The toy: a pedagogical tool in the group play, for the initial level

Abstract

Introduction. This article is based on research conducted by Sánchez & Sánchez in the year 2021, that allowed to deepen the importance of the toy in group play at the initial level; for which the bibliographic references were extensively reviewed, and the technical and pedagogical characteristics of the toy were identified. Objective. To propose types of toys that allow optimal learning. Methodology. The research design was qualitative, due to the nature of the data and the type of information, with a descriptive depth level, for this reason the research is basic type. For the collection of information, the techniques of interview, focus group and for the analysis of the information the triangulation of data were applied; The population is made up of six early childhood teachers from the Teresa Flor Educational Unit and five psychologists and teachers who are experts on the subject. Each person has been considered as the unit of analysis. Results. The main contributions of the research can be summarized as follows: most authors indicate that toys facilitate the child's socialization in a better way in group games; the toy is a pedagogical instrument that stimulates learning with multiple benefits in terms of playful activity, while group play is considered the child's language. Conclusion. The toys most suitable for children from initial level I and II, from 3 to 5 years old, are: puppets, puzzles, stringing games, musical instruments, role plays, dolls, stories, legos, plasticine, among others, which allow them to develop comprehensively and, at the same time, improve their capacity for concentration and attention.