Designing a Toy for a 4-7 Year Old
Section 1
Toys are described as playthings for the use of children, normally a toy is to provide entertainment or to aid education. It is widely believed that toys influence the emotional, social, mental and the physical development of children. They play a great part to the early years of a person's life: to occupy and to teach. So it is important what toys children play with and the quality of them.
For many centuries children have been interested
in toys. Prehistoric toys must have existed because
children and adults universally have used their
imagination to create toys out of wood, straw,
feathers and other materials. Objects have survived
which have been made out of terracotta are expected
to be around 3000 years old. These were made in
the Mediterranean and the Near East, and were
models of animals and some pull along toys on
wheels. It has been proven that Egyptians, Romans
and Greeks have mad toy for children these include
dolls, terracotta animals with moving parts or wheels, Egyptian wooden figure of a man
games with dice, marbles and counters, hoops, yo-yos kneading dough
and knucklebones.
Toys such as dolls, animal figures, balls, spinning tops and toys with simple mechanisms are found in most cultures in the world. Many toys have a simple movement within the toy. Among them are jointed figures sent into acrobatic antics by pressure or torsion, devices activated by swinging weights, balancing or falling toys motivated by gravity and toys that have a wheel that turns which moves something else. These are all toys I am considering to make, hopefully entertaining the child whilst educating.
The toy must be suitable for the user. My toy will be aimed for children aged from 4-7 years of age so the size of it is important: it must not be too big for then it will be too large for the child to pick up, but if it is too small it may be too delicate for the child's hand or possible for the child to swallow some of the parts. If it has any educational aid then it should not be too hard for the user because then he or she will become bored and give up with the toy. Children aged 4-7 prefer brighter colours than darker ones because they find them more interesting so my toy will be painted in bright colours.
The purpose of a toy is not only for the user to get enjoyment out of it, although this is the main aim. Toys are also important for preschool and during school education. Playing is the most effective way of getting a child to learn. Small children learn by doing, seeing, hearing and talking. One of the things a child does whilst playing is testing their ideas about the world. Because there is so much to learn in such a short space of time the learning has to be fun, as long as the child is having fun he or she will go on learning and finding pleasure in his or her knowledge. There are many things to be learning when you are a child including physical skills (such as eye to hand co-ordination and balance), academic skills (reading, maths), social skills and emotional. Repetition is important, interesting and fun for children: it leads to learning, mastery and success.
As well as education a toy has to be able to occupy the user. This will benefit the child because it will give the child something to do and will also benefit the parent because it is occupying the child. Factors that keep the child entertained are toys that give the child a sense of achievement and an open-ended toy that can be used in many different ways.
A toy like the gameboy scores high on the occupying factor but does not provide much education. On the other hand sorting blocks give a lot of education but are not so entertaining. To create the ideal toy it should have the entertainment value of the gameboy and is as educational as toys such as sorting blocks.
Brief
I intend to design and make a marketable toy for 4-7 year old children to use within their own home. The toy should provide entertainment and aid to education for the child. The product could be made in batch production and be available in toy stores if it went on the market.
Section 2
Points to consider
* What dimensions the toy should be?
* What materials the game should be made out of?
* What sort of paint or varnish should be used?
* Are there any small parts which could cause choking hazards?
* Are all the surfaces smooth and and well-finished making it look attractive?
* Does the product scratch or damage the surface which the toy is played on?
* Does the toy have any sharp edges making it un-safe for a child to play with?
* Is the child's toy aesthetically pleasing?
* What colour should each part be?
* Should the toy be decorated with a pattern or design?
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This is a preview of the whole essay
* What sort of paint or varnish should be used?
* Are there any small parts which could cause choking hazards?
* Are all the surfaces smooth and and well-finished making it look attractive?
* Does the product scratch or damage the surface which the toy is played on?
* Does the toy have any sharp edges making it un-safe for a child to play with?
* Is the child's toy aesthetically pleasing?
* What colour should each part be?
* Should the toy be decorated with a pattern or design?
* Is the toy sturdy and stable when being used by a child?
* Is the product durable and able to withstand repeated use?
* Is it safe to use and does it comply with health and safety regulations?
* Is it suitable for the people it is targeted at?
* Is the game easy to understand, interesting and challenging?
* Researching other products - what makes them interesting? How they are made? Dimensions?
* Is the toy unique?
* Is the toy fun and exciting?
* Does it make you want to play with it again?
