A
Description of a Child’s Toy that I invented
Transitional
objects such as child toys play a critical role in child development. Mostly,
the first possession of a child is a toy, hence a leading effect on how they
act and learn. While adults view them as simple objects, children grow bonded
to the toys. The bond becomes even stronger when the child gets annoyed.
Therefore, this project targeted a child aged between 1 to 5 years. Preferably,
the child should be female from a western cultural background. For a long time,
toys are usable in the West as most of the parents are working class, thus they
leave their children in the hands of a baby care staff. In this case, the
closest companion of a child is a toy. Specifically, a toy bear is an emotional
object that takes the place of a mother or a father.
The
invention of a toy bear is developmentally appropriate for a girl child because
of its emotional benefits. Commonly, a child opts for a toy bear to escape a
problematic situation and to distract them from the reality. It is similar to
when adults go for a drive or take a drink to calm down. In fact, a toy bear
helps the child as she grows, though other types of toys can leave a negative
effect. As a transitional object, the preciousness of a teddy bear toy is
second only to the child’s mother because it inspires security and confidence
while easing away all kinds of stress. The bear toy is effective in aiding the
child to deal with separation, absence, or fear as they gradually discover how
to calm themselves down. In particular, the invention will help to learn to be
self-sufficient as she grows up.
While
designing the project, I took into account the appropriate concepts from the
course. For instance, I incorporated an automatic LED device in the toy so that
when the child hugs it, it will light up. The main reason for this addition is
for the child to be attached intimately to the toy bear as she is to her
mother. Children are sensitive to
responses to affections and emotional feelings. Therefore, when the toy lights
up, the child is satisfied, knowing that her feelings are acknowledged.
Additionally, studies indicate that music play a central role during child’s
stages of development. Considering this, I included a musical touch to my
invention, such that when the child hugs it, it automatically sings. From
birth, parents in the Western world instinctively use music to soothe and calm
children. In this way, they express joy and love while engaging and interacting
with the child (Goldstein, 2014). A singing toybear is not an exception. The
device builds on these natural instincts, enabling the child to improve their
social skills during their development.
In
summary, audio-visual inclusions in toys improves different areas of child development
such as motor, language, emotions, overall literacy and intellectual capacity.
In essence, a singing toy bear helps the mind and the body of a child to work
together in proper coordination. If the toy bear succeeds in exposing them to
music during their early developmental phase, they will be quick in learning to
distinguish sounds and meaning of words. Besides, their memory skills will
certainly be strengthened.
Reference
Goldstein,
J. H. (2014). Toys, Play, and
Child Development. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment