To What Extent Do Children's Toys Affect Their Future Careers?

Children are sponges. They absorb everything we say or do around them. From media to language, parents seem to be continually walking on eggshells in the hopes of not ‘contaminating’ their little ones.

But how deep can external influence go? Could it even shape the professions they pursue later in life?

Children’s toys are like training grounds, where kids practise real‑life skills without even noticing. Parents worry about screen time and school, but the toy box quietly shapes what children see as ‘normal’ or ‘possible’ for themselves in the future.

Children's toys serve as instruments for learning, allowing kids to develop real-life skills, and often without conscious practice. While parents are more concerned about phone time, friends and academic pressure, the toys they provide also help mold a child’s perceptions of what's normal or achievable in their future.

If a child plays with building blocks, the act of planning and problem solving mean they are actively practising skills relevant to many adult jobs. This compounded over time means children naturally gravitate towards certain subjects that seem more familiar to them, subtly guiding their educational career paths.

Play also allows children to essentially ‘try on’ different identities: do they like the pressure that comes with being a firefighter? Or do they find a sense of community in teaching others? 

This exploration helps them envision themselves in various careers. A child frequently pretending to be a vet may develop a lasting interest in animals, take science electives, and ultimately choose a career in medicine. 

However, toys can also impose limitations, especially when they are heavily gendered. In many toy stores, aisles are divided into pink toys for girls with ‘girl roles’ and blue toys for boys with ‘boy roles’. This sends a powerful message about what places are available to children based on their gender in our society. Doctors are male, and nurses are female. The toy industry introduces these biases very early on to our children and these assumptions show consequences in the real world. Boys may gravitate toward science and leadership, whereas girls might feel compelled to pursue caring roles.

Studies have shown that gender neutral toys that encourage curiosity and imagination allow children to picture themselves in a wider range of careers. However, the ‘Career Barbies’ they praise so very much as ‘ingenious’ and ‘beneficial’, have a backwards philosophy. It all but reinforces typical gender stereotypes where women are expected to look and present themselves as ‘feminine’ even while working. It's no shock that a large percentage of adolescents put a larger emphasis on appearance rather than intelligence.

So, how do children's toys influence future careers? They don’t dictate a definitive path but play a role in shaping some of their early decisions. Anything and everything affects children. All of what they see and what they hear contributes to the world they are building. 

Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6096664/

https://impact.acu.edu.au/global/how-gender-stereotypes-limit-child-career-choice

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/play/gender-typed-toys

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25857895

https://www.tptoys.com/blogs/tp-news/do-childrens-toys-influence-their-career-choices

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/how-barbie-affects-career-ambitions/284411/

https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2014/03/12/what-do-little-girls-really-learn-from-career-barbies/