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The article presents an attempt to identify the main characteristics of children’s information environment and show their influence on the psychology of modern children. In the analysis of modern market of toys, books and movies, the author states some of the paradoxes of modern socio-cultural situation. One of them is the fact that the majority of information products for children are not designed for the age peculiarities of its destination. Other paradox is that increased demands on cognitive development of children combined with overly caring attitude to their physical security and autonomy. The desire to make the life of their children easier, to protect them from any risk, effort and hardship is the dominant trend of modern education. As a result, children are setting on consumption, which is amplified by the expansion of modern media and video production for children. In the second part of the article discusses the problems of modern children due to the characteristics of children’s subculture. Among them, the underdevelopment of the motive sphere, disorders of speech development, lack of imagination, communication difficulties, lack of autonomy and self-organization. The author concludes that modern children’s subculture inhibits the development of personality of the child and leads to deficiency of motivation.

The article deals with dynamic toys – a well-known, but little used category of toys for toddlers and preschool and primary school children. The characteristic features which make these toys stand out from moving and interactive toys are presented on three grounds: the image, the pattern of motion, and the complexity of motion management. The developmental significance of these toys is discussed in detail. The article provides recommendations for how to effectively present the dynamic toys to children. The article gives examples of activities with the toy and how to communicate with a child during the play process, creating conditions for the expansion of the zone of proximal development and revealing the developmental potential of toys as an object of independent child experimentation. As a conclusion the psychological-pedagogical criteria for the selection of a dynamic toy is presented.

The article is designed to help parents understand what role games and toys play in a preschooler’s life, which toys help a child enter the world of human culture, what role an adult plays in the development of play activities. Psychological approaches to the understanding of the importance of games and toys in developing a child’s personality and intelligence are considered. It is demonstrated that the outward appearance of a toy and its functions are defined, on the one hand, by the social and cultural realities and, on the other, by the needs of the child himself. By analyzing the preferences of today’s boys and girls the authors propose that stereotypes in choosing toys to be overcome. The article considers the risk zones and resources of modern toys, computer and other games. It provides recommendations on how to choose the toy considering a preschool child’s psychology.

The last few years have seen Monster High dolls become one of the most popular and controversial toys. Based on the results of a specific empirical study the authors of the article attempt to find out why these dolls are so popular and what children see and what they fail to see in them and how preschool and younger school age girls play with these dolls. The study involved 245 parents and 50 girls in two age groups: 6-7 and 8-9 years. The adults completed the questionnaire which evaluated these dolls’ basic qualities. The children were involved in individual conversations in which each of the girls was asked the same questions. The children’s drawings depicting these dolls and the way they played with them were analyzed. The children’s and adults’ assessment of the dolls’ different qualities made it possible to register an obvious generational gap: what children perceive as being perfect is regarded by adults as being ugly and revolting. The children’s drawings suggest that Monster High dolls are perceived by them as “standards of beauty.” Most of the girls prefer these dolls to traditional ones. Watching the children play with these girls showed its essential part to be defined not so much by the toys’ image as by the general context of a child’s life: when using these dolls children play out most varied stories that reflect their personal experience. The article concludes by discussing the results of the study and possible risks these toys carry for preschoolers.

Toys and play activities for children have received considerable attention since antiquity. The author notes that in today’s schools and kindergartens play acts as a means of acquiring new skills, forming useful skills. Psychologists and neuroscientists prove an important role of play in the mental development. The article discusses how play changes with children growth. The author emphasizes that toys should not be working copies of adult objects to sharpen useful skills of adult life. What a child receives through the play is much more important – understanding of the meaning of human activities and relationships between people. Children’s play should be varied to have socially approvable subject but not limited to the performance of certain actions with toys. In order a toy to serve as an instrument of mental development it is necessary to teach children to play with them.

The paper studies parents’ notions of their preschool children’s gaming environment. Particular attention is paid to the content of the home gaming environment and to the place of child’s play in the structure of family leisure time. The selection of toys that is common in a child’s room is analyzed, and children’s preferences in playing with them are described. To enrich child play and children’s development, the parental knowledge of their children’s favorite games and toys is studied. It is shown that the presence of a large number of toys in the play rooms of Russian children is excessive. In this regard, the article emphasizes the role of an adult as the organizer of the child role play, where toys serve as developmental tools. It is specifically noted that the organization of playing space in children’s room has a strong influence on development of their play, activity and on development of creativity.