Toy Concept #1

Lego Re-Design

Legos are a very common children's toy and offer many different activities. They allow children to learn about how pieces fit together and about building and how objects relate to one another. Here, I present three possible improvements for the legos.

The first part of the lego re-design is to soften the edges of the legos. Often children are playing with legos and find the edges too sharp or the corners too pointy. This can also create a problem when stepped on. Softening the the edges is a simple solution to this.

A second idea to modify legos is the idea shown, “Puzzle Legos”. Here the lego pieces would have an image on one side, so that they could be connected together similar to a puzzle. Pieces will vary in size so that children will have to actively think about how the image fits together and how to connect the pieces appropriately.

Legos could also be modified to create a spelling or word game. For this idea, letters or words would be on two opposite faces of a lego. The other change would be that the connector pieces will protrude on the sides, in addition to on the top. This allows the children to play, connecting the pieces horizontally and vertically, forming words, phrases, or sentences. Pieces will have protrusions on the right, left, both, or neither place. This slight difference, rather than the standard of each piece being identical, will cause the child to need to problem solve. They will begin to develop an understanding of how things fit and work together, while also improving their language skills. Structural, mathematical thinking is on the opposite side of the brain from linguistics. This simple lego activity will stimulate both sides, fully engaging the child.

Overall:
The lego improvement ideas are drawn from the already existing, basic lego toy. Legos are interactive and fun, allowing children to play on their own or with a group of children. The toys are safe for children above the recommended age of four. The construction cost will be the same as that of producing legos currently.

Ages: 4+; because lego pieces can be small and create a danger of choking for anyone younger.

Jen Singelyn, Carnegie Mellon University