Eastern Student Danielle Meskill of Guilford Assists in Toy Research to Promote Productive Play

2014 Dec 12

Danielle Meskill '15 of Guilford, CT, and other Eastern Connecticut State University students worked collaboratively with faculty to conduct research regarding toys and the way that children play with them. Their research, called the TIMPANI (Toys that Inspire Mindful Play and Nurture Imagination) toy study, looks at how young children in natural settings play with a variety of toys and identifies toys that best engage children in intellectual, creative and social interactions in preschool classrooms. This is the fifth consecutive year that Professor Jeffrey Trawick-Smith has worked hand-in-hand with Julia DeLapp, program coordinator for the Center for Early Childhood Education, in order to conduct a TIMPANI study.

Working alongside mentor Trawick-Smith, Meskill conducted behavioral research, analyzed the results and utilized them to make observations about which toys are most effective for promoting mental growth in different settings. The TIMPANI study utilized the creation of a complex rating system that rates toys on three different subscales: thinking/learning, cooperation and social interaction, and self-expression and imagination. Meskill and the other researchers decided on the TIMPANI Toy for the year by determining which toy received the highest combined score across these categories.

The study recognized two toys as being particularly helpful in cultivating young minds; paint and easel, which had the highest score, and Mattel's Hot Wheel Cars, which followed close behind. Meskill, along with Trawick-Smith and DeLapp, presented the results of the study at the National Association for the Education of Young Children which was held in Dallas, Texas on November 8th.