Running head: THE GALAXY PLAYMAT 1

The Galaxy Playmat: A Toy Proposal

Brianna R. Jones

California State University, Sacramento

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Introduction

There are various factors that contribute to the importance of sensorimotor activities in

early infanthood. Especially in home or childcare settings, providing sensorimotor activities such

as a playmat can boost an infant’s cognitive and oculomotor control performance. A

cross-sectional study conducted by Pedrosa, Caçolab, and Carvalhal (2014) seeked to identify

environmental factors predicting sensory profile of infants between 4 and 18 months old. They

wished to “understand how infants perceive their world through varied information from stimuli

received by sight, sound, touch and object manipulation and how it relates to sensory integration

principles such as neurological bases and behavioral aspects” (Pedrosa et al., 2014, p. 2). The

researchers evaluated 97 infants in both home and childcare settings which resulted in most of

them “situated within the normal parameter (66%), although 34% showed an ‘at risk’ (11.3%) or

even a ‘deficit’ sensory profile (22.7%)” (Pedrosa et al., 2014, p. 4). These in-depth studies

emphasize that the amount of toys available and how the physical space is situated advocates

infants' sensorimotor development in the first years of life as repeated exposure to stimuli results

in exceptional sensory integration (Pedrosa et al., 2014, p. 4).

In Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development, he “described the first

four months of life as part of the sensorimotor stage...where infants get information through

cycles of sensory and motor activity” (Parks, 2014, p. 2). During the first three years, however,

exploring with the five senses is the foundation for learning. Vision is one of the most important

senses and is categorized into three aspects: acuity, color, and depth. Visual acuity, the ability to

see fine detail, “is limited in newborns and develops over the first year from 20/150 to 20/20.

Color discrimination seems to be relatively mature in a 6-month-old infant. And depth perception
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seems to be intact by the time infants begin to crawl” (Parks, 2014, p. 2). Each of these

milestones provides teachers and caregivers ideas for materials, equipment, and décor to increase

infants’ interactions.​ ​Hearing, another important sense, is vital for infants to hone

communication skills and language development. Because “language is a medium of thought,

children’s ability to hear and speak is critical to the development of their thinking skills” (Parks,

2014, p. 3).​ ​Throughout the preschool years, caregivers/parents/teachers need to monitor

children’s hearing and communication skills throughout the preschool years. For touch, tactile

activities should be present at home and in infant/toddler classrooms. Some children are cautious

about tactile experiences or experience sensitivities to light, sound, and touch so it is important to

gradually introduce sensorimotor activities and a playmat is the best way to achieve that.

Along with individual senses that help infants perceive the world, several senses can be

combined together to contribute to the cognitive development of infants. This is defined as

intersensory integration, which is “the coordination of information from two or more sensory

modalities” (Bjorkland & Causey, 2018). It usually develops at birth when newborns move their

head and eyes around to pinpoint a sound. Two researchers, Morton Mendelson and Marshall

Haith (1976), found that “the presence of sound increased infants’ visual attentiveness...and this

response to sounds increases the likelihood that they will discover something to look at

(Bjorkland & Causey, 2018). Such skills are developed from the synergy of genes and

environment, which begins before birth and continues to improve throughout infants’ lifetime.

Another complex intermodal achievement involves intersensory matching, when “a child must

be able to recognize an object inspected in one modality (touch, for example) through another

modality (vision, for example)” (Bjorkland & Causey, 2018). Between the ages of 4- to -6
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months, infants are able to demonstrate intersensory matching and develop the ability to combine

sound patterns with face patterns and their corresponding movements. Overall, the purpose of the

Galaxy Playmat is to provide a stimulating activity center that both enhances infants’ reasoning,

spatial awareness, and visual perceptual skills.

Design

The Galaxy Playmat can be applied with infants beginning from birth until six months of

age. Between birth to three months, key developmental milestones are concentrating on

exploring the basic senses plus learning more about the body and the environment. During this

period, most infants begin to see objects more clearly, fixate on moving objects, distinguish

differences in pitch and volume, visualize all colors of the rainbow, are particularly drawn to

bright colors, and employ various facial expressions to react to surrounding environments. From

three to six months, infants continue to develop a stronger sense of perception which involves

touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste. They additionally strengthen their ability to identify familiar

faces, observe and respond to facial expressions of other people, recognize and react to familiar

sounds, and begin to replicate facial expressions. Additionally, infants begin to develop hand-eye

coordination as well as their ability to reach out and grasp for dangling toys.

The Galaxy Playmat will be lightweight, measure at 55 by 55 inches, and created from

quilt-like cotton fabric. It is important for the playmat to be manufactured in a large size because

once infants are active and can roll, they will need extra room to explore. This playmat will be

organic, nontoxic, and provide the utmost comfort for young infants. Therefore, the materials

used like wood, fabrics, and threads are certified by specific qualifications as “eco-friendly”.

