Arial Leeper
4/17/2012
HDFS 322
Toys and Motor Development
In this evaluation I will be evaluating three toys for their quality in the developmental
domain of motor development. Motor development for infants and toddlers requires that they
utilize a wide variety of muscles in different ways. Motor development ranges from large motor
skills using multiple muscle groups, to fine motor skills such as hand eye coordination. These
types of toys should promote things like climbing and balancing; throwing and catching; running
and jumping; and many more movement motivated actions. These types of toys should be made
for large muscle building such as climbing equipment or for small muscles such as hand muscles
that can be strengthened through the use of developmentally appropriate toys.
Qualities to look for in good toys would be their durability; to investigate how sturdy,
how safe, and how long the toy will last. Motor toys designed for safety should be sturdy and
stable enough for a child to pull themselves up, or to lean upon. Another vital aspect of toys is
that toys should always be kept clean. When choosing toys it is important to look at the material
the toy is made of, as well as the surface. The surfaces should be easy to clean, and all of the
materials should be hazard free. Most of all, toys should be safe.
The first toy I’ve chose to review is a Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe
Gym recommended for age’s birth to twelve months. Fish-Price describes this toy as, “… is a
delightful gym with music, lights, nature sounds and plenty of activities and textures to stimulate
your growing baby.” The company describes its purpose as to stimulate a variety of senses, as
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well as to sooth babies with natural music. It also mentions that the mat can be used for tummytime, and also inspires babies to reach and turn for the rainforest creatures around them.
Children playing with this toy are surrounded with visual stimuli. The mat is good for
tummy-time because it has a soft blanket that is secured to the ground with the gym bars held up
by a friendly looking giraffe. The bars are good for multiple reasons, they allow room to hang
toys from, they hold the mat in place, and they also create a small safe place for babies (possibly
from other children in the family running past them). Within this safe space the babies can
interact with the jungle toys by reaching for them and turning their head to look at the toy
animals. There are also mirrors attached to the gym that the baby can grasp to practice reaching,
grasping, and hand eye coordination. I think this toy is good for baby’s motor development
because it gives them a safe space to reach, turn, stretch and play.
One concern I would have about this toy is that it could be overly stimulating. The lights
in addition to the rest of the things in the gym to look at aren’t really necessary nor do they serve
a real play purpose. The bars surrounding the gym, although good for safety, may also inhibit the
baby from moving out of the area, and therefore limiting motor development.
Parents can help babies develop their motor skills by placing them in different positions
in the gym. For example by placing babies on their back so they can practice reaching and
stretching. Or by placing a baby on their side so they can practice grasping things, such as
grabbing a mirror and pulling it closer to their face, also supporting hand eye coordination.
Finally placing babies on their stomach is very important to help them strengthen their neck and
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back muscles. By using the toys in the gym to keep the baby interested and moving to look and
reach for different things, parents can help their children develop motor skills while playing
inside the Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym.
The second toy I chose is a simpler design than the Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies &
Lights Deluxe Gym, for the second choice I chose the O'Ball Rattle. This toy is recommended
for young toddler’s 12-24months. The company describes some of its uses as such, “shake it and
it rattles with its built-in rattles. It is just as easy to clutch and roll as the original O’Ball.”
Children can use the O’Ball as a rattle by shaking it, shaking the ball puts children into motion,
and it also teaches them about cause and effect. However the main reason this toy is so
functional for motor development is not the rattles, it is the ball itself. The balls design is also
well suited for young toddlers because the way the ball is design it has holes for children to
easily lace their fingers through and grasp. Balls are great for toddlers because they can be
thrown, rolled and kicked; the different ways balls can be interacted with support a wide
variation of muscles, which helps tune toddlers motor skills.
Parents can help children develop their motor skills by tossing or rolling a ball between
themselves and their toddlers. One distraction from motor development this toy might have is if
it is only used as a rattle. The rattle is a great tool for teaching children about cause and effects,
but using the ball as an actual ball is more beneficial for motor development. I think balls in
general are a good way for children to use a variety of skills, from fine motor skills to grasp the
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ball, to more vigorous activities such as kicking and throwing the ball which use larger muscle
groups.
The third toy I chose to evaluate is the Vtech Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train, which is
designed for the age group 24-36 months. The train can be used in three ways as described by
the manufacturer, “Your toddler can use the Alphabet Train by itself for floor play, push it along
for use as a walker or even attach it to the carriage and use it as a ride-on toy.” The toddler can
interact with the movement of this toy by sitting, scooting, standing, or walking.
One problem with the train is that it could be over stimulating, it can be used for motor
development, but also there are many other items on the train for blocks, books, toys, music,
lights and buttons. Another thing that could detract from the toys overall quality is a train may
not be the best toy for pretend play, as opposed to a car or a bicycle that children interact with
daily. However, overall for motor development this toy appears to be positive.
Parents can interact with this toy’s many domains of development, but to help the child
interact with motor development, parents could pull their children along on the train, and
encourage them to push themselves on it by scooting along and pushing themselves with their
legs. Apart from sitting on the train another good quality about the train is that the walker can be
used for older children to practice their speed and coordination. This riding train can use a
variety of leg muscles by the different positions the child can push and ride on the train.
Strengthening and growing children’s muscles are important for healthy development.
Balance, coordination, and hand-eye coordination are vital skills that children learn through play
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as they build and develop their motor development skills. Children learn through play, toys are a
great way to support development through play. Most of all parents and teachers help aid
children through their growth of developmental skills; nevertheless, toys can be a great tool to
help adults further develop their children’s development skills.