Dimensões da relação da criança com o design do brinquedo : um estudo sobre as preferências individuais e fatores associados

Entering the imaginary world of play is essential to child development and to the child's life. Playing is more than a simple form of pleasure and entertainment for children. Just as they need to eat to grow, they also need to take time to play, so that they develop harmoniously on a physical, emotional, cognitive and social level. The use of playful and didactic objects, are an asset for the child to learn in a fun way. There is a great variety of teaching materials, including books and games, and it is always important to use them respecting the level of learning appropriate to the level of cognitive development of the child as explained by Jean Piaget. The playful toy is fundamental to arouse the interest of the child, in order to instigate a greater knowledge. Throughout this dissertation, it is analyzed how children use didactic toys, and how they can become more attractive in the eyes of the younger ones. From the studies investigated, it is possible to affirm that a use of certain toys, lead to a greater and faster learning. By defining the sensory characteristics of toys, such as color, shape, texture and material, their use can be encouraged. Through surveys carried out with children between the ages of 2 and 6 years (ages related to the study, inserted in the kindergarten and preschool), data were obtained that allow to conclude the general preferences regarding the color, shape, type of animal and toy. Starting from several dimensions of toy design, it is possible to contribute to a greater perception of the factors that define the relation between the child and the toy, which enhances a better and greater learnin