Peds Tutoring

Pediatric Toy Project: Emotion Wheel & Roleplay Spinner

Objective

To help school-age children (6–12 years) identify, express, and manage emotions through a creative and interactive tool that supports psychosocial, communication, and cognitive development.

Materials (All Household Items)

- 1 paper plate or piece of sturdy cardboard (cut into a circle)

- Colored construction paper (optional for layering/emotion flaps)

- Glue or tape

- Scissors (adult supervision)

- Markers, crayons, or pens

- Brass paper fastener (brad) or pushpin (for spinner)

- Paper for arrow/spinner

- Magazines or printed emojis (optional)

How to Make It

- Divide the plate into 6–8 pie-shaped sections and label each with a different emotion (e.g., happy, sad, angry, excited, scared, embarrassed, frustrated, proud).

- Add drawings, emojis, or magazine cutouts that represent each emotion.

- Cut a small arrow from cardboard or paper and use a brad or pushpin to secure it to the center of the wheel so it spins.

- Decorate the wheel with stickers, drawings, or glitter to make it inviting.

How to Use It

- Solo Play: Child spins the arrow, names the emotion, and shares a story when they felt that way.

- Roleplay Game: Spin and act out the emotion using body language and tone.

- Group Play: Great for classrooms or family settings, promoting empathy and turn-taking.

- Journal Prompt: Spin daily and write or draw about that emotion.

Developmental Milestone Alignment

This toy supports several key developmental domains for school-age children (6–12):

Cognitive Development: Promotes emotional recognition, categorization, and reflective thinking.

Psychosocial Development: Supports Erikson’s 'Industry vs. Inferiority' stage by enhancing emotional self-awareness and confidence.

Communication & Language Development: Expands emotional vocabulary and encourages expressive storytelling.

Social & Emotional Development: Teaches healthy coping strategies and builds empathy.

Fine Motor Skills: Crafting and spinning engage small muscles in the hands.

Safety: Made from soft, non-toxic materials under supervision.

Scholarly Support

- The Importance of Role Play for Children's Development of Socio-Emotional Competencies (2014) by Claudia Vlaicu Summary: This study highlights how role play enhances empathy, social interaction, and emotional understanding in children. Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293019372_The_Importance_of_Role_Play_for_Children%27s_Development_of_Socio-Emotional_Competencies

- A Drama-Based Intervention to Improve Emotional Intelligence in Early Childhood Education (2024) by Unknown Summary: This study found significant improvements in emotional intelligence among children involved in drama-based activities. Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10212-024-00906-6

Scholarly Support (continued)

- The Importance of Role Play for Children's Development of Socio-Emotional Competencies (2014) by Claudia Vlaicu Summary: This study highlights how role play enhances empathy, social interaction, and emotional understanding in children. Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293019372_The_Importance_of_Role_Play_for_Children%27s_Development_of_Socio-Emotional_Competencies

- A Drama-Based Intervention to Improve Emotional Intelligence in Early Childhood Education (2024) by Unknown Summary: This study found significant improvements in emotional intelligence among children involved in drama-based activities. Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10212-024-00906-6

- Play Therapy as Effective Options for School-Age Children With Emotional and Behavioral Problems: A Case Series (Not specified) by Unknown Summary: This case series supports play therapy's effectiveness in treating emotional and behavioral issues in school-age children. Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371398703_Play_Therapy_As_Effective_Options_for_School-Age_Children_With_Emotional_and_Behavioral_Problems_A_Case_Series

The Pediatric Toy Project

Task: You are a research nurse working in a child development clinic. You’ve been tasked with creating a toy that is appropriate to use in an upcoming research study about the use of developmentally appropriate toys for play and their impact on child development.

Choose an age group that you’d like to learn more about:

Newborn and Infant

Toddler

Preschooler

School-Age Child

Adolescent

Deliverable: You are to spend no more than 8 hours on this project. You can only use items that are found around your house/dorm room. Apply professional knowledge of growth and development principles to develop a developmentally appropriate toy for an age group of your choosing. You must use at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed articles to support the creation of your toy. Take into consideration the following developmental milestones when designing your toy:

· Gross and Fine Motor Skills

· Sensory Development

· Cognitive Development

· Psychosocial Development

· Communication and Language Development

· Social and Emotional Development

· Safety

You will present your toy during the clinical conference, including a demonstration of how your toy works. Students will critique and discuss each other’s toys during this time and provide feedback related to developmental appropriateness and safety (using a feedback tool).

You will prepare a one-page written summary discussing the process of creating the toy, how your toy meets the developmental milestones of the age group, and a summary of the evidence that supports your toy.

A grading rubric will be used for summative evaluation of this activity and to determine if the following competencies have been met:

· Apply developmentally appropriate principles when providing care to the pediatric client (Week 1 Learning Objective 2)

· Application of critical thinking skills to apply principles of growth and development as it relates to age-appropriate activities for the child

· Application of critical thinking skills to apply principles of growth and development as it relates to client safety

The Pediatric Toy Project

Grading Rubric

Requirements	Points
Toy incorporates appropriate gross and fine motor principles of development for age group	2
Toy incorporates appropriate sensory development principles for age group	2
Toy incorporates appropriate cognitive development principles for age group	2
Toy incorporates appropriate psychosocial development principles for age group	2
Toy incorporates appropriate communication and language development principles for age group	2
Toy incorporates appropriate social and emotional development principles for age group	2
Toy incorporates appropriate safety principles for age group	2
One-page summary includes a description of the process of creating the toy (what did you consider; what was your plan for gathering your materials; how did you determine what materials to use;)	3
One-page summary includes a discussion about how the toy meets the developmental milestones of the age group	10
One-page summary includes a summary of at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed articles used to support the development of the toy	3
APA Format (title page, use of headers, appropriate in-text citations, reference list)	5
Total	35

The Pediatric Toy Project

Peer Critique, Evaluation, & Feedback Tool

Name of Evaluator: ________________________________________________

Name of Student you are Evaluating: __________________________________

Toy being evaluated was created for which age group: ____________________

Requirements	Yes/No	Why or Why Not? Provide Justification
Toy incorporates appropriate gross and fine motor principles of development for age group
Toy incorporates appropriate sensory development principles for age group
Toy incorporates appropriate cognitive development principles for age group
Toy incorporates appropriate psychosocial development principles for age group
Toy incorporates appropriate communication and language development principles for age group
Toy incorporates appropriate social and emotional development principles for age group
Toy incorporates appropriate safety principles for age group

Adapted from: Andrews, S.P. (2019). The pediatric toy project: Teaching Growth and Development through play. Journal of Nursing Education, 58(8). 493.