Sensory development of the child is one of the most critical areas at the age of up to 3 years old. To enrich the baby’s tactile sensations, mothers buy various toys: developmental books, sensory cards and bags, and massage paths (Güldenpfennig et al., 2018). Another such wonderful toy is a sensory maze I developed called SensEra. This maze is a round, soft base embroidered in the shape of a labyrinth and a round, small-sized token. The child has to move the token through the maze. Each maze has a transparent fabric top, so children can easily see the token and move it around with their fingers. This toy is designed for children from two to four years old as it requires the child to apply logical thinking.
As the labyrinth is soft and fully stitched, it can be taken on trips or outdoors and used as a pillow. Because of the structure of the toy itself, the risk factors are minimized. The only such factor is that a child may accidentally tear the toy and pull the filling out of the soft part or eat the token. In the first case, the child will not be harmed as the filler for the toy is made from hypoallergenic materials. If the child eats the token, parents should see a doctor immediately. This toy develops the fine motor skills of the child as it requires some manual dexterity. In addition, the toy develops logical thinking as it provides the child with the task of completing the maze. This toy is a good activity for mother and child and for several children, which helps to socialize the child.
Reference
Güldenpfennig, F., Fikar, P., & Ganhör, R. (2018). Interactive and open-ended sensory toys: Designing with therapists and children for tangible and visual interaction. TEI ’18: Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, 28(1), 451–459. Web.