We all know that kids play with toys because it's fun, but did you know that toys also help children develop important cognitive, social and motor skills? They help socialize children, teaching them to share, compromise and cooperate with their peers. Many toys also foster creativity and imagination, critical thinking and problem-solving.

Starting today, the real experts -- kids -- can don a lab coat and embark on an important mission: to inspect toys from around the world in our new special exhibition Top Secret: Mission Toy. They'll use their investigative and playtime skills to check out dolls and balls and secret codes, find out why tops are tops, and how string can be a fascinating thing.

Check out the San Francisco Chronicle's interview with our Director of Exhibitions, Mary Jo Sutton, to find out about the drama of pretend play, why dolls helps kids negotiate power, and why when you make a kite you learn more than when you buy a pre-made one.

Related Posts:

Congratulations to Mission Toy Photo Contest Winner Natalie! - January 28, 2008 5:15 PM

Top Secret: Mission Toy Photo Contest - January 16, 2008 5:52 PM

This entry was posted on February 09, 2008 and is filed under Jennifer Caleshu.
Tagged: exhibition, behind the scenes
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