Imagination vs Marketing. Empirical Evidence on What a Child Chooses to Play?

Abstract The lack of data on the impact of preferred toys on play per se and children’s developmental outcomes can be noted in the field of play studies. At the same time, this impact is expected since the characteristics of a toy, as a tool for creating an imaginary situation, can both support and limit a child’s playful initiatives. The present study aimed to identify the most and least preferred toy depending on open-endedness degree and the possible impact of these preferences on children’s imagination. The study involved 203 children from 4 to 7 years old. All children individually underwent an assessment of imagination and participated in a procedure on toy preference in the experimental settings using the forced-choice method. The study’s findings confirmed that preference for open-ended toys is associated with imagination, namely with the number of details the toys have, and the originality of the images children create. This result confirms that blocks, being a raw play material, provide the child with an opportunity to develop, and embody their ideas in play through symbolization, which contributes to the development of imagination. At the same time, blocks were found to be the least preferred toy among other, as most children find them boring and do not want to put effort into creating play structures or do not know how to do so. The study’s findings may be useful in selecting toys and developing recommendations on adult participation in play to engage children in using open-ended play material and developing the ability to symbolize.