Toca House can help your child exercise the Flexibility and Organization thinking skills. Try some of our suggested activities or let us know how you made this app work for you in the comment field at the bottom of the page. 

Flexibility Activity

Talk to your child about the differences between activities in Toca House. Each activity requires your child to employ a different strategy or set of skills. Discuss these differences with your child and when possible show your child the activities' real-world applications. For example, the strategy needed to clean a carpet is different than cleaning a hardwood floor. What advantages does one strategy over another? Why would an individual need a broom for a hard surface, but a vacuum for a carpeted surface. Your child should understand that trying different approaches in order to achieve different goals is part of exercising the Flexibility thinking skill and can even apply to other activities in school or at home.

Organization Activity

After completing some of the activities in Toca House, ask your child to assemble some of the required materials to complete one of these activities in your own home. For example, if your child is preparing to clean his or her room, what materials and tools might be needed? Help your child determine the proper usage of different tools associated with cleaning. For example, show your child the different attachments for the vacuum cleaner and discuss the ideal situations in which to use each attachment. Find the appropriate items used for dusting and discuss why this activity is important and how assembling and using the proper tools can make the process easier and more efficient.

Toca House & Autism Spectrum Disorders

For some children who are challenged by the effects of autism spectrum disorders, basic hygiene procedures or everyday tasks can be difficult to recall or execute. Additionally, some children may have trouble associating tools and objects used in the home with their intended use. For these children, Toca Home can be a fun and alternative way to introduce the proper usage of household objects. The app can also help teach children about basic tasks for keeping a clean home or practicing some basic hygiene.

How to Use Toca House for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders:

• Try helping each of the different occupants in Toca House with their task. After completing a task such as sorting spoiled fruit from ripe fruit, help show your child a real world application. For example, demonstrate what a ripe and healthy apple looks like to your child. If possible, show him or her a spoiled piece of fruit. Understanding the basic signs of spoiled food can help your child to distinguish between items that are safe to eat and items that should be thrown away and are no longer viable for consumption. Alternatively, ask your child to help your put away food after a trip to the grocery store. Help your child to understand why some foods should be safely stored in a refrigerator while others can be kept in a cabinet or on the counter. 

• Help the occupants in Toca House clean the home by sweeping or vacuuming. After completing these tasks, show your child the corresponding appliances in your own home. Your child should try using a real broom to sweep the floor, or help you vacuum a carpet. Helping your child to understand the association between an object and its proper use within the home can be aided by both introducing him or her to the object in Toca Home, as well as the real object within your own home.

• Play Toca House with your child and discuss the different activities while playing. For example, while sorting mail with the mailman, ask your child what factors help determine who the recipient is. Discuss what your child is doing while sweeping or vacuuming the floor, or talk about when and why someone might use an iron to take the wrinkles out of clothing. Helping your child associate the in-app activities with their real-world counterparts is a great way to help your child understand and associate objects with their uses.

Toca House is one of many "digital toys" created by Toca Boca. Try some of the other fun and exciting apps from Toca Boca below and let us know which ones are your favorite in the comment field at the bottom of the page.

Toca Kitchen

Toca Kitchen tasks users with creating a number of unique and tasty meals for a host of interesting characters. Meals are prepared using a number of ingredients and methods. Users are free to experiment, judging the taste of their food by the reactions of their guests. Learn more in our Toca Kitchen review.

Toca Robot Lab

Create exciting and original robots using a virtually endless combination of mechanical parts. Users select the components of their robots from an assortment of recycled appliances and other common items and test them while searching for stars in randomly generated mazes. Find out more in our Toca Robot Lab review.

Toca Hair Salon

Choose from a number of tools and other customization options to give clients exciting and interesting haircuts. Trim beards, grow a mustache, or style a mohawk, in Toca Hair Salon users' options for creativity are nearly limitless. Discover more in our Toca Hair Salon review.