Christopher Bensch is vice president for collections and chief curator at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. He oversees the acquisition of and care for the world's most comprehensive collection of playthings. He also serves as the primary spokesperson for the National Toy Hall of Fame. Andrew Borman is digital games curator at…

The first six years of the child's life are infinitely the most important, as they are the years in which attitudes are being established, habits formed, and character trends largely fixed. This article examines topics such as race relations and prejudice in kindergarten, the role of kindergarten teachers, soldier play in kindergarten and its…

In this commentary, the authors discuss the topic of ostracism--being ignored and excluded--as a painful social phenomenon that most individuals have experienced at least once in their lives, and sometimes daily. The harmful power of ostracism is not short-lived; data suggest that participants asked to relive ostracism by writing an…

One of the most perplexing aspects of global childhood is how its material culture emerges, circulates, takes on hegemonic traits and becomes contested. Though debates around the impact and nature of globalization have tended to take such artefacts as McDonald's hamburgers and the Islamic veil as signifiers of the possible emergence of a global…

In their quest for resources to support children's early literacy learning and development, parents encounter and traverse different spaces in which discourses and artifacts are produced and circulated. This paper uses conceptual tools from the field of geosemiotics to examine some commercial spaces designed for parents and children that…

Early childhood educators frequently look for new ways to help children build social and emotional skills. Teachers want to use effective tools and strategies whether they are redirecting aggressive behavior or encouraging self-esteem and friendship. Persona dolls are one approach to supporting children's social-emotional development. Persona…

This discussion: (1) contrasts children's play with war toys with children's imaginative war play; (2) provides definitions of play and war toys; (3) probes the impact of war toys on children's behavior, ideas, attitudes, and values; (4) reports related research; and (5) describes organizations working against such toys, including the…

Girls' play is great preparation for beginning reading and writing, as well as for the discipline schools demand. Boys' toys help establish a sense of and feel for the world of technology, science, and higher mathematics. (MT)

Suggests toys and materials for changing the environment to keep babies interested in it. (CM)

The author asserts that computers are in schools for the deaf and that their uses are unlimited. She describes computer toys, such as BIG TRAK, as well as software programs for language arts, mathematics, and word processing. (CL)

In Western societies, television has transformed the life, culture, and points of reference of the child. Its particular sphere of influence is the child's play culture. This play culture is not hermetic: it is very oriented toward manipulation; has a symbolic role as a representational medium; evolves along with the child; has a certain amount of…

Extends the rationale for integrating handicapped with nonhandicapped children to include the mainstreaming of infants in group care programs. (RH)

In response to community concern about developmental effects on children who play with toys that portray antisocial, violent, or militaristic themes, two government committees were set up to investigate the issue. Psychologists have argued that playing with such toys may increase antisocial and aggressive behavior in children and have long-term…

This paper takes the position that toys can significantly modify children's behavior and that considerable care needs to go into the decisions one makes when buying a toy. Toys are regarded as educational aids and sources of potential learning. A given toy can provide a variety of lessons. Such lessons include: (1) learning about the various…