The concept of toy library comes from the French ludothèque , which in turn is formed with the Latin word ludus (which can be translated as “game”) and the French –thèque (“–teca”, a compositional element that refers to the place where something is stored).
A playroom is a place of recreation that has toys and games. In general, it is a space where children can have fun, using the articles that are stored there.
The toy libraries were born as pedagogical spaces. At the level of early childhood education, they are used to stimulate children and to teach them various values (the importance of sharing, solidarity, etc.).
There are also toy libraries for people of all ages. There are toy libraries that operate in community centers, hospitals and prisons, for example. The aim is to take advantage of the educational potential of the game.
According to their characteristics, therefore, it is possible to differentiate between school playgrounds, the hospital playrooms, the traveling toy libraries and toy libraries public, among others.
At a general level, beyond the differences according to the age of the users, the toy libraries contain elements that allow to develop the imagination and that favor concentration. Of course, in the case of children's play libraries, the toys must not contain toxic substances or have edges or points that could put children at risk.
Board games, building blocks, plasticine, books, puzzles, musical instruments and balls are some of the items that are usually present in toy libraries.