Infant Toy Project
design a toy appropriate for an infant. The toy must help develop a certain skill needed in infants. Consider the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. With your knowledge of child psychology and infant development, you are the ideal person to create this toy!
You will create a model of the toy. (Remember that most infant toys are not electronic toys because they focus on fine/gross motor skills.) Your model of the toy can be hand-drawn (you can take a picture or scan in a copy of the drawing), drawn or created on the computer, or modeled in some other way. (Again, anything created off the computer would just need a picture showing the model.)
Next, you will create an advertisement promoting your toy and tell why parents should buy this toy for their infant. You'll want to promote the positive benefits it will have on their infant's development and/or skills. Please be creative, but also make sure that you are demonstrating and applying your knowledge of infant development.
Here is what you will be submitting for this assignment:
Specs Sheet (include the following information) - 5 pts.
What skills will the toy help develop?
Safety hazards and/or features
Size specifics
What colors and/or sizes it comes in
What it does or how are the infants to play with it
Sample Solution
Specs Sheet:
Toy Name: Sensory Shakers
Skills Developed:
- Fine Motor Skills: Grasping, shaking, transferring objects
- Visual Tracking: Following the movement of objects
- Auditory Processing: Distinguishing between sounds
- Tactile Exploration: Exploring different textures
- All materials are non-toxic and BPA-free.
- Each shaker is securely sealed to prevent choking hazards.
- The size is designed to be too large for infants to swallow whole.
- Consider using a pacifier clip to attach the shakers to a play mat or stroller for easy access and to prevent them from getting lost.
- Each shaker measures approximately 3 inches tall and 2 inches wide.
- Comes in a set of 3 shakers in contrasting colors (red, yellow, and blue) to stimulate visual development.
- Each shaker has a different texture on its exterior for tactile exploration (soft fabric, smooth plastic, crinkled paper).
- Parents/caregivers can gently shake the shakers to introduce infants to the concept of cause and effect.
- The contrasting colors and textures encourage infants to reach for, grasp, and manipulate the shakers.
- The different sounds produced by each shaker (rattles, bells, crinkling paper) help with auditory processing and keeps infants engaged.
- Strengthens Fine Motor Skills: The lightweight design and different textures encourage grasping, shaking, and transferring the shakers, promoting dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
- Boosts Visual Tracking: The bright contrasting colors capture your infant's attention and encourage them to follow the movement of the shakers, strengthening their visual skills.
- Enhances Auditory Processing: Each shaker produces a unique sound, helping your baby develop auditory processing skills and learn to distinguish between different sounds.
- Provides Tactile Exploration: The variety of textures on the shakers (soft fabric, smooth plastic, crinkled paper) allows your infant to explore different sensations and textures through touch.