Toy Facts for Kids

A display of Roman toys, including several that would be familiar to children today: a doll, dice, rattles, and toy dishes for playing house

Marbles are a type of toy.

A toy is something to play with. Toys are for children, adults, and animals. Before 1970, most toys were made of metal and wood. Now, they are mostly made of plastic. Sometimes they are made of electronic material. Some people also consider video games toys. Toys include balls, plastic cars, and dolls.

A little theatre with marionettes, Italy, 1959

Toys originated many years ago. Dolls of infants, animals, and soldiers and toy tools are found in archaeological places. The origin of the word "toy" is not known. However, it is thought that it was first used in the 14th century.

The earliest toys were made from rocks, sticks or clay. In Ancient Egypt, children played with dolls made of clay and sticks. In Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, children played with dolls made of wax or terracotta, sticks, bows and arrows, and yo-yos. When Greek children, especially girls became adults, it was required to sacrifice the toys to the gods. On the eve of their wedding, young girls around fourteen would offer their dolls in a temple as a rite of passage into adulthood.

Images for kids

A variety of traditional wooden Channapatna toys from India
Little horse on wheels, Ancient Greek child's toy. From a tomb dating 950-900 BCE, Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, Athens
A boy with a hoop. Hoops have long been a popular toy across a variety of cultures.
Frank Hornby's 1901 patent number GB190100587A for what later became known as Meccano
Two children playing with paddle balls, a painting by the Chinese artist Su Hanchen (苏汉臣, active 1130s-1160s AD), Song Dynasty
A toy tank with a remote control. Such toys are generally thought of as boys' toys.
Toys "R" Us operates over 1,500 stores in 30 countries and has an annual revenue of US$13.6 billion
Lincoln Logs have been a popular construction type toy in the U.S. since the 1920s.
A girl and her doll in the 1900s.
Teddy Bear
A toy boat.
Beanie Baby; Sizzle the Bear
An Aibo.
Kids having a Nerf gun battle
A boy from Jakarta with his ball. Ball games are good exercise, and are popular worldwide.
Toys with small parts, such as these Lego elements are required by law to have warnings about choking hazards in some countries.
Some communities require recycling of the batteries in toys such as qfix robot "crash-bobby".

Toy facts for kids

Images for kids

See also