At one stage or another, most of us would have experienced the joys of playing with wooden building blocks as toddlers. Over time little has changed in the materials of this much loved baby toy. Although soft foam has been introduced as an alternative to wood, there is no other variation in the materials used. And so I saw an opportunity to challenge the conventions associated with the all-common wooden building block, by using silicone rubber with the addition of internal magnets.
Silicone rubber is becoming increasingly more popular and in some cases is also replacing many plastics used in the manufacturing of baby products. Concerns were raised over the effect toxic plastics were having on toddlers. Now used in baby bottles, dummies and teethers, amongst other things, silicone rubber has now been proven to be non-toxic to babies. Therefore if a child chooses to chew on the block, it is of no harm to them and can also act as a substitute teether. Previous wooden blocks were hard and often cube shaped, making it awkward for a baby to put in its mouth and also hard avoid hard sharp edges.
Designed for toddlers aged upwards of one year, these blocks aim to enrich the experience toddlers have during playtime, firstly achieved by the intriguing feel of silicone rubber in the hands. It has an unusual soft rubbery texture with the bonus of flexibility and the ability to bend and stretch, yet return to its original state. It is quite a pleasurable thing to hold and manipulate. Foam building blocks, whilst soft, also have some downsides. Small toddlers with teeth can chew on these blocks and hence leaving teeth marks, this can also happen when a pet dog gets a hold of them. While foam blocks can be placed in the washing machine and cleaned, the silicone blocks have the benefit of no retaining germs inside, and can easily be rinsed under warm water and even put through the dishwasher every so often.
The magnets inside the blocks occur on all four sides of the triangular pyramid, therefore allowing each individual block to be connected to one another on all sides. The blocks aim to encourage the urge to construct things and challenge the toddlers thinking, whilst the magnets help to eliminate the structure from being easily knocked over and destroyed, while also allowing for easy disassembly. The triangular pyramid was the chosen shape as a way to further challenge the conventional cube and rectangular blocks. These pyramid building blocks allow a child to first see the importance of triangles in shapes such as hexagons etc, while introducing children to more complex geometric shapes as they continue to build.
Interesting toys can enrich a child’s playtime experience in more ways then just the physical feel and taste. The silicone pyramid blocks also encourage social interaction with other toddlers and even their parents. The ability to share new toys and work together to build something, are skills a baby needs throughout their life. Also important is to make sure a toddler has fun while playing and associates it with a feeling of content and satisfaction possibly after creating something with their new silicone blocks.
Peer Comments
Nicholas Baroni
Danny Kim
Mitch Lockley
Jason Vergara
Greg Shar
