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Do Children’s Toys Influence Their Career Choices?

Children learn about the world around them through games and play. During this time, they develop the necessary skills vital for later in life. And, since they are influenced by their surroundings, toys impact their growth by engaging their physical and mental recourses in a fun and interesting manner. Additionally, early toy preferences may provide a window into their future job occupations and roles in society. This is why it is instrumental that parents observe their child’s behavior and supply them with toys that support their passions.

The Positive Effects of Toys on Development and Career Choice

Toys play an essential role in the development of kids throughout childhood. Through playing with toys, children develop their motor and cognitive skills, helping them to overcome all of life’s obstacles. From an early age, toys help in the education of children. They learn to walk, talk, socialize, acquire knowledge, grow emotionally, and develop social and spatial awareness. Because of the immense impact toys have during childhood, they can possibly influence future job occupations. However, this does not directly control their choice.

Therefore, parents should never pressure their children into a particular career, but subtly guide them, learn about their interests, and provide them with the adequate toys. In learning which toys they are the most comfortable utilizing, your kids’ future jobs will contain traits and skills developed through play with those particular toys.

The Negative Impact of Toys

It is important to note, that toys can have a negative impact on child development through latent messages of social issues. These include gender and racial inequality as the most severe among them. Parents should try to provide their kids with toys that don’t incorporate this and teach children to conform to tolerance. Neutral toys are a great way to avoid these problems. Also, teaching boys and girls to play with all toys will provide an ample way of teaching them that they have equal opportunities in life.

Sparking Creativity in Their Future Work Place

Arts and crafts toys inspire kids to be creative. These toys spark imagination in children, but also help them utilize tools and hands during play. This means that children who enjoy making models, using play-dough, and cutting paper into shapes, have an increased interest in craftsmanship and a good eye for aesthetic. In turn, parents should engage these interests by providing suitable toys that will later become the tools of their trade.

Acting Out Their Future Job

Pretend play is essential when viewing your child’s preferences toward its future occupation. Through pretending, children have a chance to act out their desires, thus expressing behaviors associated with certain jobs. A girls’ tea party may not necessarily mean that they will become a cook or a waitress, but that they are certainly interested in communicating with people and helping them enjoy themselves. Also, dress up will certainly provide signs of your child’s affiliations towards a certain occupation and the traits their future job is likely to possess.

The Future Role of Helping Others

Dolls and stuffed animals are other indicators of a probable future job choice. In having and caring for their favorite toy, children develop emotional skills and empathy. With proper guidance, children can become doctors, veterinarians, social workers, or humanitarians that will help both people and animals in need. Even if they do not follow up on these occupations, children will certainly be more fulfilled working in an effort to help society. In addition, playing with dolls provides a great introduction into successful future parents.

Education and Engagement Online

Online games are an ideal way to introduce children to different subject matter. By getting them interested into great online math games, word games, Sudoku, puzzles and chess, they will develop various cognitive skills like hand-eye coordination, short and long-term memory, pattern recognition, increase their vocabulary and language skills, and develop logical and abstract ways of thinking. Because of this, children can engage in various fields, which can stay with them now and later on through their education or occupation.

Finally, it is important to remember not to pressure your children to confine to a certain role or career choice. Let them browse through jobs during play time and toys. Toys will help them acquire skills and knowledge that will certainly help them in their later life. Your only duty as parents will be to guide them through the experience. And, at the end of the day, the child’s answer to the question “What do you want to become when you grow up?” just might be connected to their favorite childhood toy.

Tracey Clayton's picture
Parent, Writer, Blogger

Tracey Clayton is a full time mom of three girls. She loves cooking, baking, sewing, spending quality time with her daughters and she’s passionate for writing. She is contributor on High Style Life and her motto is: “Live the life you love, love the life you live.”