Toca Boca Dream House Builder: Art, Math, & Storytelling

Lesson Overview

In this highly engaging, hands-on lesson, students step into the shoes of a Toca World game designer. They will apply math skills to budget and map out a dream house on grid paper, use descriptive writing to bring original Toca-style characters to life, and practice storytelling through creative play with their completed paper crafts.

Target Grade/Age

Appropriate for 8-year-olds (approx. Grade 3). Easily adaptable for classroom, homeschool, or small-group training environments.

Materials Needed

• Grid/graph paper (1-inch or 1-half-inch squares work best)
• Blank cardstock or heavy paper (for characters)
• Colored construction paper
• Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
• Scissors
• Glue sticks and/or clear tape
• Sticky notes (small size)
• Printed "Toca Tokens" (or play money/counters like dried beans/poker chips)
• Ruler

Learning Objectives & Success Criteria

Objectives

• Math: Students will calculate the area of rooms using grid squares and manage a budget of "Toca Tokens" to purchase furniture.
• Literacy: Students will write a character profile using descriptive adjectives and compose a short, structured narrative scene.
• Art & Engineering: Students will design and construct a multi-room paper house with interactive, moving elements (like doors that open or slots for characters to sit).

Success Criteria

• I can design a house plan where all room areas add up correctly.
• I can spend exactly or less than my 50 "Toca Tokens" budget.
• I can write a character bio sheet with at least 3 distinct personality traits.
• I can act out a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end using my paper house.

The Lesson Plan

1. Introduction & Hook (15 Minutes)

The Hook: "Have you ever wanted to be a real game designer for Toca Boca? Today, you are the Head Designer! Toca World needs a brand-new house and a set of unique characters, but there is a catch: the builders have a strict budget, and the characters need a story before they can move in. Are you ready to build?"

The Mission: Introduce the three stages of today's challenge:

1. Architect Math: Draw the floor plan and buy furniture with limited "Toca Tokens."
2. Character Lab: Create 1 to 2 paper characters and write their secret profiles.
3. World Builder: Construct the paper house with interactive flaps and perform their first story!

2. Phase 1: Math & Floor Plan Design (30 Minutes)

Model the "I Do, We Do, You Do" approach for spatial planning and budgeting.

Step A: Room Area (I Do / We Do)

Explain that game designers use grids to make sure rooms fit perfectly on a screen. Show a piece of grid paper.

• I Do: "Watch me draw a Bedroom. I want it to be 4 squares wide and 5 squares tall. Let's count them: 4 times 5 is 20 squares! The area of my bedroom is 20 grid units."
• We Do: "Let's plan a Kitchen together. If we want it to be smaller than the bedroom, what could its shape be? Let's draw a 3 by 4 grid room. Let's count the squares together... 12 squares!"
• You Do: Have the student draw three rooms on their grid paper: a Bedroom, a Kitchen, and a Living Room. Each room must be a rectangle or square, and they must write down the area (total grid squares) of each room.

Step B: The Furniture Budget (You Do)

Give the student 50 Toca Tokens (counters/play money). They must buy furniture for their house from the catalog below. They cannot spend more than 50 tokens!

Math Challenge: On a piece of paper, the student must write down their purchases and subtract the costs from 50 to show their remaining balance. Example: 50 - 15 (Bed) - 10 (Sofa) - 3 (Plant) = 22 Tokens left.

3. Phase 2: Character Lab & Storytelling (30 Minutes)

Transition from math to literacy. Every good game needs a character with a great story.

Step A: Character Profiles (I Do / We Do)

Discuss what makes Toca Boca characters so fun (they have quirky expressions, cool hats, unique outfits, and funny secrets).

• I Do: "My character is named 'Chef Barnaby'. His personality trait is that he is easily startled, and his secret is that he keeps a piece of cheese in his hat for luck!"
• We Do: "Let's think of a character together. If our character loves adventure, what is something strange they might keep in their pocket? A pet beetle? A shiny key?"

Step B: The Character Creation (You Do)

The student folds a piece of cardstock in half to make a stand-up character (or a flat paper-doll style character). They draw, color, and cut out their character. On a profile sheet, they write:

• Name: ______________________
• Three Adjectives (Traits): ________________, ________________, ________________
• Favorite Room in the House: ______________________
• The Secret they are hiding: ______________________

4. Phase 3: Crafting & Building (30 Minutes)

Bring the math and literacy elements together into physical, interactive art.

Now, the student builds the physical background of the house using construction paper and markers based on their grid plan.

Interactive Design Techniques (Model these for the student):

• The Door Flap: Show how to cut a three-sided flap on the paper so a door can open and close.
• The Bed Pocket: Glue down three sides of a paper rectangle (the blanket) so the character can actually slide inside the bed to "sleep."
• The Fridge Slots: Cut a small horizontal slit in a paper refrigerator to allow paper food items to slide inside.

The student works independently to draw, cut, and paste their rooms, adding the interactive elements they budgeted for in Phase 1.

5. Conclusion, Show-and-Tell, & Play (15 Minutes)

The Showcase: The student acts as the narrator and performs a 2-minute "Toca Story" using their house and characters.

Story Prompt Questions:

• What happens when your character walks through the front door for the first time?
• Where do they hide their secret item?
• How do they use their favorite piece of furniture?

Reflective Recap: Ask the student:

• "What was the hardest part about sticking to your Toca Token budget?"
• "How did your room's grid size change how much furniture you could fit inside?"

Assessment Methods

Formative Assessment (During the Lesson)

• Observe the student counting grid squares to ensure accurate area calculation.
• Review subtraction math column to ensure correct math operations for budgeting.
• Provide feedback on adjective choices during character creation (prompting for vivid words instead of just "nice" or "good").

Summative Assessment (End of Lesson)

• Check the final "Toca House" to ensure it matches the budgeted items.
• Evaluate the character's bio sheet for complete sentences and appropriate use of descriptive writing.
• Evaluate the final oral/played story based on the presence of a beginning (moving in), middle (exploring/problem), and end (resolution).

Differentiation & Accommodations

For Younger or Struggling Learners

• Pre-drawn Grids: Provide pre-drawn and labeled room outlines so the focus is purely on counting, not drawing perfect lines.
• Sentence Starters: Fill in the blank options for the character profiles (e.g., "My character feels happy when ________.").
• Simpler Budget: Reduce budget to 20 tokens with single-digit furniture costs (e.g., Couch = 2 tokens, Bed = 5 tokens).

For Advanced Learners

• Perimeter Challenge: Have the student calculate both the area and the perimeter (fencing) of each room.
• Sales Tax & Discounts: Introduce a 10% "Toca Tax" on purchases, or offer a "Buy One, Get One 50% Off" sale on house plants to introduce fraction/percentage concepts.
• Multi-Page Comic Book: Have the student write a formal, multi-panel comic book detailing their character's adventures before they arrived at the house.