Designing inclusive & playful technologies for pre-school children

Abstract

This paper reports on an investigation into the potential of everyday technologies to foster playful experiences for young children prior to their formal education. The aim is to consider how best to design age appropriate experiences that are desirable and useful within pre-school settings, and to assist practitioners in experimenting with technologies in the early years school curriculum. This phase of the study focuses on observations of the real-time, non-digital play of young children in a pre-school playgroup and the subsequent introduction of group activities with affordable, non-specialist devices such as ReacTickles, Wii remote and microphone. The study captures the vital inspiration phase of design research. By utilizing observation and interview as an analytical framework to help practitioners to articulate the nuances of playful interaction, the designers have been able to draw early conclusions that provide the guiding principles for future design