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What do children need to live a full and healthy life? Watch the video to find out about child rights!

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Newsela | Fifth-graders donate goods to peers in Caribbean

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Virginia fifth-graders donate shoes, books and art supplies to poor children in Constanza, Dominican Republic.

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Target made headlines last year when it announced that its stores would no longer post signs to direct customers to buy some toys for girls and others for boys. Much of the push to separate toys by gender has come from toymakers, advertisers, and stores. Using stereotypes-or fixed, oversimplified ideas-makes selling easier. Plus, if a sister and brother in the same house don't share toys, that can create twice as much business.

People who agree with Target's decision say children should not be told what to like, how to act, and what to play with. They say it is healthy for kids to experiment with different toys and interests.

Here, two kids weigh in.

TERRY EUBANKS

YES!

Preston Eubanks, 10

Syracuse, Utah

Toy stores should separate toys aimed at boys from those aimed at girls. It makes a store a lot more organized. It is easier to find what you are looking for. For example, if you want superhero toys, you would know not to look in the doll section. Even if the aisles are separate, kids can still get whatever toy they want. If a girl is looking for a Hot Wheels set, she will know where to find it. No one is telling her not to play with it.

COURTESY PHEDRE PERKINS

NO!

Phèdre Perkins, 10

Foster City, California

A toy is a toy! A girl might want to play with a "boy" toy. Who cares? It's just a toy! Companies don't care about you. They care about making money. Sometimes, kids pretend to like something just to fit into a mold. It is not healthy. Every kid should try different toys. If kids aren't given the option to try everything, they might miss out on a hobby or an interest they would enjoy. Let's allow all kids to be themselves.

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Target made headlines last year when it announced that its stores would no longer post signs to direct customers to buy some toys for girls and others for boys. Much of the push to separate toys by gender has come...

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Alice Paul Tapper was on a fourth-grade field trip last year. She saw something that upset her. The girls were standing in the back of the room. They were listening politely as the guide spoke. The boys crowded together in the front. They raised their hands to respond to questions, "even if they didn't know the answer," Alice told TFK.

Alice, 10, says she often doesn't raise her hand in class. Most of the time, she knows the answer. But she is nervous she'll get it wrong and feel embarrassed. She figured a lot of other girls on the field trip were keeping quiet, too.

Alice told her mom what she saw. They talked about how girls are often told to be quiet and polite. Boys are encouraged to be strong and assertive.

"Girls are important. Their ideas are important," Alice says. "They should be heard."

Taking the Pledge

Alice's mom, Jennifer Tapper, is the leader of Alice's Girl Scout troop. At the next Girl Scout meeting, Alice found she was right. The other girls said that they, too, sometimes waited to raise their hand.

Alice's troop asked the Girl Scouts organization to create a new patch. Patches and badges are a big deal to a Girl Scout. "They're kind of a combination between a scrapbook and a girl's first ," Stewart Goodbody told TFK. She is director of communications for Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. "[Badges] show all the skills she's built and the things she's accomplished."

The new patch was introduced in October 2017. It is called the Raise Your Hand patch. To earn it, a girl has to do three things. She must promise to raise her hand in class when she thinks she knows the answer, even if she's not 100% sure. She must three girls to make the same promise. And she must talk about how raising her hand makes her feel.

So far, more than 5,400 girls have earned the Raise Your Hand patch. They live in every state in the U.S., plus Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.

"Girls are powerful," Alice says. "They should raise their hands so they can the power inside of them."

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Alice Paul Tapper was on a fourth-grade field trip last year. She saw something that upset her. The girls were standing in the back of the room. They were listening politely as the guide spoke. The boys crowded together in the front.

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Newsela | Opinion: With millions unprotected, action is needed to end child slavery

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Getting children out of mines in Burkina Faso | UNICEF

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Newsela | Street side: Indonesia slum kids eye youth "World Cup"

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Newsela | Opinion: Understanding the rights of children

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Children worldwide are better off today than they were 25 years ago since many countries signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child treaty.

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This short film follows a 14-year-old boy from Jamshedpur, a major industrialized city in Eastern India, during his daily routine. Amar is the main breadwinner in his family. With perseverence and determination, he works two jobs six days a week in addition to attending school in the afternoons. One of Amar's dreams is to become a cricket star.

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Follow a 14-year-old boy from Jamshedpur, a major industrialized city in Eastern India, during his daily routine.

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2 Lives:2 Miles Apart : Episode 7 : Water

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2 Lives:2 Miles Apart : Final Episode : Disaster

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Elvin & Ana Cristina: What Childhood Poverty Means in Guatemala

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Child Labour in Bolivia Means Working in One of the World's Most Dangerous Mines | UNICEF

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Syrian Children - Refugee Camp Niroz | UNICEF