VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 3
distinct textures, tactile cues, and/or emitted sounds, providing haptic and auditory
feedback. Examples of toys with haptic feedback included LEGO bricks, chess,
origami, and Pallankuzhi, while examples of toys with auditory feedback included
toy trains and talking robots.
Types of Play Initiated, Complexity of Play or Toys, and Developmental Areas
Supported
Based on participants' descriptions, the types of play initiated, the complexity
of play, and the developmental skills supported varied depending on the toy or
game. In many cases, play was solitary, except for playing in nature. Some toys
and games (e.g., building blocks, handicrafts, and dolls or figures) were played
with siblings or peers and may have encouraged parallel play. However,
cooperative play was mentioned with board games (e.g., Pallankuzhi and chess)
that were frequently played with siblings and peers. The following excerpt from a
U.S. participant provides an example of parallel play involving a toy used with
family members.
I loved playing with toy cars and trains, especially with my cousins. I'd
build roads, bridges, and tunnels—real ones, using dirt and anything solid I
could find. The bridges had to be strong enough to hold the weight of the
trains, and my trains carried real coal that I crushed myself. I liked creating
my own little world, where I could make up the rules as I went.
