Monday 28 July 2014

Toys and Gender Bias Survey




TOY SURVEY BY EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSOCIATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH PODAR INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION.
SURVEY CONDUCTED BY EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSOCIATION AND PODAR INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION- COPYRIGHT @ SWATIPOPATVATS
THIS REPORT IS COPYRIGHT AND REGISTERED PROPERTY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSOCIATION, ANYONE WISHING TO QUOTE, USE, OR REFER TO IT SHOULD DO SO ONLY AFTER SEEKING PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM MS SWATI POPAT VATS (PRESIDENT) ON ecaorg@yahoo.com or swatipopat@podar.net

1.    How many toys do you buy for your child in a month?
Sr. No.
  1-5
 More than 5
 More than 10
 Even more


 63%
 20%
 12%
 5%
 4700




    


2.    How many toys does your child receive as gifts every month from friends and relatives?
Sr. No.
  1-5
 More than 5
 More than 10
 Even more


 15%
 65%
 15%
 5%
 4700




    



3.    Which of these toys does your child have?
Sr. No.
  Blocks
 Pretend play
 Action figures, barbies, guns and battery operated toys
 Soft toys and other dolls
 Outdoor toys

9 %
12 %
 60%
10 %
 9%




    



4.    Which toys does your child have more of?
Sr. No.
 Barbie Dolls and action figures
 Stackers and blocks
 Pretend and outdoor toys
 Battery operated toys
 Books and puzzles

 40%
 5%
 10%
40 %
 5%




    



5.    Does your child have any hand me down toys from other siblings?  
Sr. No.
  Yes
 No




 65%
 35%


 4700




    



6.    When you buy toys what do you look for?
Sr. No.
  Price /discount
 Safety
 Age appropriateness /benefit to child
 Brand/advertising
 Because other kids have them

 23%
 10%
 10%
 23%
 34%




    


7.    Are you aware of lead poisoning in toys?   Do you look for details of the same on the toy?
Sr. No.
  Yes
 No
 Do you look for it?
Yes
 Do you look for it?
No
 I ask shop salesman

78 %
 22%
 36%
42 %
 22%




    


8.    Till what age should kids play with role play toys?

Sr. No.
  Age 2
 Age 5
 Age 8
 Age 12


65 %
 35%
0 %
 0%
 4700




    


9.    Boys should play with which of these toys?
Sr. No.
  Pretend play toys
 Blocks and puzzles
 Guns and battery operated toys/screen toys
 Outdoor toys
 Action figures and cars

 12%
 21%
 27%
 20%
 20%




    



10. Girls should play with which of these toys?
Sr. No.
  Dolls and soft toys
 Guns and action figures
 Outdoor toys
 Pretend play
 puzzles , books

 26%
 12%
15 %
 27%
 25%




    



11. Which toys do you think are better ?
Sr. No.
  Indian
 Imported
 Name some Indian toy companies



 75%
 25%
 55%- fisher price, ok toys






    


SOME PERCENTAGES-
·         76% of parents first toy for a girl was a doll
·         73% of parents first toy for a boy was a car
And we talk about tackling  gender bias.
·         69% of parents said they would not like their boys to play with kitchen set
·         73% of grandmothers did not like boys playing with kitchen set
·         68% of girls opted to be nurses while playing with doctor set
·         71% of parents said that their first choice toy for girls would be kitchen set and not doctor set
·         57% of housewives depended on friends, neighbours and advertisements for choosing toys
·         33% of working moms preferred online help for selection of toys
·         34% of boys chose to play with kitchen set when offered kitchen set and doctor set, because they have seen their dads cooking in the kitchen.
·         51% of parents do not buy blocks for their children as they find that the other toys are more worth the money and ‘look nice’.
·         92% of all early childhood experts recommend blocks as the prime toys for development of fine motor skills, colour and shape recognition, creative skills enhancement, language, social and cognitive development.
·         70% of the kids preferred toys that did not match those that were preferred by their parents, so if parents preferred cars or puzzles the child preferred pretend play and puzzles.
·         90% of kids had dolls, action figures and battery operated toys
·         Only 30% of kids had pretend play toys and played with them.
·         In outdoor play toys the common ones 80% had balls, bats and cycles.
·         43% of kids did not use the balls, bats outside but played with them at home due to lack of play space or due to too much sun.
·         Maximum time spent by 87% kids on ‘playing with toys’ is 30 minutes a day.
·         Time spent watching TV 1hour to one and half hour
·         Attending structured programs like dance class, music class etc 2 to 3 hours a day
The above shows that young kids are missing out on time used for creative play, most of their time is spent on structured activities which can later result in aggression, frustration and depression.
·         Most of the toys owned by 76% of the kids were gifted to them, and so were not selected by either the parent or the child.
·         65% of kids are playing with hand me down toys.
·         75% of parents rated Indian made toys to be better than foreign toys but 55% of parents thought Fisher Price is an Indian toy company.
·         70% of parents were aware of the benefits of blocks but yet did not prefer the child to play with blocks at home, according to them blocks are a school toy.

