Interactivity between Children

Interactivity between Children

of Different Age Groups in a Crèche

Observations at IIT Crèche • • • • • •

Children from 1 ½ to 7 years old Crèche is managed by Teachers and Caretakers Children are given a choice of what they want to play, whether they want to sleep, etc.

Safety of Children: Mosquito nets, tiles Hygiene: clean rooms, clean and comfortable toilets, Aquagaurd, change of clothes Some amount of teaching goes on

Observations at a Private Crèche • • • • •

Children from 3 months to 10 years old Passive, indoor games are encouraged rather than outdoor play No teaching activity Children were conditioned to obey the caretakers. No choice whatsoever Inadequate attention to Hygiene.

A day in the life of a child who goes to the creche.

Good Morning Raju!

He quickly gets ready to begin the new day‌

Mom and Dad are ready too!

They have to go to work in the morning.

Off they go in the little blue car

Raju enters the creche

Raju goes to school immediately from the creche.

Raju comes back to the creche from school.

He plays with other kids for some time

Then he plays with building blocks alone

He plays with toys

He draws and plays

He eats his tiffin

‌ and then sleeps for a while

By then, Mom and Dad come to take Raju home

Back Home!

Activities • • • • • • •

Playing with toys, cycles, games etc.

Physical play like Hide and Seek, Passing the Parcel, Playing House and its variations Learning through charts, posters, books, movies, instructions and storytelling Dancing, Singing and Poetry Art and Craft Sleeping Eating

Observations about the Interaction between Children • • • • •

• • • •

Children are competitive They share toys, games Imitate other children Usually children of different age groups play together Groups exists once the children grow older; Children form groups according to age, gender, common interests Some of the older children, especially girls, dominate over the younger ones Seclusion: Nervous, bullying and noisy children are left alone Indoor games-especially passive games are encouraged Boys are more co-operative than girls

Problem Area Children do not interact enough with each other while they are in a creche.

Children of different ages do not play together

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•

Solution Statement • • • •

Generate an activity that children of different age groups (1 to 8 yrs) can play together The activity should be sensorially driven Keep in mind the activities/play/games associated with boys and girls To keep

Cubes • • • • •

Emits coloured lights on different faces Sound (music) Assists in play Different textures on each faces Combination of few cubes leads to the whole picture.

Changing Environments •

• •

Projector displays various environments [ e.g. traffic, zoo, space, etc.]

Sensors detect and respond to movement of children Learning happens through play

Interactive Ball •

• •

Enhance the experience of playing with the ball by making it more interactive Make the ball suited for playing multiple games Invent new game-play activities

Why Ball?

• Highly Sensorial • Children of all ages (even adults) enjoy playing with it • Offers great interaction possibilities between players What can the ball do?

• Reacting to touch and pressure with multi-coloured light • Plays sound • Makes the children play together by giving tasks, challenges etc.

Analyzing the Ball • • • • • •

Available in different sizes Available in different shapes Different materials, Different textures, Different colours Children dribble, bounce, throw and catch, kick balls… making it a highly sensorial activity Balls are timeless. All ages can play.

Many gameplay possibilities

Some Images: www.sxc.hu

GLOBO One Ball, One Hour, Many Happy Children Go Home Objectives for the ball: Ball should be self-organised or interactive sensor driven.

Ball to be resonably strong Ease the Caretakers in the Creche

Interactive Ball: • • •

CAD Models

Wireframe diagrams of the inner structure Material: Hard Plastic LEDs inside the circuit ball

Interactive Ball: • • • •

CAD Models

Diagram 1: Bladder Material: Rubber Diagram 2: Outer Cover of the ball with Air valve Material: Elastromer

Interactive Ball: •

Colours emitted through the ball

CAD Models

Possible Games: • • •

Passing the Globo Throw and Catch Pot the Globo

Manufacturing Constraints

• • • •

Material and robustness issues Rigidity of circuitry to hold constant pressures Precision in bouncability Charging and battery issues

Future Work

• • •

Play testing the games with children Understanding pricing Prepare for the market

Thanks!

Sayali, Triveni, Ruchin and Saurabh