IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe a Toy That You Often Played With as a Child 🧸🎮

Describe a Toy That You Often Played With as a Child 🧸🎮

Suggested Ideas for Each Part

• What the toy was 🎁

  • A stuffed animal (teddy bear, rabbit, etc.)
  • A toy car or remote-controlled car
  • A Barbie doll or action figure
  • A board game or puzzle

• How old you were when you had it 🏡

  • Got it as a birthday present at 5 years old
  • Played with it throughout primary school
  • A special gift from parents or grandparents

• Did you play with the toy by yourself or with other kids? 👫

  • Played alone (used imagination, created stories)
  • Played with siblings or neighborhood friends
  • Took it everywhere, even to bed!

• How you felt about this toy ❤️

  • It was a childhood treasure
  • Provided comfort and joy
  • Helped develop creativity and imagination

Useful Grammar Structures

1. Past Simple for childhood memories

   • I got this toy when I was five years old.
   • I played with it almost every day.

2. Past Continuous for ongoing actions in childhood

   • I was always playing with it in my free time.

3. Would/Used to for repeated past actions

   • I used to take my teddy bear everywhere.
   • I would spend hours creating stories with my dolls.

Collocations

1. A treasured childhood memory 🌟 (một ký ức tuổi thơ đáng trân trọng)
2. Spark my imagination ✨ (kích thích trí tưởng tượng của tôi)
3. Be my constant companion 🐻 (luôn bên cạnh tôi)
4. Sentimental value 💖 (giá trị tình cảm)
5. A nostalgic feeling 🎠 (cảm giác hoài niệm)

Full Sample Answer (2 Minutes) 🎤

One of my favorite toys as a child was my stuffed teddy bear 🧸. I got it when I was around five years old, as a birthday gift from my parents. It was soft, fluffy, and had a cute red ribbon around its neck. I named it “Bobby,” and it quickly became my constant companion 🐻.

I used to play with Bobby every single day. Sometimes, I would talk to it and pretend it was my best friend. At night, I couldn’t sleep without hugging it because it gave me a sense of comfort and security. I mostly played with it alone, but sometimes, I would bring it outside when playing with my cousins, and we would pretend to have a tea party together.

This toy holds a lot of sentimental value 💖 because it was not just a toy to me—it was part of my childhood. Even though I don’t play with it anymore, I still keep it as a treasured childhood memory 🌟. Every time I see it, I get a nostalgic feeling 🎠, reminding me of the happy and carefree days of my childhood.

Part 3: Discussion Questions & Sample Answers

1. What kind of toys were famous in your childhood? How about these days? 🎮

Ideas

• Past: Simple toys (stuffed animals, dolls, board games)
• Now: More digital (video games, smart toys, robotic pets)
• Children today are more into technology

Collocations

1. Be all the rage 🔥 (rất phổ biến)
2. Traditional toys are fading away 🏡 (đồ chơi truyền thống đang mất dần)
3. Be glued to screens 📱 (dán mắt vào màn hình)

Sample Answer

When I was a child, traditional toys like stuffed animals, dolls, and board games were all the rage 🔥. Kids would spend hours playing outside with jump ropes or toy cars. However, nowadays, children are more interested in digital entertainment, such as video games and robotic toys. Sadly, many traditional toys are fading away 🏡 because children today tend to be glued to screens 📱 more often.

2. Do you think parents should buy more toys for their children, or should they spend more time with them instead? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Ideas

• Spending time is more valuable than buying toys
• Toys can be educational, but too many are unnecessary
• Bonding with parents is essential for emotional development

Collocations

1. Strengthen family bonds 🏡 (củng cố mối quan hệ gia đình)
2. A quality-over-quantity approach 🎁 (ưu tiên chất lượng hơn số lượng)
3. Over-reliance on material things 🏬 (phụ thuộc quá nhiều vào vật chất)

Sample Answer

I believe parents should spend more quality time with their children rather than just buying toys. While toys can be educational and fun, nothing is more valuable than strengthening family bonds 🏡. Many parents take a quality-over-quantity approach 🎁 by choosing a few meaningful toys instead of buying too many. Overloading kids with toys may lead to over-reliance on material things 🏬 instead of focusing on real connections and creativity.

3. Should advertising aimed at kids be prohibited? 📺

Ideas

• Children are easily influenced by ads
• Encourages unnecessary spending
• Some educational ads can be beneficial

Collocations

1. Be highly impressionable 👶 (dễ bị ảnh hưởng)
2. Encourage consumerism 💰 (khuyến khích chủ nghĩa tiêu dùng)
3. Strike a balance ⚖️ (đạt được sự cân bằng)

Sample Answer

I think advertising aimed at kids should be strictly regulated because children are highly impressionable 👶 and can be easily influenced to buy unnecessary products. Many ads encourage consumerism 💰 and make kids constantly ask their parents for new toys. However, not all ads are bad—some educational ads teach children important lessons. So instead of banning them completely, we should strike a balance ⚖️ by ensuring advertisements are ethical and beneficial for children.

4. How do advertisements influence children? 📢

Ideas

• Makes them desire unnecessary things
• Shapes their preferences and behavior
• Can be positive if used for educational purposes

Collocations

1. Manipulate children’s desires 🧠 (điều khiển mong muốn của trẻ em)
2. Shape consumer habits from a young age 🏬 (định hình thói quen tiêu dùng từ nhỏ)
3. Promote unrealistic expectations 🎭 (tạo ra kỳ vọng không thực tế)

Sample Answer

Advertisements manipulate children’s desires 🧠 by making them think they need the latest toy or gadget. This can shape consumer habits from a young age 🏬, making them always want more. Additionally, many ads promote unrealistic expectations 🎭, showing perfect, happy kids with expensive toys, which can create dissatisfaction if they don’t get the same things. That’s why parents need to guide children on how to think critically about ads.