* Does the product use the child's imagination or help it to learn?
Questionnaire
I conducted a short questionnaire to identify people's personal preferences towards a toy. I tried to ask people from a younger age group or asked elder people to think like a child aged around 4-7 years. I asked both male and females.
This is my questionnaire:
For my GCSE Technology coursework, I intend to design and make a toy for children between 4-7 years old. I would be very grateful if you would answer a few questions to help me with my research.
What was your favourite toy?
Toy car (or any other vehicle) 11 Doll 1 Lego 1 Board game Arts and crafts/Science kits1 Soft toys 1 Action figure
Do you think toys that help you to learn are a good idea?
Yes 111111 No
Did you enjoy toys that helped you learn?
Yes 1111 No11
What was your favourite colour?
Red 1 Blue11 Yellow 1 Pink1 Black White
Orange Purple 1 Green
What is the most important aspect a toy must have?
Attractiveness Safety 11 Value for money Colour
Enjoyment111 Durability1 Finish
How much do you usually spend on a toy?
Under £3 £3-£6 1 £6-£9 11 £9-£12 11 £12-£15 1 £15-£20
Over £20
For the price you have chosen, how long do you expect the toy to withstand a 4-7 year-old's use?
Under 1year 1-3 years 3-5 years1 5-7 years11 7-10 years111 Over 10 years
Which material is best for making toys?
Wood 11 Plastic 1111 Metal
Thank you for your co-operation, you have been a great help.
Analyzing Questionnaire
The pie chart below is a chart showing favourite toys. The most popular toy proven by my questionnaire was the toy car by a fair way, the second most popular was the doll. This concludes that I will probably do my project on a toy car.
The bar graph above shows that 23 out of 25 people said that toys that help you learn are a good idea. I will try and include some form of education in my toy.
The above pie cart is to show the most popular colours in 4-7year olds. 8 people said that blue was their favourite colour. I will make my toy coloured mostly in blue, red and yellow.
The chart below shows what the most important aspect that a toy must have. Most people voted for enjoyment, this proves that I should concerntrate mostly on the enjoyment of the toy but also paying attention to safety and durability.
The majority have said that a toy should cost £6-£12. I will make my toy the highest quality possible but still able to sell in the region of £6-£12
Contacting the Manufacturers
To help me with my research I wrote to the following toy manufacturers Playmobil, Brio, Hasbro, Fisher-Price and Mattel requesting information on safety regulations, production of toys and the materials used.
Below is a copy of letter I sent:
7 Stoneleigh Park,
Colchester,
Essex,
CO3 9FA
Dear Sir or madam:
I am a year 10 student at Colchester Royal Grammar School. I would be very grateful if you could help with research for my GCSE Technology coursework, by sending me any information on your range of toys, for example, safety regulations, materials used or the making of toys. You can contact me by post or email.
Thank you for any of your help.
Yours faithfully
James Robertson
Unfortunately I could not include any of the information I received but it was a lot of help towards my research.
Safety
My target audience is for children aged 4-7 years. Because this age group is ever experimenting they will sometimes do things that an adult would not do, for example, putting small objects such as marbles in their mouths. They are also unaware of some hazards; this is why anything used by a child has to be safe and non-hazardous.
I have researched safety from the internet, textbooks and information I have received from the manufacturers. I now have a good understanding of the safety aspects needed to be taken into account. The following are accidents that may happen when children are playing with toys:
Choking
Strangulation
Suffocation
Aspiration
Electrical
Thermal
Drowning
Poisoning
Falls
Miscellaneous
The toy must be robust and durable, in order to withstand rough use. The parts should be double secured e.g. glued and screwed down. There should be no sharp edges or points, which could possibly damage the user. Any of the materials used must not be toxic or have poisoning hazards like lead. If there is any risk of choking on small parts or suffocation from plastic bags, an age warning should be visible stating that it is not suitable for under 3 year olds as well as a description of the hazard. My design and any prototypes will be tested by children and myself.
Toys are tested for durability, toxicity and thickness...
sharp edges, points and small parts, pinch points,
entrapment holes or slots and oversize string lengths... The toy industry and the Federal
reaction to impact, torsion, flexing and compression. government work hard to ensure that toys
Fisher-Price Information Pack are among the safest products brought into a
home. A toy may go through more than a
Rarely does a toy itself cause an accident. The quality hundred safety tests to imitate the kind of
And safety of today's toys ensure that. Of all accidents use and abuse it goes through in the hands of
That occur in the home, those that are toy related a child. Toys are tested for sharp points and
Represent just 1.5% - and not all these affect children. edges, small parts, flammability, toxicity Many accidents are caused by toys left lying on the and more.
