1.1 Introduction
Toys are items that go along with kids' gaming activities. Research on toys and their impact on kids has been done throughout history, in many different nations, and in a variety of contexts. Using foldable toys in sensory instruction can be beneficial (Froebel, 2005; Montessori, 2014). A toy is one of the items that capture the attention of children from the moment of birth. The young child is followed all the way through preschool. As a result of this, people have been creating toys since the dawn of time, both adults and kids. They have changed and become increasingly diverse over time in line with the development of nation-states and human civilization.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Over the year, extensive research indicates that a child's growth includes play-based learning. Even as early as infancy, a child learns who they are via play, therefore it's important for parents to make sure their kids get plenty of opportunity to let off steam. By just gazing about and taking in their surroundings, a child's intellect is growing even at an early developmental stage.
Playing with toys will aid in the child's development of fundamental abilities including eye concentration, hand-eye coordination, and the ability to discern variations between almost identical things. Skills that can be used to do more difficult tasks like reading and thinking will eventually pay off in greater pleasure. This is the silver lining of what study has to teach us. The best experiences for children are those that are easy for parents to provide, enjoyable for both parent and kid, and include a host of other positive side effects.
Baby will discover that learning is fun and that it gives him happiness from the activity itself as well as from teaching the kid some fundamental truths about himself and the world. The sooner they acquire the confidence that is necessary for many facets of life, but especially for the curiosity that is learning. Playing with toys may also help you feel happy, loved, and like you've accomplished something with your child. You feel like you're actively involved in the process of growing rather than just watching it happen. This brings with it a wealth of memories throughout time as well as instant exhilaration.
Toys used by children are called a curriculum. These are tips and ideas to enhance growth rather than lesson plans. There are many methods to impart experiences; there are no predetermined goals or assumptions that your child won't succeed if he doesn't progress easily. The main goal is to provide him lots of interesting chances to interact with people, learn, and explore.
Toys are just as essential to healthy growth as food, clothes, and a place to live. Early on, the infant begins to play with his fingers, his mother's body, or whatever else they may come into touch with. The youngster extends his reach to play with more items as he gets older. The yearning for happiness now arises. Put another way, toys can have a significant impact on a child's development. The youngster learns, develops, and grows while playing with toys.
Before a child enters school, between the ages of one and three, they all like to imagine themselves as someone else doing something they have heard about in stories. This is because, when parents play with wooden dolls instead of teaching their children how to dress and speak like different characters, the child picks up these mannerisms and their parents' interest in it gradually wanes. These days, parents should not be counting lesson toys. Modifications and enhancements are necessary regarding the role that toys play in a child's development.
As young as one month old, children can begin to benefit from instructional toys. Based on age range, these fantastic toy ideas are included along with a description of their advantages for educational purposes.
1-12 months Old Child: Playing with toys might assist awaken your child's senses at a young age. When it comes to toys for young children, mobiles, soothers, and newborn play gyms are excellent choices since they encourage play with sound, sight, and touch. Families may start introducing toys that promote greater interaction as their kid grows and improves hand-eye coordination. Some examples of these toys include portable toys, which will continue to stimulate your child's senses of hearing and sight with flashing lights and various sounds.
12-24 Months Old Child: By the time kids are a year old or older, they will be highly mobile. Toys that encourage balance and coordination, including as strollers, push vehicles, and stride and ride toys, can also spark your child's interest as they gain more freedom. While your child is still too young to fully comprehend the concepts, you may assist them learn numbers by having them count their steps as they start to walk. This will help them grow more used to the phrases and meaning.
Between the ages of 12 and 18 months, themed playsets are excellent educational toys to offer to your kid since they will help them improve their recognition abilities. Practise the sounds that each animal makes, for instance, if your theme playset has an animal theme. This will reinforce colour and shape names, which will aid with language development as well. In addition to encouraging curiosity and creativity, ride-on toys will improve their motor abilities. Create pathways and detours that require kids to solve puzzles and follow instructions when they are using their ride-on toys. You may also do role-playing conversations with them by pretending that they are going on a school trip or seeing a relative.
