Developmental Psychology (PSYC 2332 – Minze) Page 1 of 2 Evaluating Children’s T

Developmental Psychology (PSYC 2332 – Minze) Page 1 of 2
Evaluating Children’s Toys
Children’s toys are big business! Estimates of toy spending worldwide in 2019 suggest a $90
billion strong big business, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). In North America,
the average family spends about $300 per child per year or about $590 per household (incidentally,
the US does not have the highest average per household toy spending budget, that award goes to
Australia at nearly $1600 per household annually). A survey commissioned by The Toy Industry
of America (TIA) found that by the time a child in the US is 12 years old, parents will have spent
nearly $6500 on toys for that child. How many toys does the average American child have?
Somewhere between 70-100 toys at any one time and many children exceed 200 toys at any one
time.
Parents no doubt believe that toys are an important part of childhood. Many toys are marketed as
a tool to enhance cognitive and/or motor development. And, if marketing claims are influential to
the purchase, the claims must be supported (we will touch on this more later in the semester, but
there are legal implications for companies that make false claims in their marketing/advertising).
The question then becomes, is all this spending worth it?
For this assignment, you are to find and evaluate a toy marketed to a specific age group (you may
pick any age group 12 or younger). You can locate the recommended age on the toy packaging or
look online for toys marketed to a specific age group. This assignment can be fun if you actually
go to the toy store or toy aisle of a big box retail store, but you may also look for information
online.
After selecting your toy, evaluate it. Here are some questions to consider.
1. What does the toy claim to do? (e.g., sensory stimulation, promote fine motor development,
encourage locomotion)
2. Does it appear to do what it claims If so, how?
3. Is it essential?
4. Are there ways in which the toy could be improved?
5. Most importantly, would you recommend it to parents or caregivers? Why or why not?
Be sure to include a written description of your selected toy and a picture.
You will submit your write-up via Canvas and Turnitin (plagiarism review). If you have not done
this for a previous paper or class, you should plan some extra time in your deadline to learn and
understand how to upload information. The deadline is usually 11:59 pm on the date due, but
don’t wait until 11:58 pm to start your upload, or your paper may actually be late by the time the
upload completes.
Developmental Psychology (PSYC 2332 – Minze) Page 2 of 2
Your write-up should be approximately 650 – 750 words. (This is generally approximately 2 pages
of a standard font using double spacing and 1-inch margins.) Please double space your write up
and use a 12-point font. If you cite sources, use a recognized standard format. APA is preferred.
There are now templates on Word that include an APA formatted paper. The Purdue OWL has a
comprehensive guide to APA style (among many others). You do not need all the sections of an
APA research paper submission (e.g., Cover, Abstract, Intro, etc.). In fact, for this paper, you’re
encouraged to be creative in your format. However, please make sure to use the standardized
format for in text citations and reference list. Citations are not included in the word count.
**Remember, more is not necessarily better. Editing and learning to communicate your point
concisely are important skills to develop.
Your papers will be graded on the following:
1. Content/Knowledge: How well did you include relevant content? Was there some variety
or did you use only the examples provided?
2. Understanding: How well did you summarize, discuss, or translate the content you chose?
3. Integration/Synthesis: How well did you incorporate the material learned (from the
text/class/your own research) to develop your ideas about the interview?
4. Analysis: How well were you able to explain, organize, or analyze patterns in the
information you learned?
5. Basic Form: Is your paper refined – e.g., did you use proper grammar, spelling,
standardized format?