Child-centered Design for Play

Explore and understand the concept of child-centered design and how to work from a child-centered perspective when designing for play. Areas such as child development and culture, children's play behavior, and co-creation with children will be addressed.

The course includes knowledge about children and how to work with them in a design process – with ethical considerations, methods on how to co-create with children and why, and how to design for/with children from a child-centred perspective.

The teaching mathods involves relevant theory discussion, hands-on exercises, play experiences, real life examples, interesting guest teachers, applicable methods and approaches – and collaboration with children in their everyday environment.

The course introduces other designers, companies and communities who work with design, play and children. Some of it is included in teacher-led sessions, some of it as external activities to participate in; like the conference ‘Designing for Play – in New Nordic Childhood’ organized by the BIN-Nordic Conference and online talks by play designer Cas Holman on ‘Design for Play’ and ‘Tools for Imagination’ organized by the Cooper Hewitt design museum in New York.

The final child-centred design, has to be rooted in the children's interest and everyday life, and communicated in a way that children understand.