Psychological Assessment of toys in Moscow
Prof. Lev Vygotskiy (1896-1934)
CULTURAL-HISTORICAL APPROACH
1. Every stage of child development has it’s specific type of l ea di ng activity. 2. Different kinds of pl ay can be understood in this frame as a special kinds of leading activity in appropriate age.
Free activity without enforcement Emotional uplift with the pleasure drawn on activity, not on its result Spontaneity, improvisation, active testing of oneself and subject of play
PLAY IN SCHOLARLY SENSE In strict scholarly usage “ play” means the creation of imaginary space (with the help of toys or without them) – it is the r ol e pl ay or the symbol i c pl ay. D iscr epancy between the r eal and the imaginar y situation is the main char acter istic of the r ole or symbolic play.
For preschoolers (between the ages of 3 and 6) this type of play is the leading activity, which ensures effective psychological development of the child as a personality. Toy is an object that enables the child to go beyond the existing situation, to ‘become’ somebody
Two crucial processes centering on the doll take place.
Child expresses himself Knowledge, emotions and events of life.
In play the child opens up the world of human relations and ideas.
Toy may be an important figure of kid’s life. Using friend like a doll or a teddy bear makes it easier to face danger and gives a feeling of one’s worth and independence. The children ask them questions, which they answer themselves. They attribute their own feelings and worries to them. A conver sation w ith a toy is thus a conver sation of one ego w ith the other embodied in a mater ial object.
Good toy must to be open to the differ ent actions and emotions of the child. Toys should make it possible for children to impart their own activity – their voices and movements to it. Toys should not impose themselves nor suggest concrete actions.
The peculiarity of a toy is that it combines interests of ďƒ’ toy manufacturers and sellers from one side ďƒ’ and psychologists and pedagogues from the other.
Desire for success makes modern toys more technological and education oriented. Whereas they become mor e and mor e distant from their main designation - infant play.
arents don’t have any toy selection references. They simply don’t have enough information which would guide them through the peculiarities of child development – what the child needs at this certain age. As a result parents fully rely on producers offer while producers depend on consumer’s demand.
Every toy must pass the ethical filter. The toys which contradicts the ethical norms accepted in culture, cannot be allowed to psychological and pedagogical assessment. The toy assessment in the Center is based on the following blocks : 1. The motivation of play activity connects to attraction of toy for the child. 2. The play activity which connects to development potential of toy. 3. Operational characteristics of toy provide the possibility of self-dependent child activity
Центр Игры и
www.psytoys.ru
Центр Игры и игрушки МГППУ
Policy-makers
Pr eschool psychologists and educator s
Assessment of toys
Par ents
T oy industr y