Each product also has an external quilt which are both machine-washable. It will be handmade as
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well, because quilt-like fabric provides a comfortable playing area for an infant and creates a safe

place to play. The Galaxy Playmat will also include two attachable arches, which interlace with

each other, with the external structure shaped from bamboo and covered with cotton fabric. Eight

planets from the solar system will fasten to the arches. These planets will implement different

colors such as blue, orange, and yellow, and various fabric textures categorized as rigid, fluffy,

and slippery. Each planet will have a tiny sound-box tucked inside, with melodic major tones

that can be heard when squeezing them. On the playmat itself, there will be various cutouts of

galaxies and stars which provide depth to the theme. On opposite corners of the mat, there are

two sections: one for touch/music and one for touch only. Various shapes of curved star shapes

will be situated in a spiral pattern which are painted in soft colors of pink, green, purple, and

blue.

This product is utilized as follows: a parent can settle an infant on their back or stomach.

Then, they will have several options for dedicating their time on the Galaxy Playmat. First,

infants can interact with the interlocking arches overhead where the planets are hung. When he

or she grasps a planet, they can hear a soft melodic tone plus perceive a different texture. Each

planet will produce a different sound so infants will hear individualized melodies while touching

them. On the Galaxy Playmat itself, one corner will be devoted to combining two senses: touch

and sound. A cluster of three dimensional stars will surround a larger star shape. When pressed,

the stars will perform a flashy lightshow to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. If a parent

becomes irritated with the sound, they can mute it with an accessible switch and keep the

flashing lights or turn it off completely. Additionally, there will be an option for infants to

sample various sounds from each star. Another corner will implement only touch with a different
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cluster of stars representing distinct textures. For example, one star would have a fluffy texture

and another one would have a scaly texture, etc.

Expected Benefits

If the Galaxy Playmat is utilized, it will provide a multitude of cognitive benefits for the

infant’s overall development. After extensive research on similar products and how they assist in

infant growth, I conclude that this playmat encourages babies to learn the basics of cause and

effect. Playing on the mat provokes ‘primary circular reactions’, meaning babies tend to repeat

an action they did by chance (for example, batting a toy by mistake). Once infants become older,

they engage with a toy intentionally by grabbing or tugging it and repeat the notion until bored.

Ultimately, the Galaxy Playmat assists in developing infants’ reasoning and spatial awareness. In

regards to visual development, this product will support a baby’s visual perceptual skills.

Combining bright colors and unique textures (e.g. soft fabrics, smooth plastic) helps the infant to

distinguish the differences visually. For gross motor development, the Galaxy Playmat allows

infants to crawl and use his/her legs, hands and arms which builds muscle and core strength. If

the infant is lying on his/her stomach upon the playmat, it will strengthen the neck and back,

support the development of those particular skills, and hand-eye coordination. Finally, infants

will improve their communication and interaction with others because every toy on the mat

offers an opportunity to connect with their parents or caregivers.

Conclusion

Sensorimotor activities present during early infanthood are extremely important for

cognitive development. Especially in home and childcare settings, providing toys that focus on

one sense or combine many senses can benefit how infants perceive their world through varied
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stimuli received by sight, sound, touch and object manipulation. Vision and hearing, which entail

the most important milestones, provide teachers and caregivers ideas for materials, equipment,

and décor to increase infants’ interactions with others. Combining senses in relation to infant

perception and cognition, known as intersensory integration or intersensory matching, refers to

how infants recognize two or more sensory modalities. They can typically decipher an object in

one sense (touch) through another sense (vision). Applying the researched literature, I developed

the Galaxy Playmat which is an quilt-like mat that integrates three senses: touch, sight, and

sound plus has attachable arches covered with fabric. This product can be used with infants

beginning from birth until six months of age, when they are exploring the basic senses plus

learning more about their body and the environment. With the interactive mat, infants will be

able to explore the curved star shapes which play melodic sounds or grasp the planets hanging

from the arches. Lastly, the proposed product has various cognitive benefits which include

building muscle/core strength and support the development of gross motor skills. Parents and

educators should utilize the Galaxy Playmat because it provides a healthy environment that

encourages communication with others while promoting cognitive benefits with long-term

effects.
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References

Bjorklund, D. F., & Causey, K. B. (2018). Children’s thinking: cognitive development and

individual differences. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Parks, Lauren (2014, Spring). Sensorimotor development: hands-on activities for infants and

Toddlers. ​Texas Child Care Quarterly, 26,​ 1-10.

Pedrosa, C., Caçola, P., & Carvalhal, M. I. M. M. (2015). Factors predicting sensory profile of 4

to 18 month old infants. Revista Paulista De Pediatria (English Edition), 33(2), 160–166.

doi: 10.1016/s2359-3482(15)30046-4.