In the TuTiTu Toys series, you can watch TuTiTu create toys by assembling their parts together. This way, the children watching the video can see the toys come to life, learn about their different components and characteristics, and enjoy the suspense of gradually finding out which toy is the topic of each video.
Watching videos for kids is fun – but for today’s post, we’ve decided to show you how to build your own TuTiTu ‘assembly line’ and use it to teach and entertain your toddlers. In this guide you will learn how to put together the game and get some ideas for creative uses for it. Enjoy!
Materials
• Printouts
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Glue
• Velcro strip
Instructions
1. Print out our pages (click them to get the full size) and glue them onto a piece of cardboard (not too thick – remember, you’ll need to cut it soon!)
2. Cut out the different parts of the toy. Try to cut as close to the shape as you can.
3. Glue small pieces of Velcro on the parts marked with a red dot and on the backside of the pieces that stick to them:
a. Train: wheels (near the top), steam whistle (near the bottom)
b. Robot: wheel (near the top), left hand (gray ‘shoulder’), body (right ‘shoulder’ near top-left) and head (blue plank)
c. Phone: dials (center), receiver (bottom of both ends)
The basic game
You can play toy assembly like a puzzle: spread the pieces on the floor and try to work out together what goes where. Alternatively you can put on a show for your toddler: just like TuTiTu, drop the pieces and make them jump around before coming into place together. After one ‘show’ your child will want to do it him- or herself!
Tips for making more out of the assembly game
• Teach your toddler about the different toys and their real-life functions. For instance, what is the name of each train part? Where does it go? What does it do?
• For some creative playtime, mix it up: spread parts from different toys on the floor and try to combine them to build something completely new. Encourage the child to make up names for her or his new creations.
• Use the opportunity to learn colors and shapes by naming them together and finding things in the room that match each part’s properties
• To focus on shape learning, try playing with the toy parts turned upside down. Can your toddler still recognize which part is which and where each part goes?