Child's Play. Rachel McNally

Childs Play Rachel McNally S3721128

Image Source: Flickr, 2019

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CONTENT

ABOUT ME HISTORY OF PLAY DECLINE OF PLAY TECHNOLOGY SMALL SPACE LIVING COST OF LIVING FEAR FOR SAFETY

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CONTENT MENTAL HEALTH THE FRI LEK FRI LEK INSTRUCTIONS KORG INSTRUCTIONS LEARNING EXPERIENCE CONCLUSION REFERENCES

Image Source: Nunawading Gymnastics & Sports Club, 2019

ABOUT ME I started gymnastics in 2004 when I was 5 years old. Back then I didn’t realise just how much that local gymnastics club would mean to me today and how much it would affect my life. I started as a gymnast, completing in State Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. I began coaching birthday parties on the weekends when I was only 12 years old. This then lead to coaching recreational classes after school which then lead to me today coaching levels 1-4 National Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. Throughout this time I have learnt about children and the way they talk, learn, move, grow, and how they have fun. These experiences have ultimately made me interested in designing for children. This time as a gymnastics coach has also indicated to me just how much parents rely on us as a club to create fun and adventure as there are rules and restrictions at home.

Image Source: Rachel McNally, 2016 I have always loved designing and building furniture and I think that love comes from my grandfather who spent his life building. When I was younger I used to think of myself as the client, building things like the lounge chair to the right. However since being in Industrial Design I have discovered the importance of designing for children as they are the Image Source: Rachel McNally, 2018 future.

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HISTORY OF PLAY Throughout history play has been a large part of every child’s life. This is a time where children learn basic motor skills, social interactions, etc. These images showcase just some examples of how free play was created in the do it yourself era. This documentation not only informs us about how children would spend their free time, but also proves that any material can be transformed into something new and exciting. The material found at the RMIT Design Achives paints a picture of free play and toys being based heavily around wooden made objects and soft fabric bears/ dolls.

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All Images Source: Rachel McNally (taken at RMIT Design Archives), 2019

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DECLINE OF PLAY Not allowing children the opportunity to have free play gives them a higher chance of mental health problems in the future. In the last century, children’s free play time has continued to decrease sharply due to the pressures and distractions caused by parental figures. These can come in the form of being clean, fear of people within the neighbourhood, electrical devices, etc. Families need to work together to identify and eliminate these factors to allow their children to get back to the root of having fun. I believe that the pressures and distractions children face today are creating an upbringing of no free play in the home or neighbourhood, ultimately producing young adults with mental health issues and lack of physical fitness. As an industrial designer interested in designing for children, I have developed a design proposition that revolves around free play within the home that does not break the budget. This could be done through the process of transforming an Ikea object such as the LACK table into an object that promotes and facilitates free play in the home.

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Image Source: Before Smartphones And Computers Kids Had Real Fun, 2017

TECHNOLOGY Due to the large expansion of technology targeted at the young demographic, children need to get back to the basics of having fun in the home. “Researchers have urged a rethinking of the roles of technology in young children’s development and consequently the development of learning theories and curricula that meet the needs of contemporary children.” (Hsin, 2014) Improvements in technology have created a generation surrounded by screens, video games and electronic toys in both the classroom and at home.

These technologies are traditionally found inside creating “a rising fear among parents… that children are becoming more prone to health related issues, such as obesity and developmental challenges.”

(Hatch, 2011) When thinking about free play, this concept should be time spent away from these addictive electronic devices. From my own experience I have found children thrive with physical activities such as sport when they have grown up moving around and being active. Within my proposal, I aim to avoid technology as children already are exposed to enough of this. I instead would like to focus on creating fun in simple ways. However the concept of space also needs to be considered as some families choose to live in homes or apartments without outdoor space and there are still ways to be active in these small spaces.

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Image Source: How to Use Technology to Develop Empathy in Your Students, 2017

TECHNOLOGY Researchers have found that the use of video games and other technologies from a young age can do a lot of good. It is found that “Today’s video games are much more than simple entertainment. They also fight against declining mental capacities in old age, promote job-related skills, and offer models of how to teach children complex tasks and abilities.�

(Eichenbaum, 2014) However it still needs to be considered that video games and other technologies are extremely addictive. If these children are constantly surrounded within the classroom and home, they will become consumed by them and therefore will miss out on aspects of being social and physically active.

