The choice of toys by early childhood children

The article deals with the problem of choosing toys by children aged 0-48 months. It represents how children's situational involuntary interest in toys gradually transforms into cognitive interest. The latter determines the young children’s choices in various spheres of their life and, in particular, in choosing among the most accessible and feasible items – toys. The children’s cognitive interest in the choice of toys has been studied in the object and toy environment. A comparative analysis of children's choices among three types of the most common toys was carried out. It has been proved that figurative-interactive toys are the most popular among young children, figurative toys are in the second place, and collapsible toys are in the third place. The functional features of toys that encourage children to choose them have been revealed: sound, mobility, colour brightness. The more such features a toy has, the more often children choose it, the longer and more meaningful they play with it. It has been found that young children choose toy according to their psycho-physical, sensory capabilities and skills to act with it.