Toys that are designed to be held up with one hand and activated with the other are impossible to use for children who can barely use one hand. Lately I have been playing around with ways to hold these toys upright. While I go for items that are free or thrift store cheap, you can easily get new brackets or boards at the hardware store. One way I have been securing toys is by pulling out the inset screws and getting a longer screw with the same thread size. Then you can use the holes already on the toy to attach a bracket to hold it up. I have also gone the other direction and opened up the toy to drill a hole. Then I can attach the toy to a bracket or bookend with wing nuts. The other thing I have been doing is saving the plastic pieces that hold the toy into the packaging. Using a bookend like the one above, you can secure the toy with the hole already on the back. Theoretically you could change out the toys that were attached to the bookend. You can get a little of the idea below. Unfortunately, I can't find the bookend below anywhere, but I'm always checking at the thrift store.
0 Comments
Through trial and error, I have a current list of favorite materials that I use for many of my toy adaptations. Adhesives have been the trickiest since it is hard to stick smooth plastic to smooth plastic. I have been doing a lot with the double-sided Gorilla Mounting Tape, especially when I am just trying out a modification. It's supposed to hold up to 40 pounds so usually the force of a child will not disturb it. It's also better than glue when sticking down a toy that doesn't have much surface, such as the hollow feet of dinosaurs. When I do use glue I have been happiest with DAP rapid fuse. I have tried to take something off 20 minutes after I glued it and had a chunk of the plastic come out instead of breaking the glue bond. To keep toys steady without an adult having to hold them I usually attach them to a piece of masonite (hardboard) somehow. This can be with the mounting tape, glue or Dual Lock. I have also used any other thin, light-weight boards I can find including old flooring samples and white board pieces. These can be attached to a wheelchair tray using the spring clamps. I get 4.5" clamps. I also use 3M Dual Lock adhesive strips a lot. This is like Velcro but just has one type which locks into itself. The 25mm size provides enough resistance. One other valuable tool, particularly for children who pull their hands back but can't keep a grip while they do this, is a reusable gear tie. You can see an example of how I use this with the dinosaur at the top. Children who can't push the tail to make it roar can "lasso" the tail and pull to get the same effect. When the gear tie is bent around their hand it doesn't fall out as easily but they don't feel stuck. There are a variety of sizes but I prefer the 12" or 18" ones.
I have been gluing poker chips to buttons on remote controls that have smaller flat buttons but that limited the type of remote-control toys that could be accessed. I have recently been playing around with different remotes including those with mini joysticks. So far I have added drawer pulls, spools, squigs to make the joysticks bigger. I have used a screw from the inside of the button to attach a block to the button. I have also been able to turn small close together buttons into a set up that resembles a joystick. There will be more to come. I can envision being able to turn the push into a pull for kids who do better with that movement. Many of our young patients love these smiling, moving toys and will reach for the buttons. Actually pushing in the right direction and with enough pressure did not happen often, however. I worked on following instructions on YouTube to switch adapt the toys but ended up frying the circuit board with my poor soldering skills. That experience, however, taught me that the buttons are easy to pull out when you take the bottom off. I drilled a hole in the button and put the bolt through (not enough room for the nut on the inside). I chose the hollow shape sorters or Megablox because they can hide the nut and bolt and allow some good grips. I'm continuing to experiment but so far every child who has tried has been able to make them sing.
The "My Singing Friends" Disney princess dolls talk and sing but the buttons that activate them are small and need one finger and some good coordination. I bought a bag of gem shaped beads at the craft store. For Moana I had to use my grinding tool to make the "heart of Tafiti" flat. When I glued on the gem, the light was still able to be seen. For Elsa I was able to glue the gem onto her gown to make the button easy to push. I'm sure there could be similar versions for other dolls but I'm waiting to find them at the thrift store.
