Students will use play, interviewing, sketching, making, testing, and revising to design a safe toy that matches the interests and needs of a preschool partner. The work builds kindergarten art and design skills through exploring 3–5 styles such as soft stuffed forms, rolling wheeled toys, winged/flying designs, bright color and pattern choices, and character-inspired features while practicing craftsmanship and giving and receiving feedback. Children will create sewn, wheeled, or 3D-printed toys, test whether the toy works, and improve it based on peer and Poor Richard’s Toy Store feedback. The project centers on the question of how to make a toy a preschool friend will love and use safely, ending with presentations to preschool partners and families.

Students will learn to design and make a toy that is safe, durable, and enjoyable for a preschool child by using simple interview information, play testing, and observation. They will practice craftsmanship as they sew, build, assemble, or help prepare 3D-printed parts, and they will use feedback well by giving kind comments, listening to peers and the toy store partner, and revising their work each week. Students will explore 3–5 art styles they can use in toy design, such as soft sculpture, character design, simple geometric design, color and pattern design, and movement-inspired design for wings or wheels. Students will build early communication skills by asking questions, explaining their ideas, and presenting their toy and display card to preschool friends and families, and they will reflect through pair-and-share, drawing or simple written responses, and group conversation about what worked, what changed, and whether the toy was successful.

Students will create interview notes, simple sketches, and art explorations in 3–5 toy design styles such as soft sculpture, simple wheeled forms, winged character design, color and pattern design, and texture design. Throughout the project, they will make test parts, toy prototypes, play-testing records, and weekly revision updates based on pair-and-share feedback and two reviews from Poor Richard’s Toy Store focused on safety, durability, and play value. By the end, each student will complete a safe, durable toy for a preschool partner that is sewn, 3D printed, or wheel-based, along with a small display card showing how feedback improved the design. Students will also prepare simple presentation pieces for two exhibitions: one to introduce the toy to preschool friends and one to share the finished work with parents.

Start with a whole-class toy exploration where students rotate through stations of winged, wheeled, stuffed, painted wooden, and puppet-style toys, noticing how color, shape, texture, and movement make each one fun, safe, and strong during shared play. Then visit Poor Richard’s Toy Store so students can sketch and talk about 3–5 toy art styles they see, such as soft plush, bright character-based, simple wooden, vehicle-inspired, and fantasy or animal-themed designs, while a staff member explains safety, durability, and play value. Back in class, introduce the challenge by pairing kindergarteners with preschool buddies for a first interview and play session to learn what their preschool friend likes to play with and what toy style catches their attention. End the launch with a group discussion and quick drawing of one toy idea, including the style they want to try and why it fits their buddy.

Hold two simple end-of-project events: a family toy showcase and a preschool partner presentation. At the family event, kindergarten students display their prototype, final toy, and a small card or photo page showing how feedback from classmates and Poor Richard’s Toy Store improved safety, durability, play value, and art choices such as color, texture, shape, pattern, and character style. Across the project, students can explore 3–5 art styles for their toy design choices, such as bright color-blocking, animal-inspired features, storybook character design, soft texture and pattern design, and simple moving-form sculpture for winged or wheeled toys. At the preschool event, each child presents the finished toy to their preschool buddy, demonstrates how it works, and watches a short play test while families and a Poor Richard’s Toy Store staff member celebrate student craftsmanship and design thinking.