Dæna: Early childhood development toy

In early childhood, from birth to the age of 5-6, children go through an intensive development of motor skills. After birth, the helpless posture evolves by the age of one to a standing posture. By the age of five, the child is able to walk confidently, run, jump around, build things, play games and draw. This may be described as a typical development process. If the child’s development is different from the typical one, the child is in need of early development. The programmes help children’s development through various games, since the most important form of learning for a child is gaining experience through play. My project is an early development supporting tool, designed for 1-5 year old children. It consists of a central element and has multiple different accessories. With the help of the game the child develops both gross and fine motor skills.

The topic of my thesis is the early childhood development programmes available in Hungary. The goal of my research is to examine the development of movement, to explore the possible reasons for disorders in the child’s development and to learn more about early developmental opportunities in Hungary. I examine what group and individual early development programmes are available for children with a delay in their typical developmental, and I map out what professionals are involved in these programmes. For this purpose, I use the available literature and information collected during fieldwork and interviews; I then summarize them and draw the appropriate conclusions. My main conclusions are that communication and the proper flow of information between professionals who provide therapies in different institutions is not always adequate. This has a negative effect on making the most correct or quickest diagnosis. There are, nevertheless, enthusiastic and creative professionals who – through quality work – are able to help children develop, through various toys that exist or are developed by them. The most important form of learning for a child is gaining experience through play.