Floor for an unwary adult to trip over. Toy Safety Website
Brio Information Pack
A safe toy is one which can be played with and causes A toy... must be very durable in its
no danger to the children construction. A broken toy is a potential
Brio Information Pack source of danger.
Fisher-Price Information Pack
Looking at Other Products
Interactive Bus
This toy is a large push-a-long bus. It will be too
large for a young child to pick up but the child
will be able to push it along. The bus is brightly
coloured, mostly red blue and yellow, and is very
educational. It is educational by having letters
and numbers to be put in to the appropriate holes,
it also has a sound system that teaches children to
speak correctly.
It also:
* Teaches phonic letter sounds, letter
names and numbers 1 to 10.
* Talks with a clear English accent.
* Real bus sound effects, musical
melodies and fun phrases built in.
* Made out of plastic.
For ages 12 months and over.
Price: £14.50
Rating: 9
Pull Along Phone
This toy phone can be pulled along to
encourage early movement and balance. It
is, also, coloured brightly using red, blues
and yellows. To make it more attractive and
attention-grabbing it has flashing lights. The
phone teaches early education.
* Bright pull-along phone helps baby's
first steps.
* Teaches numbers 0 to 9.
* Includes realistic phone sounds,
melodies and flashing lights.
* Volume control switch.
* Made of plastic
* For ages 1-4 years
Price: £12.99
Rating: 7
Play House
This toy is shaped in a house to make it look aesthetically
pleasing. There are many different entertaining and
educational things to do including putting letters and
numbers in to the appropriate holes.
* House features a train diagram with train
sounds, a horn, melodies and light.
* Teaching clock face, electronic keyboard and
colourful counting balls.
* Magnetic writing board, chalk, shape sorter,
mirrored door, earphone, door key and blocks.
* Height 23cm.
* For ages 18 months and over.
* Made from plastic
Price: £9.98
Rating: 7
K'nex cars
K'nex is a similar kind of toy to lego in the way
that it helps the child learn by construction: it
teaches the child to build, connect things and
follow instructions. It is an open-ended toy - it
can be played with in many different ways.
Firstly, the toy has to be constructed, then it
can be used as a toy car, finally, it can be
disconnected and built in to something else.
The toy contains:
* 22 separate models contained in a
tough storage/carry case.
* Variation in model designs.
* For ages 6 years and over.
* Made out of plastic.
Price: £19.99
Rating: 8
Wooden crane
This toy is a push-along wooden crane.
The crane part of the toy can be
rotated round and lifted up and down
although no mechanism is involved.
The toy is shaped well in the way that
it looks like a crane.
* Two piece crane with removable
swivel platform.
* The wheels have axels made out of
a wooden dowel/rod.
* For four years and over
* Made out of wood
Price: £4.99
Rating: 5
Construction Dump
Truck
This is a set of two toys: one truck is a
crane which can pick things up and
put them into the container of the other
truck. The second truck can transport
the load to a different place and tilt the
container so the load is dumped on the
ground. The toys are slightly
educational because they teach the
child how certain materials can be
transported.
* Wheels made from rubber to give
a better grip than wood.
* Tip up and slide body.
* Rotating crane that can be moved
up and down.
* For four years and up.
* Made mostly of wood.
Price: £9.99
Rating: 6
Anthropometric Data
Anthropometric data will help me decide on the measurements of my toy. The toy should have parts that are specially made for the size of a child aged 4-7. This will particularly include the size of the child's hand, as I will probably be making a toy that the child can pick up, push, pull or turn with his or her hand. Having a toy that is adapted to the size of the user makes playing comfortable and easier to use which will make it a more fun toy.
I achieved the following data from "Anthropometrics - an introduction for schools and colleges" by S. T. Pheasant:
For boys:
Anthropometric estimates (50th percentile) in mm
Age
3 to 4 years old
5 to 7 years old
Knuckle height
425
480
Fingertip height
350
395
Knuckle to fingertip
75
85
Hand length
15
30
Hand breadth (metacarpol)
55
60
For girls:
Anthropometric estimates (50th percentile) in mm
Age
3 to 4 years old
5 to 7 years old
Knuckle height
430
495
Fingertip height
355
410
Knuckle to fingertip
75
85
Hand length
15
25
Hand breadth (metacarpol)
55
60
Toy Tractor
This toy is smaller than the previous
toys so it is easier for the child to
pick up which will probably make it
more fun for the child to play with.
