Co-designing Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction for Co-located Intergenerational Active Play

Co-located intergenerational active play enables meaningful interaction between generations while supporting young early childhood development and positive aging. Existing literature highlights the potential of tangible embedded and embodied interaction (TEI) in promoting active play and intergenerational interaction. Through a series of co-design workshops involving grandchild-grandparent dyads, fourteen ideas were generated and analysed using behavioural coding. Three themes were identified: ‘Ball games’, ‘Cubbyhouse’, and ‘Build and knock’. Ball games had the highest potential for equal participation, stimulating a range of Fundamental Movement Skill (FMS) and sustaining engagement. In contrast, cubbyhouse and build-and-knock activities often resulted in passive participation from grandparents. This study identified co-design as a promising approach to engage very young children and older adults in the design of tangible interactive technologies for playful and active interaction. The findings from this study have informed the design of a TEI-mediated ball game system, which will be evaluated in a future longitudinal study.