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Figure 1: Screen Time and Kids (Rhodes, 2017)

Figure 1 showcases the amount of hours each age groups uses screens for while at home. Although the age group with the most hours is 13- 18 years old, I believe the most concerning figure is the 0-2 year old group. These children are spending 14.2 hours per week using screens. This age group is highly important when it comes to developmental stages and therefore they need an environment that will assist with this.

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SMALL SPACE LIVING With more families choosing to live in small places without a garden or very little garden, families need to consider how to bring fun inside. The number of families choosing to live in apartments continues to rise as “More than half of the world's population now lives in cities, a proportion expected to rise to more than two-thirds by 2050” (Easthope, 2011).

Apartments allow families to still be in the inner city without overcommitting themselves financially.

However if this is the case, families need to consider how to create fun in the home as “Young apartment children would be more neurotic and bored and would develop a greater dependence on their parents who restrict their mobility because of the difficulty of supervising them outside the home” (Van Vliet, 1983).

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Image Source: Ingenious 189-square-foot apartment has everything you need, 2019

SMALL SPACE LIVING Parents need to remember that fun and free play doesn’t always mean being outdoors or on a massive scale. Sometimes it can be as simple as playing a board game or building a Lego masterpiece. To a child anything can be turned into an adventure. When designing anything for children you need to assume it will be transformed, hacked and manipulated because to a child they don’t just see a table. They see a fort, a drawing board, a stage, a boat, a car and the list could go on forever because children don’t see restrictions, they see opportunities. My project will ultimately provide a blank canvas for children to make their own fun while still being compact enough for a small indoor space.

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Figure 2: The changing face of apartment living, 2019

Figure 2 provides a visual on how many families have chosen to live in apartments. As shown, Sydney and Melbourne have the highest statistics.

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COST OF LIVING With the cost of living continuing to rise, families sometimes do not have the money for new toys or expensive technologies. This is why Ikea is a great option especially when it is for children as they will continue to grow and require new things. This allows the consumer to customise the items to fit the space or use without the concern of ruining an expensive item. In a study on Ikea hackers, one participant stated, “being inexpensive means IKEA products are not thought of as "precious," so it's psychologically and financially easier to tinker with them.� (Rosner et al., 2009) It is also best to choose items of furniture that will grow with your child. This concept allows for children to continue to hit their developmental stages while still not having to replace complete items.

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Image Source: SHOP THE LOOK: Kids Room Decor Ideas to Inspire, 2019

COST OF LIVING

“The average cost of raising a child from birth to seventeen years of age is over $297,600� (The cost of raising a child in Australia, 2015) therefore anything that will save a bit of money will go a long way. Ikea is a universal company that produces affordable products. This is why I intend to use as much Ikea stock as I can to develop my concept which therefore could create potential for worldwide access.

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Figure 3: Cost of Living, 2013

Figure 3 provides survey results on where the population has found the highest increase in costs. It is interesting to see what other people have found to be the biggest increases.

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FEAR FOR SAFETY Due to the fears for the safety of their children, many parents restrict the time spent outside for free play.

A fear of crime is an understandable fear as parents never want to put their child in danger however this must be worked around to ensure children are not missing out on important outdoor time. One study on outdoor play found that “most of the mothers admitted that they themselves restricted their children’s outdoor play, and 82 percent cited safety concerns, including fear of crime, as reasons for doing so.” (Gray, 2011) Parents need to consider that if they continue to ‘bubble-wrap’ their children, these kids will grow up to fear the world.

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Image Source: Before Smartphones And Computers Kids Had Real Fun, 2017

FEAR FOR SAFETY “On one hand, we want to keep children as safe as possible; On the other, they suggest, learning to take risks is a normal part of childhood and child development.� (Sandseter, 2016). Through my product I would like to promote self-controlled play with the opportunity for additional attachments to allow children to feel some level of independence from their parents. However parents will know their child is safe while using this product as it will follow child safety standards such as sewing on additional pieces which I personally learnt from the class trip to Ikea. Fears that are expressed by parents and seen by children create a domino effect which ultimately causes children to have a higher risk of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

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Figure 4: Image of sewn in toy (Taken by Rachel McNally, 2019)

Figure 4 showcases how elements being added to an object can be sewn in rather than glued. This is done to ensure the safety of children as when pieces are small children can easily choke on them.

