Research On The Design Of Educational Toys For Preschool Children Based On STEAM Theory

Today’s society is facing a dramatic shift in education policy and reproductive policy.The gradual reduction of out-of-school training institutions for preschool children is accompanied by the liberalization of the birth policy for second and third children to mitigate future aging trends.Under the change of policy,parents will pay more attention to the development of preschool children’s intelligence.As an enlightening teacher in the process of children’s growth,educational children’s toys help children’s intellectual development,develop hands-on skills and learn knowledge in entertainment,so the importance of educational children’s toys comes to the fore.The current educational toys for children are more rigid,such as block accumulation,card recognition,graphic recognition,etc.Therefore,this study introduces the STEAM education concept,which aims to improve children’s overall abilities in a fun and educational way.The concept emphasizes interactive,experimental,and entertaining ways to nurture children,learn about nature,and play a role in bridging preschool and primary education.Through literature research,providing an in-depth analysis of the sources,characteristics,evaluation criteria,and other relevant elements of STEAM education theory.The theoretical requirements for educational toy design are presented.Analyzed successful STEAM education cases at home and abroad to provide a design basis for the way educational children’s toys are used.Using Piaget’s theoretical division of children’s developmental stages as a basis,children in the pre-operational stage were selected as the target group.By reviewing relevant literature,conducting an in-depth study of the behavioral and educational characteristics of children in the preoperational stage,identifying the educational needs of children in the pre-operational stage.The characteristics of children’s physiology in the pre-operational stage are explored,and the size,specifications,materials,and colors of educational toys are defined.Using questionnaires and user interviews to explore the pain points in the use of educational children’s toys,create a user journey map based on the preferences,habits and educational characteristics of the target children.Determining user needs by analyzing feedback from children’s parents on different types of toys and different educational approaches.In design practice,based on the requirements of STEAM theory,various characteristics of children in the pre-operational stage and the results of user surveys,proposing a STEAM theory-based,educational toy design strategy for preschoolers.To make innovations in the function,usage,and modeling characteristics of educational children’s toys.Designing a toy set containing building blocks,balance beams,klotski,and storage devices.According to STEAM toy evaluation specifications,evaluating design solution,and get a satisfactory conclusion.