2. Always been a part of the child’s world!
Simple, home-made, complex or high tech.
Provide entertainment
Educational, encourage creativity
Encouraging development
3. Skill and abilities needed to work a toy.
Challenging enough to stimulate interest,
creativity and further development
Physical (coordination/motor skills)
Mental (creative and problem solving)
Social (cooperation, team mates, friends)
4. Isthe toy interesting to look at? Does it grab
your attention?
Colour, sound, texture, weight, movement.
Response to child’s action.
“Attraction” factor depends on the child.
Older children are attracted to “realness” of
a toy.
5. Can the toy stand up to the kid?
Unbreakable
Washable materials
The longer a toy can last, the better.
Toys are expensive!
6. Can a child use the toy over time?
Number of ways to enjoy a toy.
Allowsfor the changing maturity/interest of
the child.
Example: sports equipment
7. Playing rough, dropping, throwing
Putting the toy in their mouth
Soft/Flexible vs. Hard/Breakable
Materials
that do not attract bacterial
growth (mold, mildew)
8. Different
stages of play (how they play and
who with)
Encouragea variety of activities (individual
and cooperative)
Design should allow for minimum supervision
Cause frustration?
Limitations (batteries)
9. Is the toy easy to keep track of?
Designed so that all parts stay together.
Can missing parts make toy unusable?
10. Are the materials safe?
Biodegradable or recyclable
Durability – Toys that can be passed along to
siblings or other families
Howwas the toy produced? Child labour,
working conditions, Canadian made.
11. Sometimes the cheapest and simplest are the
best!!
Cost varies widely
Quality over quantity
Expensivetoy is worth it is all the other
factors apply.
12.
13. What were some of the
simplest and most
entertaining toys you had as
a child?