Child Psychology - Evaluation of a toy - Essay Example

The toy chosen for evaluation is the new range of activity toys launched by Playgro. These are soft toys which have been designed for infants. This collection includes a lion, seal, dragon, hippo, puppy, butterfly and a doll. All these toys have an attachment clip at the top by which they can be clipped to the baby’s stroller, crib or to any holder in and around the babies play area. The toys are made of soft plush material which is suitable for infants and smaller kids to touch and hold. Each of these toys comes in vibrant color combinations and has their own special features.

True to their character these toys makes different sounds when moved or touched and some also have added attractions like the mirror in one of the wings of the butterfly. The aptly named blossom butterfly toy comes in a pink color with vibrant hues in the wings. It is fitted with two large and two small wings with one of the small wings having a mirror. Babies can be taught to play peek-a-boo by looking into and out of the mirror. According to the company this toy has been designed to develop a child’s motor skills and hand and eye coordination.

The bright colors have been included to develop the visual perception of the child. The textures vary at different places which would enable the child to touch the fabrics and stimulate their tactile development. The different sounds enable the stimulation of the child’s auditory skills. The blossom butterfly gives out a crinkling sound when the wings are touched and when the butterfly bounces a whistling sound can be heard. Thus the child can hear different sound both when the toy is touched and moved.

When the child touches, grasps and moves the toy it will help them to develop their fine motor skills. The toy is also fitted with teething rings that can soothe sore gums in children. On the whole this collection of toys is designed to improve sensory and motor skills. It does not contribute much to the development of cognitive skills of the baby as it is primarily designed for infants. It however, promotes hand-eye coordination in kids and allows the child to explore the toy through sounds and color.

These toys are not gender specific as they have been developed to stimulate the senses of the newborn infant irrespective of gender. References1. “Activity Toys” Playgro. n.d. Web. 7 March 2013. http://www.playgro.com/shop/category/activity-toys