Child Observation Essay

After visiting Walmart's McKinney location it was more than clear that there was a strong dividing line between what are labeled as boy's toys and girl's toys. One of the biggest differences between the two aisles that Walmart has decided to employ is painting the backdrop of their shelves either pink for girls or blue for boys. This right away sets a clear statement that one isle is intended for one gender and the other aisle for a different gender. However, even if the back of the shelving units were not colored, the toys' packaging itself would be more than a clear giveaway. In what Walmart has as the girl's aisle are princess dresses hung on pink hangers, dolls in pink packing, ponies with pink hair, even toys that are undeniably gender

I babysit for several families and notice that most of the time, the answer is no. On little girl, aged five, is more than happy to play with Legos, and the Lego Friends set designed for girls isn't satisfying her anymore. She wants bigger sets, more complex instructions, all things that can be found in the boy's aisle. A little boy from a different family, also aged 5, has many different Lego sets which he loves, but he also sees the appeal in their sister's Littlest Petshop figures to the point that the small houses and animals are more his toys than his sister's. A third family has one boy and an older girl, and they refuse to play with each other's toys because they are 'girl' toys or 'boy' toys. If we didn't have such gendered marketing would they still feel this way? Or would they happily rescue Batman again and again until they got bored and went on to play with their dolls? My observations from the second family with the little boy who has grown up with a variety of toys being offered to him, can also be seen in Stockholm, Sweden's Toys R Us store. Sweden's Toys R Us store released a new marketing campaign where they showed children of both genders playing with all sorts of toys, from toys guns to hair styling equipment. They went further into the marketing by even appearing to dress both the boys

Boys who are obsessed with video games are still able to claim that their favorite color is pink. Girls who love nothing more than a fancy dress may also love nothing more than climbing the tallest tree they can find, or racing down the street on their favorite superhero bike. The majority of parents want their children to be happy, and strictly gendered toys aren't making them happy. When you walk into the shared playroom of young children most can right away point out the side that is the boy's and the side that is the girl's. Dolls and princesses give a clear divide to trucks and legos, but according to the kids, they want both kinds of toys to be on 'their side' of the