Toy; They are all play materials that bring order to the child's movements throughout the development process, help his mind, body and social development, and improve his imagination and creative abilities.
Such as natural play materials such as water, clay, sand; empty matchbox, reel, pieces of cloth, etc. Residual materials may also be included in the scope of toys. The most important material of the game is toys. Children play with toys and learn about the world.
Toys are associated with a child's imagination, interest, discovery, construction, education, cognitive development and learning of gender roles (Peter and Tiffany 1984, p.213).
Toys and game materials, which help children complete their educational functions by facilitating their creativity and abilities, are necessary for all children of different ages and mental levels in order to stimulate all areas of development (Tezel Şahin 1993, p.9-10).
The age of three to six, called the play period or preschool age, is one of the most colorful periods of childhood. This period is one of the most important periods of the growth period in terms of identity development as well as physical and mental development of children.
This period, in which the child examines the objects, materials and colors around him, and starts to reason about making a choice, is the starting point for many choices. The mediators of these choices are games and toys (Çelikoğlu and Aksoy, 1990).
Researchers studying the game agree that the best way to understand the child's emotion, thought and development level is to observe him during the game.
The play corners that the child plays, the roles he takes, the materials he uses; educators are the best tips for parents on getting to know him. The game allows the child to realize his own abilities and use his creative potential; language is the most effective environment that supports mental, motor and emotional development.
All play materials that bring order to the child's movements throughout the developmental stages, help them in their mental, physical and psycho-social development, and improve their imagination and creative abilities can be defined as toys. With the help of games and toys, the child prepares himself for adult life and the tasks that will fall on him in this life.
Toys, which also develop the sense of choice and evaluation in the child, provide the opportunity for the child to decide for himself and gain skills in a certain area with these functions. (Tezel Şahin, 1993).
Factors such as age, gender and parents also affect the child's determination of these preferences. Gender is an important factor in the toy preferences of children aged 3-6. The gender factor starts to be effective between the ages of 3.5 and 4 and this effect increases in proportion to age (Çelikoğlu and Aksoy 1990).
In the study examining the opinions of the parents of the children in the 3 - 6 age group about children's games and toys, it was found that the parents were generally influential in the children's toy preferences and gender discrimination. In addition, the place of the toy in child development and the different roles of the toy in the developmental stages of the child were examined (Tezel-Şahin, 1993).
It has been determined that gender is effective in the toys that children prefer to play with, and in future studies on the subject, it is deemed appropriate to include children in research through observation. In addition, the qualities of a good toy and the criteria for toy selection were determined (Erden, 2001).
Among the many factors that will affect children's preferences, the largest share generally belongs to the features that determine the appearance of the toy. The most important criteria that determine the appearance properties of game materials are material and color. Playing materials of various sizes and colors, which play an important role for children, allow children to have fun and learn concepts such as color, size and shape during the game. During physical and mental development, children's opinions and understandings about color begin to emerge as their tastes and preferences become clear. It can be said that the colors they want to be around reflect their inner world and reveal the psychological state of the child. Texture, form and color are basic variables in the child's perception of his environment. This extreme element should be considered together in the design of the space and the furniture. When children aged 3-6 perceive their environment, they emphasize color rather than form (Konrot, 1989).
Age is an important factor in color preference and color preference changes with age and maturity. There is no consistency in color preference before the age of three in children, and there is no change in color preferences between the ages of 3-15 (Curaoğlu, 1994).
Color is an element that should be emphasized in design because of its psychological effect on people. This effect is also very important in toys and space equipment that children will use. While it is wrong to use red, which is a physical and spiritual trigger, around a hyperactive child, it would be the right option to use this color and its tones in children's rooms that need exercise. While blue is very suitable for children's rooms with its sleep-regulating and calming effect, it will be a bad choice because its dark blue tone creates depression. If it is desired to direct the child to sports, the most beautiful color is orange and the color that is a sign of love is pink (Sumer 2004).