The child will use the "Shape Master" to learn different shapes and will learn it through the words and images that the toy shall produce.
The toy is a 12" x 10" screen which is activated by touch. As a button starts up the toy, it lights up with a sound that says "Shapes! " the toy's sides are lined with colorful blinking lights and a small music sequence also plays every time the toy starts. Step by step, the toy shall guide the child into playing and learning about shapes. As the child touches the screen, a new shape comes into view.
For example, the first shape to come into view is a triangle.The child touches the screen and the toy speaks out, in a loud, clear tone, "Triangle! " Then the toy says, "Now YOU say - Triangle! " After a 5 second pause the shape disappears and the child clicks on the screen again. This time a new shape appears and the toy speaks up again, saying, for example, "Circle! " Thus with each shape, appearing after a direction to the child to repeat the shape name and a five-second delay, there will be a series of ten or fifteen shapes which can be chosen to be either played repetitively or sequentially, as chosen by the parent/guardian operating the toy.The lights, clear communication, the learning of shapes and their names make it developmentally appropriate. The period of pre-school enables a child to learn all about the environment and the various stimuli present in it. Most preschool-age and young, school-age children do not spontaneously rehearse information to aid memory.
Presenting information repeatedly, providing rehearsal strategies, encouraging rehearsal, making information more memorable, and relating information to already existing memories may help children remember. Heuristics and mnemonics may also be useful (Dunlap 129).The domain of development that the toy is designed to stimulate is visual memory and vocabulary. Through knowing the basics of shapes and their names, the child will begin on the journey of grasping the concepts of geometrical shapes and understanding their names.
With the increase in vocabulary and knowing these shapes, he will be able to identify them in the environment and spatial intelligence may develop through these exercises. According to Piaget's theory, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of children's thinking (i. e. changes in how children think and reason about the world at their different ages and how much they really know) is influenced by certain genetic and environmental factors (Dunlap 129).A 3 year old child would come under the preoperational stage, as given by Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, during which time everything is based on what they see (Martin 199). For preoperational children, which is the given age of the child, this toy would be a good source of learning shapes and since they are beginning to be able to learn operations, spatial relationships would be a very important beginning step in their course of learning.
The specific features of the toy that enhance its attractiveness are the size and shape. The toy is built exactly like a mini-adult-briefcase. It is given a bright, vibrant theme. Colors of yellow, orange, red and blue are splashed across the "Shape Master".
The cover would feature the different shapes in the various colors with smiley faces drawn upon them in order to enhance its attractiveness for the child. Once the briefcase/toy is opened, the screen welcomes the child with bright colors and sounds as well, to keep the child encouraged and learning and playing with the toy.The considerations are taken that the toy is made from toxic-safe materials, does not have any sharp edges and runs on batteries which will be fastened through screws at the back of the toy. In order to minimize the risks, the toy will be designed on plastic and not with glass or any other breakable elements. The toy would also require a certain presence of adult supervision during the first few trials of the toy by the child.
Once the child forms the habit and know-how of operating the toy, the design is overall safe and secure for a three-year-old.
