child. This is because the toys that children play with are responsible for shaping their gender roles and for determining the characters which they assume in the larger society. A toy can, therefore, be widely defined as an item that is used by children in the course of their playing activities. However, the incorporation of these toys during play activities could portray either a positive or negative image which has an effect on the concerned child’s identity. Looking at the example of a China Doll, toys could be said to negatively in as well as positively influence the formation of a child’s identity.
Different toys are often designed for specific genders. China dolls, for example, are designed for female children and thus, are meant to be played with by the girls. These dolls therefore if played with by a male child, often paint him in a negative image. This is because china dolls are meant to help the girls develop female gender roles thus when a male child plays with them, he often paints of himself the picture of an individual with mixed gender roles or with solely female characters, which is not expected by the society.
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Playing with china dolls can also positively influence a child's identity by giving them a specific taste of fashion. This is because these dolls are often made in a very fashionable way including a molded painted hair, stylish clothes and arms made of porcelain. A girl who plays with china dolls, therefore, will tend to be attracted to stylish clothes and ornaments as a result of playing with her doll which is dressed in a similar manner. This child, therefore, develops with a high taste of fashion.
Lastly, playing with dolls also positively influences a child’s identity because toys give children a sense of self-esteem. Girls who own china dolls and play with them frequently develops a high self-esteem first as a result of owning the doll. Self-esteem can also be increased by practicing some of the female gender roles with the china doll. These children thus grow up having an exposure of how to look after children by pretending to give them a bath, feed them and put them to bed. This not only builds a child's self-confidence but prepares the child for the various gender roles that are expected from her by the society.
Toys, therefore, have the ability to positively or negatively influence the identity of a developing child by creating a specific image. Toys designed for specific genders portrays a negative image when used by the opposite genders. However, toys can also influence a child's taste and preferences positively when exposed to the right toys and also prepare them for specific gender roles that are expected from them by the community upon development.
