1 Changes within living memory
How toys have changed
In 30 seconds…
Toys have changed over the years as technology has developed. The gadgets of
today were unheard of 20 years ago, let alone 50! Appearances have changed, as
have style, materials and purpose – less is left to the imagination these days.
What do I need to know?
Then and now
Toys have changed in many ways over the years, and for many reasons. Materials
are now cheaper, toys are imported and technological advances have seen the types
of toys around today that would have seemed almost impossible only a few years
ago. Time and technology move quickly on, and the toys of today will soon look
dated; toys that were popular when you were young – let alone those that our
parents or grandparents had – now look very basic compared to the gadgets around
today!
Style
Some toys have remained remarkably unchanged over the years: teddy bears,
jigsaw puzzles, ball games, dolls, toy soldiers and train sets were around during
Victorian times. Others have changed as technology has developed, resulting in
computerised toys that bear little resemblance to the toys of yesteryear.
Purpose
Toys provide a welcome distraction for children but can also help build imagination,
coordination, literacy and numeracy skills.
Material
In Victorian times, toys were made of wood, paper or metal as there was no plastic
until the twentieth century.
What toys tell us about the past
In Victorian times, children from wealthier families had more time to play with toys
than poorer children; poor children were expected to help their families with work,
and often invented their own games with whatever they could find.
Useful links
www.toyinfo.org Go to the ‘timeline’ page for a comprehensive list of toys through
the ages.
Visit the following toy museums:
www.ilkleytoymuseum.co.uk (West Yorkshire)
www.stanstedtoymuseum.com (Essex)
www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk (Brighton)
www.vam.ac.uk/moc/ (London)
www.montacutemuseum.co.uk (Somerset)
Interesting fact
The first teddy bear was made in 1903, and was named after the American president
Theodore Roosevelt. He was on a hunting trip and had not found a bear to shoot;
one of his assistants tied a black bear to a tree so the President could shoot it, but
Roosevelt refused. After word spread, a man called Morris Michtom made a stuffed
bear and got permission to call it ‘Teddy’s Bear’. It proved immensely popular and
the teddy bear was born!
Lesson 1 What makes a favourite toy?
Getting started
Show the class five toys from different periods of history and ask them to guess
what each toy is and when it was popular. Give them a choice of dates to choose
from to make it easier.
Class activities
• Ask pupils to bring in their favourite toy. In groups, each child takes a turn at
describing why it their toy is their favourite.
• Ask each pupil how long it has been their favourite toy and how long they think it
will remain their favourite. What might make their choice of favourite change?
How is different to that of a year ago, or two years ago?
• Pupils discuss and write down the different materials their favourite toy is made
of, choosing from a list and writing their results in a table. They can do this
individually or as a group.
Plenary
Ask pupils to swap toys with one another and to describe a feature about the new
toy.
Lesson 2 How have toys changed over time?
Getting started
Arrange pupils into groups of five or six. Hand each group a selection of cards; on
each card is the name of a toy that was discussed in Lesson 1. Pupils take it in
turns to hold a card. The rest of the pupils in the group each ask a question to try
and work out which toy is named on the card. The pupil holding the card can only
answer yes or no. After each pupil in the group has asked a question, they can
have a guess at what toy is on the card. The pupil holding the card reveals the
answer.
Class activities
• Give out pictures of toys from different periods in time.
• Pupils describe what they think the toys are and from what period in time. They
record their answers on a timeline. Ask pupils what age children they think the
toys are meant for.
• Show pupils pictures of Victorian toys (cup and ball, marbles, skipping rope,
wooden hoop, diabolo) and ask them to explain how the toys were used. How
are they different to the toys we have now?
• Explain the idea of children inventing their own rules and games using their
imaginations. Do the pupils use their imaginations when they play with their
toys?
Plenary
Children discuss in groups which their favourite Victorian toy is and why.
Lesson 3 Toys through the ages
Getting started
Arrange pupils into small groups and ask them to make up their own rules for a
game involving marbles.
Class activities
• Introduce the topic of toys through the ages as seen in books and on television.
Prepare short extracts from Winnie the Pooh, Bagpuss, Toy Story and
Transformers (cartoon).
• Ask pupils to record all the different types of toys they see in the clips.
• Ask pupils to record in chronological order the four clips on a timeline.
• What differences do the pupils notice?
• Pupils write their own story that involves their favourite toy.
Plenary
Pupils invent a toy for the future. They can build on this in a later lesson.
Further activities for pupils
• Pupils ask their parents and grandparents what their favourite toys were when they
were children.
• Using pictures of toys through the ages, pupils create their own toyshop, including
descriptions of each toy and what age it is most suitable for.
Further research for pupils
Compare different TV programmes that depict toys from the time, such as Toy Story
and Bagpuss.
Read stories about Winnie the Pooh, Rupert the Bear and Paddington Bear.
Check out the Toy Shop ABC app (Kandelsmith) that also focuses on the alphabet –
explore a toyshop from 1860.
Cross-curricular links
Art and design: Pupils design their own toy and label it.
English: Pupils write a story that involves a number of their favourite toys, or those
of their friends.
Geography: Pupils plot on a map toys that are popular in different parts of the world.
Computing: Pupils prepare a fact-file about toys through the ages.
Science: Pupils investigate toys that were at the cutting edge of technology when
they were first invented. They then plot them on a timeline.
Progression
1. Pupils can state why they like a particular toy.
2. Pupils recognise toys that are made from different materials.
3. Pupils can place toys chronologically on a timeline.
4. Pupils understand that some toys require more imagination than others.
5. Pupils can explain why toys have changed over the years.