It is made out of wood which gives it a
softer feel and an attractive look.
* Turning steering wheel.
* Stuck together by strong adhesive so
it can withstand use.
* For ages 4 and over
* Made from wood
Price: £4.99
Rating: 4
The Impatient Hand
This toy is an interactive toy in the
shape of a hand. When the handle is
turned round the fingers move up and
down. This gives an impression that
the hand is impatiently tapping on the
desk.
* The hand makes a tapping sound
when the handle is turned
* Four cams are used to make the
fingers moved, this can be seen how it
works
* Made out of card so will not be very
durable
* For six years and over
Price: £3.50
Rating: 7
The Exercising Fool
This toy bends its knees and wave its
arms looking like it is exercising. It is
decorated by paint in the style of a
fool in bright colours. The input motion
is coming from the fingers of the user
moving up and down. The fingers are
placed in two holes specially fitted for
fingers.
* Can be constructed then played with
* Exercises the fingers
* A comical idea
* Made from card
* For ages six and up
Price: £3.50
Rating: 6
Specifications
. The toy must be safe for a child aged 4-7 to use so there mustn't be any loose parts, sharp points or rough edges
2. It must contain a mechanism that changes an input motion into a different output motion making it an interactive toy
3. The product should be durable enough to withstand the use of a 4-7 year old again and again
4. The toy should be enjoyable for the child to play with so they will want to keep on playing with it
5. It must help the child to learn
6. The toy needs to be attractive to the child, and brightly decorated
7. It must be a suitable size for the child, the child should be able to pick it up handle it or play with it easily. It should be adapted for the child's hand.
8. The toy must not scratch or damage the surface which it is played on
9. It should be neat and well finished
0. Ideally should not cost more than £12
1. Jigs etc must be used or made so that the toy can be made in batch production
2. The product must be possible to make in the time given with the facilities and equipment available
3. The toy must meet all safety regulations. The materials, paints and glues must be non-toxic, an age warning needs to be given if necessary
4. The product should be made of the most appropriate material for the design
Materials
Before I start making my toy I have to decide what materials to use to make the toy.
Plastics
Plastics are easy to shape because they can be heated and then bent into the correct position. They can also be vacuum formed so that they are moulded into the correct shape. Although they are easy to shape they are not particularly strong.
Here are some examples of plastic that I could use:
PVC
PVC is stiff and hardwearing or can be rubbery and flexible. It is available in a wide variety of colours and opaque or transparent.
Acrylic
Acrylic is fairly hard wearing and will not shatter but it is fairly easy to stretch and can crack. It can be formed or bent when heated and is available in transparent, opaque and a variety of colours. It can also be injection moulded.
Polythene
Polythene is fairly stiff, strong plastic which is also quite tough and does not soften until it is very hot. It is available in a variety of colours.
Although plastics are have the right properties to make my toy it would not be very easy to because I will not have the facilities need to do injection mould which is the best method for shaping plastics.
Metals
Metals are very strong and tough which will provide durability. But it does not look very attractive and will feel cold. It is also quite difficult to shape metal in a workshop. My questionnaire also proved that metal is not a popular material for toys to be made out of.
Wood
Wood is reasonably strong and is aesthetically pleasing and has a good feel. It will be the easiest material for production in the workshop.
Pine
Can be easily cut, glued and nailed without splitting. It is fairly hard, durable material and is quite stable.
Beech
Beech has a close even grain and is very tough. It is quite a hard and heavy wood. It does not split or have an odour. It is a safe material for making children's toys, which is why it is a popular choice for making children's toys.
MDF
MDF is a very versatile wood. It is very cheap but can split if it is nailed. It does not look as attractive as natural woods but if my toy is going to be painted this will not make much difference.
I have decided to make my toy out of wood because it is aesthetically pleasing, durable, will be easy to make my design from the material, and is safe for children to play with. Metals and plastics will be too difficult to cut and shape in a school workshop. Pine can create a lot of dust and is not as durable and hard as beech. MDF is not as attractive or durable as beech, it may also split. Therefore beech must be the best material to use.
James Robertson 10S