I was checking out Nerf guns at the thrift store, wondering if I could come up with an easy adaptation, when I met a teenager who was obviously a Nerf gun expert. I asked for advice and during his tour of the aisle he pointed out a laser tag set. It contained two guns and two head bands with sensors and the triggers were very easy to activate. Fortunately, my husband doesn't believe in throwing away hardware we no longer need so I was able to use brackets from curtain rods, bolts and wing nuts to secure the guns in a way that allows the angle to be changed. This way the gun can be adjusted based on the height of the person (or stuffed animal) that is on the other team. A drop of glue holds the string to the trigger. I had one patient who was able to squeeze the trigger as long as the gun was stabilized on his tray. In my first attempt I screwed the bracket onto a building block but since then I have preferred small shelf pieces or the above random plaque I got for a quarter. When looking for laser tag sets, look for an easy option for "reloading" which both of these examples have. The targets vary from set to set. One set has targets for the chest which vibrate when you get tagged. This may add to the fun or the child might not like it. This Mickey Mouse toy sings and crawls when you push the trigger on his bottom. I sewed on a larger craft button to help the child find the trigger point and to allow for less pressure to activate. The child this was modified for likes to put objects in his mouth so an extra large classroom button was used. I was recently tasked with adapting a Bedtime JJ doll for a young girl who can't move her hands in a way that would allow her to squeeze his belly. My usual technique of sewing a button on the hot spot did not work for this toy because it had so much stuffing and the trigger spot was attached to the battery pack and was loose inside the toy. I glued a rectangular button onto the trigger button to allow more surface and more forgiveness in the direction of push. I used a glue that works well for plastic on plastic. I made sure the battery pack with the trigger button was pushed to the front of the doll with the trigger button towards the bottom. I sewed a large button to the spot, both as a target and to make pushing easier. The baby doll seat from the thrift store allows the doll to be secured in place. It would also work on a lap or the floor.
A favorite stuffed toy that plays music or talks can be a lot of fun. But when your hands don't open or close when you want them to it can be very difficult. With a needle and thread and some large kids craft buttons I have been able to turn some of these toys into easy push button toys. With Violet (and her friend Scout) I sewed her front paws to her cheeks. This holds the paw steady and provides the back resistance for the "squeeze". Next I sewed a button from a pack I bought at the craft store to each of the sensitive spots on the paws. You can feel the little bump where you would be squeezing. Sewing the buttons on is a little tricky because you have to just catch some of the material under the button instead of going all the way down. I got my buttons at Hobby Lobby and the brand is The Beadery. If you are using this idea for a child who is under three and has the potential to put the toy in their mouth, you will want to get jumbo craft buttons. The lower paw I sewed to her belly. I left the power button free so the child would not accidentally turn it off but it could, of course, be adapted as well. I did similar adaptations to a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Puppy. For a smaller toy with only one area to squeeze (like Mickey Mouse below), I had to make the targeted hand easy to reach as well. I found the Baby Alive potty seat to be the perfect size to hold Mickey. I sewed his hand to his leg and sewed a button onto the hot spot. When he is held still in the seat (the seat secured to the wheelchair tray), a hand resting on the button will make him play a song that is sure to delight your child and make you a little crazy.
When you can't isolate one finger or your thumb it is really difficult to push buttons for toys. Increasing the size of the buttons can make them more accessible. For this remote, I glued on heavy duty poker chips and drew the arrows on with permanent marker. Raising the height of the button can also make it easier to access. I glued a pony bead onto the button on the car on the right so a hand sitting on top would depress it. I also glued the driver into the car because when he is pushed down, he makes car sounds as well. I've also used clear cabinet bumpers to raise buttons before adding craft buttons as targets. See the spider man remote control car below. The clear cabinet bumpers also can raise buttons on sound books. These are 1/4" bumpers on a Discovery book. |
Details
I am an occupational therapist with over 30 years of pediatric experience. I currently work predominantly with children who have cerebral palsy and other neuromotor difficulties. I love to help children who have the most challenging bodies participate in their world, especially through play. I scour local thrift stores to find toys that provide a lot of fun without a lot of hand skills or can be easily (and cheaply) modified for that purpose. Archives
February 2024
Categories |