Faltspiele [Folding Games]
Design | 2014
Funded by the Kreativfonds
The idea of the folding game is to offer small children the chance to construct their own spaces and arrange them in such a way that enables them to develop different scenarios.
Not only are the children encouraged to move the large elements wherever they want at no danger to themselves, but it also provides them with tactile experience with the principles of gravity, geometry and statics in a playful way. Vera Reimann and her team directly incorporate the philosophy of Friedrich Fröbel whose »toy gifts« with their simple geometric forms and volumes serve as the basis of the game. While the inventor of the kindergarten introduced children to small-scale folding games, puzzles and body games, this project aims to make them spatially tangible. Furthermore, the project adheres to Maria Montessori’s guiding principle: »Help me do it myself!« The goal is not only to encourage teamwork among the children but also stimulate communication between them and the supervising adults. In this way, the team hopes to animate the adults to join the children in play.