Get yourself comfortable and be patience to get ’till the end of this short article because today we will talk about distraction, self-control difficulties and Piks, a crowdfunding to develop children’s concentration. This game in wood and silicone has particularly intrigued us at first glance for the simplicity of the project and the effectiveness of the results that can be obtained; deepening the research then we discovered that there is much more behind these constructions.

Piks consists of two simple elements, a wooden flat surface and a silicone cone (hollow), which vary in size. The inventors define it a ‘creative balance toy’  because the aim of the game is to create constructions, paths or shapes with the pieces in the box, by balancing the structure as it grows and preventing it from collapsing.

The designers at Oppi, toy brand that develops educational products, to design a crowdfunding to develop children’s concentration, have started by observing that children are less and less used to concentrate, especially because of new technologies and many digital tools. Moreover this analysis examines the natural child’s inclination to distract easily, especially from the age of 4-5, a phase of growth characterized by the beginning of autonomy and a great curiosity and energy. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a disease which includes difficulty in attention, concentration, impulse control and activity level. These problems derive essentially from the child’s inability to regulate his behavior according to the pass of time, the targets to be achieved and the demands of the environment. There are different practices of meditation or activities to put the child at his ease, in a calm environment that encourages the control of emotions, but the core question of the toy designers was: can you teach concentration while having fun?

From this question born Pisk, a crowdfunding to develop children’s concentration now on Kickstarter. From a technical and design point of view, the choice of materials is winning: the silicone cones prevent the wooden surface from slipping thanks to friction, allowing the child to get the inclinations he wants. Moreover, they are both easy to work materials so are perfect to realize a fast and cheap prototype, not minor factors considering that the producer brand is still young and the toy is developing.

In parallel with the product development, a scientific research is under way (actually the designers do not mention so much about it) to show how far Piks can improve the attention and concentration of the children and help them control their emotions. For now this educational toy has all the requisites for stimulating different important aspects for the growth of a child, one of them is the urge to take risks and make decisions through a constant process of trial and error. We do not know where it will come, but Piks shows that there may still be a place in the toy industry for well-designed, analogic toys and for educational games that arise from a serious and real needs analysis. At TOY Design we’ve always moved in this direction and for this reason we wish to Piks our best wishes!