Fisher Price Hungry Monster Maze.
Price : 16:99
I’ve recently picked this toy up after coming across him in the local toy store here in Longford. I had the typical big kid reaction , grabbing him and proceed to have a little jump with excitement (Im definitely a sensory seeker).I knew he was going be a big hit with the kids and boy was I right.
But WHY as a therapist do I love him?
Mainly because it’s an open ended toy , these types of toys allow for them to be played with in a variety of different ways supporting a child’s creativity and problem solving skills .
Also with these open ended toys I find I can target a variety of therapeutic goals with the one toy . This is great for busy parents to see because they learn things don’t have to take a whole afternoon or loads of expensive therapy tools . A well taught out fun activity can tick all the boxes .
For example, say you have a toddler two years old ,he finds it difficult to grasp a spoon or pick up small items , you see he has a poor pincer grasp. He isn’t great at making choices or taking turns . But he does love putting toys in and out of containers when playing by himself .
This toy will draw their attention in because we know they like play that involved putting items in and out of containers . The coins allow you to work on the development of their pincer grasp by picking them up and placing them into the monster (this also targets hand eye co-ordination ) .
Now he is interested and motivated to play , you could take turns, the child places one coin and then you place another. Look at that your now sharing and playing together .
Lets take this up a step , you want to work on choice you could hold up the coins and see will the child reach up towards the preferred coin or maybe use a point. By placing these coins at your eye level your also promoting eye contact. With these few ideas your have targeted fine motor skills , attention , and none verbal communication …but most importantly your connecting in shared play together .
Quick , fun , predictable but very effective . It’s a 5 Star for me .
If anyone has any toys or therapy equipment they are interested in knowing more about . Drop me an email and I can include it in a future toy of the month .
