THE ROLE OF TOYS IN THE SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Developing social skills in children at an early age is an essential process. Educational toys are seen as an important agent in cultivating these skills in children. This study explored the role of educational toy designs in developing the social skills of pre-school children. Twenty-four (24) observation entries were utilized on four (N=4) pre-school children (6 years old). The participants were exposed to different educational toys across six play sessions in a controlled environment. During the sessions, the children’s behaviors were observed, coded and verified. Results showed that through the toy play sessions, the children portrayed various social attributes, namely cooperation, self-control and assertion. The results are further validated with two (N=2) expertise from childhood development background. The results of the research on toy attributes for social skills development highlight several key features, including the ability to allow multiplayer interactions, the inclusion of shareable components, the incorporation of a win-lose system, sensory triggers, features that promote active play, and opportunities for children to express themselves verbally. This study has significant implications as to the importance of educational toys as tools that facilitate the process of cultivating and developing social skills in children.

Keywords: child development, social skills, play, educational toys, pre-school child