SANDWICH STACKER
Creating A Wooden Toy for Cognitive and Fine Motor Skill Development
Researching…
. . . What facets attribute to the development of cognitive and fine motor skill for 3-5 year olds?
Matching, sorting, and stacking toys, puzzles, and anything that utilizes bilateral dominance and problem solving.
. . . What features capture the attention of a 3-5 year old?
Repeatable playability, colors, shapes, building toys, and representative objects for pretend play.
. . . What elements do parents seek in toys for their children?
Safe materials, limiting screen and other technology use, storage compatible, and option of both independent or inclusion of parent/others.
So, how can we make a traditional toy that serves necessary development skills while establishing a playability that keeps children coming back to it?
Chosen Design
This design celebrates. . .
creativity in choice
solo or group play
development of problem solving
challenge in pattern matching or timed play
color, texture, and natural materials
. . . along with the chosen developmental needs!
Talking to Melissa & Doug
I received feedback on creating the toy from employees at Melissa & Doug.
They liked the design, the texture additions, & the multiple play aspects to the toy
They gave feedback on material for the connection element, and suggested a play mat for laying down the pieces correctly
Modeling
Using Illustrator to create a template for this design, I utilized a lasercutter for the final design cut. Materials included 1/4 in. birch wood that was sanded and glued in three layers to reach the desired thickness.
More Play?
As suggested by Melissa & Doug, I designed a “recipe book” for multi-person play, and a play mat for added cognitive in counting and motor in matching the pieces.
