Images of hop scotch put of bricks11/9/2023 ![]() Adults were nearly four times as likely to chat with their kids if a store had the signage, bringing their level of conversation up to that of middle-class parents. The supermarket project significantly increased both the frequency and length of those conversations, especially among low-income families, one study showed. And even when they do, the conversations tend to be shorter. The supermarket project, for instance, addresses a problem that besets low-income families: Research shows these parents talk informally with their children less often than middle-class parents do. Preliminary research on the effort is promising, with nearly 20 studies pointing to the efficacy of the approach. Likewise, the installations don’t demand a lot from adults - in fact, they often offer a place to rest and recharge while kids take the initiative. For instance, if a mother and child are already at the grocery store, the network greets them with colorful signage that encourages conversations around sorting different kinds of produce. “We’re trying to layer on to places and spaces where kids and families already spend time,” said Sarah Lytle, a developmental psychologist and Playful Learning’s executive director. A child plays at the Urban Thinkscape installation in west Philadelphia’s Belmont neighborhood (Sahar Coston-Hardy Photography/Playful Learning Landscapes) In the process, they’re experimenting with how to turn ordinary adult-child interactions into opportunities to lift even the neediest kids - especially those whose parents can’t afford expensive afterschool and weekend activities. The installations, overseen by the Philadelphia-based Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network, come compliments of a unique team of researchers, educators and urban planners who are exploring how cities can support the learning kids do in school. These are three examples of an unusual model of on-the-fly learning mixed with urban design, one that has emerged from decades of research on the role of play in kids’ lives. In Chicago, a wooden game mounted on the wall of a laundromat teaches children, in two languages, how to find color patterns in a lineup of detergent bottle tops.Īnd in Santa Ana, Calif., a basketball court doubles as a giant, real-time fractions lesson. 40 bus can also work on their executive functioning skills, playing a hopscotch variation designed to train their brains. ![]() On a tiny triangular lot in the city’s Belmont neighborhood, kids waiting with their parents for the No. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox.
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