The emergence of a large variety of interactive toys has transformed the way in which infants and toddlers acquire playing and socializing skills. Interactive toys range from simple toys such as the ticklish Elmo doll that talks and shakes with the squeeze of the belly to the more sophisticated Furby with the capacity of acquiring new language (Oravec, 2000, p. 86). Unlike conventional toys, interactive toys contain microchips that enable them to respond to the users. Thus, they are touted as "lifelike" toys that simulate human interaction. The impact of interactive toys on young children is highly significant because play is an integral part of their development. The interaction with toys enables children to learn about socialization and exercise their imagination. This paper analyzes the trend of the increasing popularity of interactive toys and assesses its significance on the effects of how young children learn to interact with their physical and social environment.
The influence of interactive toys on the development of infants and toddlers can be examined by its negative ad positive aspects. First, less sophisticated interactive toys, especially targeted for infants and toddlers, offer standardized types of interaction in which the child is expected to provide a "correct" response. If the appropriate response is not received, the toy simply asks the question again or does not return the child's response. Young children who do not understand the limitations of certain types of interactive toys will be left frustrated and confused. Their experience with this artificial interaction may affect their ability to interact with other children (Oravec, 2000, p. 82).
Second, the standardized performance of interactive toys imposes limits on how the children play with the toys. In contrast, conventional toys such as blocks stimulate children to use their imagination to create imaginary stories and situations. Therefore, interacti...