Developmental Toy Idea
The picture above is that of our personal developmental toy idea that we designed ourselves. This is a rough drawing of our idea, but you get the gist of what the purpose and organization is. This toy is designed for children within the preoperational stage of cognitive development (ages 2-7). This toy can be used by the child alone, but is more effective if used with a parent, so they may instruct and help the child learn; also known as scaffolding. The main block is red, with six different shaped doors upon the block, and a dice popper like that on the other children game 'Sorry.' Everything is brightly colored because that is what the eye and brain recognizes most, causing more interest in the toy/game. With the parent scaffolding the child, the child or parent first clicks the dice popper. Depending on what number is portrayed by the dice, that instructs which shaped door to go to. The child what door they must open, what shape the door is, and also what the color of the door is. Once the answers are correct, the child may open the hinged door by the knob on top. Beneath the door there will be a type of animal(s) portrayed. The child must then tell the parent what animal it is, how many animals there are, and also what noise that animal makes; also they may tell what color that animal is and relate it back to the hinged doors.
The parent must be patient and rewarding to the child, because it is unknown how long it will take him/her to complete each task and question. The bright colors offer great development throughout the eye and brain, helping with recognition of the surrounding world. Along with being able to learn certain shapes, animals, and sounds the child's cognitive development would sky rocket with practice and repetition. With so many different activities and questions for adapting and learning the parent should be happy, along with the fun in the dice popper, the vibrant colors, and animal pictures the child should remain interested and entertained hoping to decipher all the questions being asked. The child's mind is a valuable thing, this toy would help it develop in a most positive way in the cognitive and motor skill areas.
Careful with younger children though, if using the toy by themselves they have the possibility of ripping the doors off and potential using them as a projectile or hurting themselves. Parental advisory is recommended for use with younger children. Parental involvement is also highly encouraged, because the infant will gain a much stronger bond with the parent. This may lead to a better form of learning and assessment later in the infants life.
The parent must be patient and rewarding to the child, because it is unknown how long it will take him/her to complete each task and question. The bright colors offer great development throughout the eye and brain, helping with recognition of the surrounding world. Along with being able to learn certain shapes, animals, and sounds the child's cognitive development would sky rocket with practice and repetition. With so many different activities and questions for adapting and learning the parent should be happy, along with the fun in the dice popper, the vibrant colors, and animal pictures the child should remain interested and entertained hoping to decipher all the questions being asked. The child's mind is a valuable thing, this toy would help it develop in a most positive way in the cognitive and motor skill areas.
Careful with younger children though, if using the toy by themselves they have the possibility of ripping the doors off and potential using them as a projectile or hurting themselves. Parental advisory is recommended for use with younger children. Parental involvement is also highly encouraged, because the infant will gain a much stronger bond with the parent. This may lead to a better form of learning and assessment later in the infants life.