to Toca House
Erik Wahlgren
Play Designer
Housekeeping is a joy! It’s a rewarding feeling to take care of your things at home. I like finding the partner of the lonely sock in the drawer, to hear the rattle of dirt disappearing into the vacuum cleaner or to try washing windows without getting streaks. But before getting started I think of these activities as boring obligations. To small children housekeeping is novel, in their eyes it’s an act of making things nice. Later in life many learn from their surroundings that it’s a dull duty.
Our aim with this toy is to help bringing out the fun and rewarding parts in making your home nice. We think that establishing housekeeping as something joyful early in life will be a big help to your child as he or she will grow up and eventually will have to manage a home of their own.
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How to play
Explore
In Toca House you are the guest, but that’s no excuse for being lazy. In this digital toy designed for children 2 to 6, you and your child get to explore the rooms of the house and do the housekeeping together with the residents. 19 different domestic chores have been made into fun and rewarding minigames such as mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, hanging laundry, vacuuming and putting away the groceries.
The residents are eager to start playing with you. Go up and down the house by swiping the screen. Press one of the characters to start working. The minigames have fun and easy solutions. In some activities like vacuuming you need to swipe the screen to get rid of all the dust, in others like rinsing the dishes, it’s done by grabbing a plate and dragging it through the water. But be careful not to drop it! After 10 activities night is falling and it’s time for a well deserved rest – or maybe to start a new day right away by pressing the yellow button.
To talk about
Playing Toca House can be an opportunity to talk about the home. Are any parts of Toca House similar to your home? Do you recognize the different functions of the rooms? How is your home run and which of the housekeeping activities do you recognize in Toca House? What activities can be done together in the home? And what activities are dangerous for children, and should only be done by grown ups? What tasks at home can be made into a fun game together, like sorting clothes in different colors to create a rainbow, or putting the shoes in line by walking them there. Also, why are all these chores done, and what would happen if you stopped vacuuming the floor or doing the dishes?
Toca House is a playful introduction to understanding what is done in a home, and why. Doing some housekeeping activities together can be a lot of fun whether it’s in Toca House or the real home.