15 comments:

Jumbo Kids, Chakan said...

Thank you ma'am for making us aware to choose right toy for our kids.It is very important to view toy selection because toys are the basis of child's exposure to independent learning.

pjkparbhani said...

Play is essential for learning in children. Toys are the tools of play. Which play materials are provided and how they are used are equally important. Adults caring for children can be reminded that toys facilitate but do not substitute for the most important aspect of nurture—warm, loving, dependable relationships. Toys should be safe, affordable, and developmentally appropriate. Along with building self-esteem, toys can be the basis for friendships. Toys like teeter-totters only work when children cooperate. Projects like building sand castles go faster with friends. An important article related to toys and survey, which is informative for every reader.

Anonymous said...

The right to play and informal recreation, for all children and young people up to 18 years of age, is enshrined in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but above study shows that role play was only till age of 5 and above it is zero, how sad is this fact as this is the best way to show our imagination and it offers opportunities for social interaction for the wider community and supports the development of a greater sense of community spirit, promoting social cohesion. Play is an essential part of every child's life and is vital for the enjoyment of childhood as well as social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. How can this be done without parent self participation but driven by gifts, commercials or friends. I urge all of you to think? We want this to be our kids future , with gender biased growth and no proper guidance to them…...

Suman Khandelwal PJK Gondia said...

Thank you mam for such a nice guidence which will help us to choose correct and developementally appropriate toys for the kids.Because toys are the best friend of every child.The right kind of toys is very important for the child to satisfies his needs.

Anonymous said...

The survey strikingly points towards facts that need our immediate attention and rectification. Battery operated toys and toys like guns etc. are preferred and outdoor toys have little or no place in a child's play agenda.In our times simply spending time out in the park or a garden on simple slides and swings gave us the ultimate happiness and play moments we looked forward to but nowadays the more batteries you put in a toy the better play equipment you have in hand.
We as educators,parents need to know the science and skills nourishment parameters while selecting toys for our children.

Mostly as the child grows we feel that there is no need for the child to play with toys,we should not forget that there are toys for all age groups catering to the skills development required for the relevant age group thus we should not stop buying toys/games for our children just because they are growing even today as an adult a game like scrabble our carrom would be my preference and I would even love it if someone gifts that to me on my b'days rather than a personalized gift as such group games would lead to more family bonding time.Over to each one to bring about a difference...

shilpa said...

Best article good learning from the survey we come to know how much important is the article after knowing what we are giving our kids, many will be benefited after reading we will share thank you.

Pritijayant said...

Wonderful survey, creating awareness about when,how and which type of toy selection should be......with so many criterias......
Thank you ma`am for this article to choose right toy at right time for our children.

Uma Wagh PJK Jalgaon said...

Respected ma'am,

Ma'am toys makes our kids smart.Children learn about gravity,float sink & many more with the help of toys.They gain self confidence,children use their imagination,they learn coordination & balance when they play on jungle jim,it builds self esteem of the children,it teaches them rules of friendship.
When we read the settling period docket & it is mentioned in that how children develop with toys.
Ma'am I remember HM meet you played a game with us ... 4 bottoms , 8 wrist,... & we all were enjoying. So there is no age to play with toys or any game. This article will definitely help us to convey the right information about toys to parents. Thank you very much ma'am .

Unknown said...

Thank you once again ma'am for sharing wonderful article with us. It makes us aware to choose right toy for our kids at right time. Playing is essential for learning in children. Toys are the tools of playing. This will definitely help us to choose correct and developmental toys for the kids.

nagpur jumbo kid said...

Its really amazing to know the details on selection of toys .its really very important to select right Toy for the Child .

namrata singh said...

Thank you so much Ma'am for sharing this article with us.It creates awareness to choose right toy at right time for our children.Playing with toys is essential for learning in children.

kamal said...

Wonderful article shared. As Play is work of every child. This article creates an awareness to choose the right kind of Toys at the right age.

Anonymous said...

This survey is an eye opener to many of us. A must read for all parents and teachers. Thank you ma'am.

PJK Vadgaon said...

Thanks Ma'am for sharing 9 Navratna's of toy selection :- Empowerment,Holistic development,Family and community,Relationship,well being,belonging,contribution,communication and exploration and will help parents and as well as teachers that there are toys for all age group.This article creates an awareness to choose the right kind of Toys at the right age.

Talegaon PJK said...

Thank you ma'am for sharing such a wonderful facts related to toys.