When was the last time you played? Take a moment and think about how you played when you were a child. Ask yourself, what did you play with, who did you play with, what options did you have to play? Fun is something I personally spend a lot of time thinking about because I think it’s a fundamental ingredient in the recipe for a good life. Catherine Price, author of “The Power of Fun,” calls true fun the combination of playfulness, connection, and flow. Childhood play is no different. To have fun as a child or an adult, you need the lighthearted and free feeling that accompanies playfulness, you need to feel connected with someone or something, and you must feel so involved you could easily lose track of time.
Today, childhood play is a hot topic. Childhood play is being replaced by screen time at an unprecedented rate. As graduating seniors, many of us were introduced to childhood play before our lives could have been consumed by screens. Lucky for us, having these experiences playing with toys can make the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” a bit easier. I truly believe childhood play fundamentally forms our vocational identity. Vocational identity is an individual’s sense of self as a professional. This includes their occupational goals, interests, and values. The toys you played with growing up contribute to shaping what professional identity you want to commit to. So, what do our childhood toys tell us about who we want to be?
At Stevens, I think it’s safe to assume that Legos were a household toy for many of us. Speaking generally, it would make sense that Lego fans, as children in their adult selves, love building tangible things, as do engineers.
To use a more abstract example — why might a teacher be drawn to character toys? As kids, many teachers played with action figures, stuffed animals, dolls, or character sets. In their careers, they help shape students both intellectually and personally. As children, they didn’t just see a stuffed animal for what it was; they imagined what it could be. Playing pretend, assigning personalities, and even giving their toys voices helped them develop the skills they now use to nurture and guide their students.
And lastly, consider politicians and lawyers — people who thrive on discussing policies, rules, and structure. For many of us, our earliest exposure to rules came through board games. Chris Byrne, known as “The Play Guy,” describes board games as a child’s first introduction to structure, policies, and even moral choices. In his TED Talk, he jokes that we all remember the kids who cheated and felt guilty about it — and those who didn’t. Whether we realized it or not, the toys we played with as kids helped shape our identities in ways we may have never imagined.
While I’ve discussed the benefits associated with reflecting on your toys, there could be some unforeseen consequences for children as well if they do not have adequate exposure to a wide breadth of toys. Identity foreclosure is when you prematurely commit to an identity without exploring possible alternatives. What happens to a child if they aren’t afforded the opportunity to explore many different types of toys? We may reinforce gender stereotypes, cultural barriers, and prematurely commit to identities without knowing the breadth of opportunity the world has to offer.
To kick the elephant out of the room, not every engineer loved Legos, not every teacher loved stuffed animals, and not every politician loved board games. But I’ve found that when navigating the daunting, at times, the question of “what’s next” when reflecting on the toys I played with is insightful and energizing.
So, if you haven’t figured out what you want to be when you grow up, think about what your childhood toys say about you, your interests, and your aspirations.
