There is no sight as wonderful and refreshing as watching children playing their various games. Playing games with and without toys is an integral part of the childs growing up and learning how to deal with and live in the society. Playing helps children to recognize their basic natures and identities, learn about a cause and its effect, explore and learn to build relationships, and develop skills which they will need as adults to deal with the world.
Children playing games, with and without toys is a common enough sight, but even adults indulge in games like chess, cards, physically demanding games like tennis, soccer etc. in order to develop social contacts. Adults playing games not only strengthen their social bonds but playing gives them a method to release stress. They also reinforce the skills and lessons they learned from playing in their childhood. Playing games allows them to constantly rediscover their identities and help them evolve as individuals apart from exercising their minds and bodies.
One not only finds human children playing games but also young and adult mammals of other species also playing and indulging in games, turning things like rocks, food and sticks into toys. This fact has lead to the establishment of a large scale industry producing toys especially for pets. Even these toys have a positive psychological and physical impact on the pets and the pet owners choose toys according to the nature and the kind of pet that they have.
The evidence of children playing games with toys has traced back to the Indus valley civilization (from 3000 – 1500 BC). These excavated toys include small carts, toy animals, whistles in the shapes of animals and birds. Even then it was known that toys and games not only keep childrens hyperactive brains occupied and at the same time help their personalities as individuals take shape in a positive way.
Children playing games and the existence of toys are also evident in the societies of Ancient Greece as well as Ancient Rome. These toys were made out of substances like wax and terra cotta, bows and arrows made out of sticks and yo-yos. These toys also had a ritualistic significance in these civilizations in a custom in which the Greek children particularly offered their childhood toys as sacrifice to the gods at the time of their coming of age. Young girls who were to be married offered their dolls to God in temples, one day before the wedding took place, as a ritual to mark their stepping into adulthood
Nowadays parents, teachers and toys and game manufacture put in a lot of research in designing toys and games. It is now widely accepted that children playing games will develop according to the games they play. The most important role in the childrens development is played by their upbringing and education, but play is equally important.
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