After many years of working with individuals with special needs, I have really noticed the importance of the development of basic fine motor skills. These skills need to be developed from an early age, which means many kids learn through play. That is why I designed this box that allows kids to match the correct shapes in the correct position, disguising this necessity as a toy.

Supplies

-Tinkercad

-Computer

Step 1: Choosing the Shapes

The shapes I chose were not random. Each shape was chosen specifically to give the child a range of difficulties while configuring the product. For example, the circle is a relatively easy shape to match because in can be placed in any direction and still fit into its desired place. On the other hand, the heart is more difficult to place since it can only be placed in one position to fit in the correct spot. I created the shapes by placing them on the work plane, assuring that they were symmetrical, then raising them by 10 millimeters.

Step 2: Creating the Base and Place Holders

I decided to use a box as the base because of the six equal planes I get out of it. The dimensions of the cubed base are 60mm x 60mm x 60mm. Each plane holds one shape. After creating the box, I duplicated the shapes that I had, added 2 millimeters to each side of the duplicate, and made it a hole.

Step 3: Inserting the Place Holders Into the Base

Then, I aligned each hole to one plane of the base and lowered it two to three millimeters, depending on what appeared appropriate. After I determined the hole was in the correct place, I grouped all of the holes to the base, creating the final Box of Shapes.