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mental health Holding children back from free play, especially outdoors and without any control, is creating a greater risk of mental health issues. It has been found that “Over the same half century that play has declined, the mental health of children and adolescents has also declined.” (Gray, 2011) We need to give children the chance to create their own play without the control of their parents. This is the only way that children will truly be free to learn social skills, basic motor skills, and ultimately learn from the mistakes they make along the way. “Between 1950 and 2005, the suicide rate for U.S. children under age fifteen quadrupled” (Gray, 2011) if parents continue to micro manage their children in their free play this statistic will most likely continue to rise.

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Image Source: Before Smartphones And Computers Kids Had Real Fun, 2017

The fri lek Children all around the world are suffering mentally and physically due to their parents decision to restrict their free play both in and out of the house.

Some limitations are unavoidable such as living arrangements in inner city suburbs. However others such as safety fears need to be worked around because if this trend continues, our children will be the ones that suffer the consequences. My proposed product would not only consider the children’s needs for free play and room to grow, but would also fit in with parents requirements such as safety concerns, space and cost limitations.

The Fri Lek is a compact multipurpose activity table that provides endless fun for children of any age. This table is designed to grow with the child, allowing for activity pages to be added or removed at any time.

Ultimately activities can be changed to fit the needs and wants of the child. Hooks and storage bags also allow for easy clean up as all additional pieces used for the activities can be stored with the table and therefore will never get misplaced again.

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instructions The Fri Lek

YOU WILL NEED: Materials:

Equipment:

- Ikea LACK Side Table

- Cordless Electric Drill

- Ikea KLÄTTA Blacksboard Stickers

- Screwdriver

- Ikea RINGSJÖN Shower Rings

- Marker

- 3x Staddle Brackets

- Ruler

- 6x 5mm Screws

- Fabric cutter / Scissors

- Fabric of your choice

- Needle

Optional: - Thread - 4x Hooks - Lego Plate - White Paint Pen

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1. Unpack and layout all materials ready to build the Fri Lek.

2. Mark a line at 90mm, 275mm and 460mm (this line indicates the middle of each bracket). Place the brackets centre to the line, in line with the top of the table and mark up the hole for the screws.

3. Using a hand held drill and a 1- 2mm wide drill piece, drill a small hole in each of the screw positions.

4. Place the bracket over the marked and drilled section and use a screw driver or cordless drill to place in the 5mm screws.

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5. Place one plastic RingsjĂśn Ikea shower hook on each of the brackets.

6. Mark out a 25mm border on the Lack table top and place the Ikea Klätta blackboard stickers within this border (two stickers will be needed however one will need to be cut down to fit).

Pro tip: to avoid bubbles and wrinkles in the sticker, get assistance so that one person can hold the sticker above the table while the other lines it up and rubs it into place.

7. Follow the instructions for the Ikea Lack table to assemble the legs.

8. On the underneath of the table top, mark where you would like to place hooks for storage. I chose to place 4 hooks in a square pattern (150mm from edge of table).

9. Using a cordless drill and a 1- 2mm wide drill piece, drill a small hole in each of the hook positions.

10. Screw the hooks into place by hand until tight to the touch.

11. Using the fabric of your choice (I used a light grey felt) cut the material into 500 x 500mm squares. I used a fabric roller cutter however scissors can also be used.

12. On one side of these pieces of fabric cut a ‘+’ shape at 90mm, 275mm and 460mm that is just big enough to fit through the shower hooks. Once cut, thread all pieces through the hooks.

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13. Any activities can be added to this product. The top layer of mine was a Lego plate. For safety reasons, a small hole with a diameter of 4mm was drilled in each corner of the plate. A needle and was then used to sew the plate in place.

14. A noughts and crosses game board was created using a paint pen in the colour of white. Lines were drawn at 185mm and 315mm in both directions.