2+ Years: Tricycles and basketball hoops are examples of toys that encourage more active play as your kids become bigger and more energetic. When demonstrating how to use these toys, always make sure kids understand the need of safety precautions like wearing a helmet and include them in the process so they know that they must wear their helmet when riding their tricycle.
Additionally, this is an excellent age to introduce toys that develop cognitive skills. Children may practise writing with kinetic sand, a fantastic sensory exercise that involves creating letters or shapes in the sand. Students can work on writing or sketching their names. Introducing your kid to an easel can aid in the development of their small motor skills by giving them the opportunity to practise holding objects like paintbrushes and chalk. By allowing your child to utilize their imagination to produce beautiful art, an easel will help foster creativity in them.
Therefore, in Lokoja Local Government Area where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Impact of Toys in Children Theatre.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that the availability and use of play materials in elementary schools has been found to have a direct impact on the developmental pattern of the social domain of the child (Jones, 2002). When play materials are scarce in primary schools, most students display unacceptable internalized and externalized behaviours, such as aggression, defiance, non-compliance, disobedience, fighting, greed, bullying, using abusive language on each other, pushing, and tantrums. If these students' behaviours are not adequately addressed, they may grow up to become hardened in heart and engage in activities such as cultism, smoking, drug abuse, unwanted pregnancy, stealing, children napping, pre-marital sex, and waywardness.
The majority of parents and other carers frequently give in to their children's demands, particularly when they ask for toys that they have seen on television or among their peers, even if it's just to satisfy a child's newest trend. Without a doubt, this has had unanticipated impacts. Preschools in Lagos State, Nigeria, frequently experience this lack of focus and careless toy provision often for funwithout producing the necessary skills or results, while simultaneously overburdening kids with an excessive number of toys. Thus, the issue of the research is to determine whether toys have an impact on children-friendly theatre.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Impact of Toys in Children Theatre using Lokoja Local Government Area as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To determine the influence of toys in overall development of children;
- To identify the problem a child can face without toys;
- To find out the sources for toys used are obtained; and
- To determine the influence of toys on children participation in play activities.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What is the influence of toys in overall development of children?
- What is the problem a child can face without toys?
- What are the sources for toys used are obtained?
- What is the influence of toys on children participation in play activities?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: The absence of toys in Lokoja Local Government Area Children Theatre is not the cause of low development among pre-school children
- H1: The absence of toys in Lokoja Local Government Area Children Theatre is the cause of low development among pre-school children
1.7 Significance of Study
The toys that children play with greatly influence their preschool education. Preschoolers really need a variety of toys that promote using their bodies, minds, and senses. Thus, it is expected that early childhood educators, care givers, preschoolers, mothers' homes for babies, Creche facilities, early childhood curriculum developers, home economists, entrepreneurs, and policy makers would find great value in the study's conclusions. In order to support healthy cognitive development, these results will also provide them with information on toys that are suitable for children at various developmental stages.
Furthermore, the findings of this research will also receive information from these studies on toys that support healthy cognitive development and are suitable for children at various developmental stages.
Ultimately, researchers will greatly benefit from this study, and non-researchers might utilize it to further their own research endeavours. This work advances our understanding and may provide direction for future research.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Impact of Toys in Children Theatre using Lokoja Local Government Area as a case study. The work is restricted to an experimental study hence the few number of children sampled.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, there were some problems encountered which stood as limitations to the research work. Some of the limitations include:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research Material: Availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
- Initial Cooperation Delay from Respondents: A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.
1.10 Definition of Terms
ACE:
Associate Ship Diploma in Education
Pre-primary:
It refers to the education meant for children between the ages of 3 to 6 years.
Early Childhood Education:
It is the term commonly used to describe the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home.
