History
Characteristics
Advantages
Disadvantages
Selection
Evaluations
Storage and Care
Management Issues
Web Pages
Bibliography
Toy Libraries
Classifying Toys
Definition:
Encyclopedia Americana defines toys as a tool of the human child; used to train them in physical skills, help them to develop imagination, and to stimulate thinking.Most definitions of toys, such as the
one above, commonly refer to children and play. Toys, however, can
mean different things to different people (e.g.: educators, parents, librarians,
physical therapists, psychologists, and children.) The definition
of a toy can also vary by culture, by society, by time period (meaning
generational), and by the materials and technology available at the
time it was made. Toys cater to everyone: children, teenagers,
adults, the handicapped, the mentally challenged, and the elderly.