Adaptation: Making Toys and Games Fun for All

Play is an important part of children's lives. Children learn about themselves and their world as they play. Through play children gain an experiential knowledge that is useful in solving daily living situations. Regardless of their abilities or disabilities, all children can play. Most children with disabilities do not need special toys. A child with severe physical impairments might require specially selected play materials and assistance from a child care provider or friend to help operate a toy, or engage in an activity.

The purpose of this tip sheet is to help you select and adapt toys and activities so they will fit a range of aptitudes, personalities and play circumstances.

Basic Strategies For Adapting Play Materials
Stabilize

Attach play materials to steady surfaces: ex. affix play house to lap tray with a C-clamp

Use a non-skid mat to keep game pieces on a table: ex. non-skid rug material can be used to keep toys steady

Velcro can be used to make sticky blocks which won't topple over

Glue felt to bottom of toys to keep them from slipping

Enlarge

Enlarge materials to enhance visual perception: ex. Enlarge lotto pieces on a copy machine, glue to a firm backing and laminate

Enlarge key parts to enhance toy manipulation: ex. Attach cloth or heavy elastic bands on puzzle pieces or small toys to make them accessible with hand movement only, or glue small spools or blocks to puzzles and other toys that are hard to pick up

Change The Way It Is Manipulated

Affix parts to allow access for child with physical disability: ex. Add foam hair curlers to eating utensils; add knobs/handles to toy parts

Adapt shape boxes by changing lids: ex. Use coffee cans and change lids to make it easier to fit shapes into the holes

Reduce Required Response

Minimize distance, range of motion, complexity of response: ex. Use a tray to keep cars within range

Change Position

Position the toy differently: ex. Higher, lower, off to one side

Position the child differently: ex. On the floor, supported sitting, lying on his/her side

Look For Different Ways To Achieve Same Outcome

Substitute a similar toy-activity: ex. UNO dominos instead of UNO cards

Use a light box to highlight shapes, toys, etc. for a visually impaired child

Change Expectations

Partner child with some to help him/her with, rather than to do for

Change Rules

Modify rules to minimize extraneous cues and distracting stimuli

Play is important to a child's physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. Each child needs to be able to experience success and a positive experience through his/her play. Since play profoundly affects a child's learning capacity, it is important to recognize the barriers to a child's active participation in play.

Motor (May be seen with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and other conditions.)

Mobility - a child may have difficulty getting to, or around within an activity

Fine Motor - a child may have difficulty reaching, grasping, releasing, turning, or manipulating objects

Gross Motor - a child may have difficulty performing large movements such as reaching, throwing, kicking, running, or jumping

Positioning - the height of the play surface may be a barrier, as well as the positioning of the child in a prone, supine, sitting or standing position

Cognitive (May be seen with developmental delays, learning disabilities, and other conditions)

Memory - short and/or long term memory

Visual/auditory processing

Sensory

Visual, as in children who are partially sighted or blind

Auditory, as in children who are hearing impaired or deaf

Defensiveness, as in children who are tactile defensive. They may also be defensive to sound, taste, lights, etc.

Social (May be seen in autism, emotional disturbances, and psychiatric conditions)

Behavior Issues

Disinterest in interacting with other

Self Stimulating Behaviors

With each of these barriers, careful selection of age and developmentally appropriate toys can ensure that children with disabilities can engage in meaningful play activities. Some commercially available toys will be fine as is, but others will require adaptations. Whatever type of toy is selected, important considerations include safety, durability and motivational value. Do you want to encourage solitary play, ex. books, puzzles, and play dough, or peer interactions, where toys such as blocks, action figures, and puppets are good choices?

Study each child for his/her individual areas of strengths and abilities. Be aware of the areas of weakness and difficulty. Observe the child to find out more about the child's abilities in different developmental areas. Children with disabilities may perform at one developmental level in the area of fine motor skills and at quite a different level in their thinking skills. Take into account what interests the child, and then select toys and activities which will help the child be creative in the use of toys and play materials, while promoting independence and interactive play. Ask yourself the following questions for each toy/activity you wish to adapt. (Remember it is OK to start out with two or three toys. You don't have to adapt the entire contents of the toy shelf in one evening.)

Would the child be able to use/participate if:

The pieces were bigger

There were knobs/handles

A different movement could be used (i.e. push instead of pull, pull instead of turn, etc.)

The child had extra time to practice/learn the skills needed

The activity were done in a small group setting

There were bright, contrasting colors on the toys to better identify the working parts

Once you have chosen and adapted toys and activities, it is important to organize the play environment so that you encourage communication and inclusion. Place adapted toys in places where other children will be engaged in similar activities. For example, in the art area, put paint in empty roll-on deodorant bottles so the paint can be rolled on, instead of brushed. Or cut sponges into interesting shapes and attach a spool or dowel for a handle, so the child can easily grasp the painting tool.. This can make creating fun and enjoyable for a child with limited fine motor skills.

Try to provide opportunities and reasons for children with disabilities to communicate. Children should be encouraged to respond to their environment and peers. Encourage nonspeaking children to choose favorite books and toys. Puppets are a wonderful means for animation and vocalization. Sometimes, because the child is not in the spotlight, he or she will be able to speak more clearly. Even if the puppet is making only sounds, it should be encouraged.

WCCIP • 2109 S. Stoughton Road, Madison WI 53716 • Ph 800.366.3556 • Fx 608.224.6178
These tip sheets developed by WCCIP, March 1998 with funding from the WI Dept. of WFD, Office of Child Care, and DHFS