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15. The addition of a car/road themed fabric was added.

instructions The korg

YOU WILL NEED: Materials:

Equipment:

- Left Over Fabric

- Marker

- Thread

- Ruler - Fabric cutter / Scissors - Needle

1. Using left over material from the Fri Lek mark out a 400mm x 300mm area.

2. From this piece, mark out each of the corners 75mm on the short side and 125mm on the long side.

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3. Cut these corners out to reveal a cross shape.

5. Cut a slit in both of the tall sides for hanging.

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4. Hand sew each of the two sides together to produce a box shape.

Learning experience Coming into this semester I knew I had a passion for designing with children in mind. However this Ikea hacking process has opened my eyes to just how much children are being forgotten about in todays society. Throughout my research, I have found evidence that suggests a connection between the decline in free play with the decline in children’s mental health. This correlation alone should wake us up to this issue and cause parents to take notice. Free play is such a simple thing to add into a child’s life and through this class I have learnt ways in which free play can be assisted with Ikea products being hacked. Ikea is not only easy to manipulate but also inexpensive.

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Conclusion

Children have so much pressure from a young age in today’s society to be perfect in everything they do. Parents need to consider that children grow up very fast and will face the pressures of modern society when they are in higher education or the work force. This small period of time needs to be cherished. Childhood is a time of discovery, learning, exploring and making mistakes and this helps to create well-rounded and balanced adults. All of this can be achieved through free play and that is why the importance of this should never be overlooked.

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Eichenbaum, A., Bavelier, D., & Green, C. S. (2014). Video games: Play that can do serious good. American Journal of Play, 7(1), 50-72.

Gray, P. (2011). The decline of play and the rise of psychopathology in children and adolescents. American Journal of Play, 3(4), 443-463.

Hatch, K. E. (2011). Determining the effects of technology on children.

How to Use Technology to Develop Empathy in Your Students. (2017). Stanfield. Retrieved 25 May 2019, from https://stanfield.com/technology-teach-empathy Hsin, C. T., Li, M. C., & Tsai, C. C. (2014). The influence of young children’s use of technology on their learning: A review. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(4), 85-99.

IMG_3214. (2019). Flickr. Retrieved 21 May 2019, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/80985976@ N00/6960367407/ Ingenious 189-square-foot apartment has everything you need. (2019). Curbed. Retrieved 25 May 2019, from https://www.curbed.com/2019/2/6/18212976/small-apartment-design-ideas Rhodes, A. (2017). Screen time and kids: What’s happening in our homes. Detailed report. Melbourne (VIC): The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.

Rosner, D., & Bean, J. (2009, April). Learning from IKEA hacking: i’m not one to decoupage a tabletop and call it a day. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 419422). ACM. Sandseter, E. B. H., & Sando, O. J. (2016). “ We don’t allow children to climb trees”: how a focus on safety affects Norwegian children’s play in early-childhood education and care settings.

SHOP THE LOOK: Kids Room Decor Ideas to Inspire. (2019). Inspiration & Ideas | DelightFULL Unique Lamps. Retrieved 25 May 2019, from https://delightfull.eu/inspirations/2019/02/14/shop-the-look-kidsroom-decor-ideas-to-inspire/?utm_source=aalves&utm_medium=RedesHDI&utm_campaign=Pinterest The changing face of apartment living - SGS Economics & Planning. (2019). Sgsep.com.au. Retrieved 16 May 2019, from https://www.sgsep.com.au/publications/changing-face-apartment-living-1 The cost of raising a child in Australia (plus world comparison). (2015). Simply Savvy | Budget Direct.

Retrieved 12 May 2019, from https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/blog/the-cost-of-raising-a-child-in-australia. html Van Vliet, W. (1983). Families in apartment buildings: Sad storeys for children?. Environment and Behavior, 15(2), 211-234.

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics | Nunawading Gymnastics & Sports Club. (2019). Nunawading Gymnastics & Sports Club. Retrieved 21 May 2019, from http://nunawadinggymnastics.org.au/programs/womens-artisticgymnastics/

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Image Source: Best Scribbling GIFs, 2019