Enhancing Intergenerational Mental Wellbeing: Embodied Play for Children and Their Remote Grandparents

This project explores how to support intergenerational mental well-being through sensory play between children and their geographically distant grandparents. Both children and grandparents play a crucial role in each other’s mental well-being. However, they are increasingly physically separated. While there are many screen-based options for communication over long distances, excessive screen use can negatively impact the development of children aged 4-7. Moreover, grandparents may not always feel comfortable using technology. The project aims to develop methods for engaging children and grandparents in remote communication through embodied (sensory) play, avoiding the use of screens. Through case studies, the project will examine: 1) how to involve children and their distant grandparents in the design process of sensory play; 2) how sensory play can support intergenerational mental well-being; and 3) how children and their distant grandparents can engage in sensory play. The project includes children and grandparents in the design process and, together with international experts, creates a multisensory textile-based prototype. The iterative development of the prototype allows the research team to closely observe this process and develop methods that facilitate the design of multisensory solutions for fostering intergenerational closeness among those who live far apart. The project will result in a collection of methods that are sensitive to mental well-being issues and can be used when working with children and/or grandparents, or other individuals who benefit from a playful approach and are physically distant from each other. The multisensory textile prototype developed during the project will strengthen collaboration between the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) and Tallinn University of Technology (TTK) and enable the application of the project's outcomes in socially significant contexts, such as nursing homes or kindergartens.