Influence of a Socially Assistive Robot on Physical Activity, Social Play Behavior, and Toy-Use Behaviors of Children in a Free Play Environment: A Within-Subjects Study

Background: Play is critical for children’s physical, cognitive, and social development. Technology-based toys like robots are especially of interest to children. This pilot study explores the affordances of the play area provided by developmentally appropriate toys and a mobile socially assistive robot (SAR). The objective of this study is to assess the role of the SAR on physical activity, play behavior, and toy-use behavior of children during free play.Methods: Six children (5 females, Mage = 3.6 ± 1.9 years) participated in the majority of our pilot study’s seven 30-minute-long weekly play sessions (4 baseline and 3 intervention). During baseline sessions, the SAR was powered off. During intervention sessions, the SAR was teleoperated to move in the play area and offered rewards of lights, sounds, and bubbles to children. Thirty-minute videos of the play sessions were annotated using a momentary time sampling observation system. Mean percentage of time spent in behaviors of interest in baseline and intervention sessions were calculated. Paired-Wilcoxon signed rank tests were conducted to assess differences between baseline and intervention sessions.Results: There was a significant increase in children’s standing (∼15%; Z = −2.09; p = 0.037) and a tendency for less time sitting (∼19%; Z = −1.89; p = 0.059) in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase. There was also a significant decrease (∼4.5%, Z = −2.70; p = 0.007) in peer interaction play and a tendency for greater (∼4.5%, Z = −1.89; p = 0.059) interaction with adults in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase. There was a significant increase in children’s interaction with the robot (∼11.5%, Z = −2.52; p = 0.012) in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase.Conclusion: These results may indicate that a mobile SAR provides affordances through rewards that elicit children’s interaction with the SAR and more time standing in free play. This pilot study lays a foundation for exploring the role of SARs in inclusive play environments for children with and without mobility disabilities in real-world settings like day-care centers and preschools.

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Influence of a Socially Assistive Robot on Physical Activity, Play Behavior, and Toy-use Behaviors of Children in a Free Play Environment: A Within-Subjects Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-704373/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Joseline Raja Vora ◽

Ameer Helmi ◽

Christine Zhan ◽

Eliora Olivares ◽

Tina Vu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Free Play ◽

Play Behavior ◽

Baseline Phase ◽

Intervention Phase ◽

Play Area ◽

Assistive Robot ◽

Socially Assistive Robot

Abstract Background: Play is critical for children’s physical, cognitive, and social development. Technology-based toys like robots are especially of interest to children. This pilot study explores the affordances of the play area provided by developmentally appropriate toys and a mobile socially assistive robot (SAR). The objective of this study is to assess the role of the SAR on physical activity, play behavior, and toy-use behavior of children during free play. Methods: Six children (5 females, Mage = 3.6 ± 1.9 years) participated in the majority of our pilot study’s seven 30-minute-long weekly play sessions (4 baseline and 3 intervention). During baseline sessions, the SAR was powered off. During intervention sessions, the SAR was teleoperated to move in the play area and offered rewards of lights, sounds, and bubbles to children. Thirty-minute videos of the play sessions were annotated using a momentary time sampling observation system. Mean percentage of time spent in behaviors of interest in baseline and intervention sessions were calculated. Paired-Wilcoxon signed rank tests were conducted to assess differences between baseline and intervention sessions. Results: There was a significant increase in children’s standing (~15%; Z = -2.09; p = 0.037) and a tendency for less time sitting (~19%; Z = -1.89; p = 0.059) in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase. There was also a significant decrease (~4.5%, Z = -2.70; p = 0.007) in peer interaction play and a tendency for greater (~4.5%, Z = -1.89; p = 0.059) interaction with adults in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase. There was a significant increase in children’s interaction with the robot (~11.5%, Z = -2.52; p = 0.012) in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase. Conclusions: These results may indicate that a mobile SAR provides affordances through rewards that elicit children’s interaction with the SAR and more time standing in free play. This pilot study lays a foundation for exploring the role of SARs in inclusive play environments for children with and without mobility disabilities in real-world settings like day-care centers and preschools.

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Examining Physical Activity and Play Behavior Preferences between First Graders and Last Graders in Primary School Children in Tehran

Asian Social Science ◽

10.5539/ass.v12n1p17 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 17 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Noura Marouf ◽

Adi Irfan Che-Ani ◽

Norngainy Mohd Tawil

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Elementary School ◽

School Children ◽

First Graders ◽

Age Groups ◽

First Grade ◽

Free Play ◽

Play Behavior ◽

Outdoor Environment ◽

Primary School Children

<p>School grounds are critical places because they are some of the few play areas available for children to develop and transfer peer culture. Moreover, school playtime, which is often called “recess”, offers children daily opportunities for physical activity in the outdoor environment. During school years, age has always been presented in the studies on children as a fundamental component of their development. Children of different ages are interested in different play styles and have various play priorities. However, few studies have compared play patterns in children within age groups. This study explores play behaviors during recess in elementary school children overall, and secondly examines the differences in the play behavior of children, considering first graders who enter elementary school and the last graders. This study uses quantitative design and naturalistic observational approaches. An ethnogram recorded the observations of the play activities preferences of the children. The results of this study showed that girls spend the majority of their recess talking and socializing with peers generally. Older children, particularly those in grades fifth and sixth, spend more time socializing than other age groups. Children in the first grade spent much time in active free play, such as chasing and running, during recess and tend use their playtime as an opportunity to perform a physical activity; therefore the significance of combining recess and provisions for physical activity to reach health goals becomes clearer. These findings are interesting considerations for further research; such information could help to develop appropriate interventions to improve the recess.</p>

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Where Do the Children Play? The Influence of Playground Equipment on Physical Activity of Children in Free Play

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.5.2.319 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 319-331 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Thomas A. Farley ◽

Rebecca A. Meriwether ◽

Erin T. Baker ◽

Janet C. Rice ◽

Larry S. Webber

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Open Field ◽

Strong Influence ◽

Free Play ◽

Physically Active ◽

Play Area ◽

Promotion Of Physical Activity

Background:Promotion of physical activity in children depends on an understanding of how children use play equipment.Methods:We conducted observations over 2 years of children in 2nd through 8th grades in a schoolyard with 5 distinct play areas with different amounts of play equipment.Results:Children were more likely to play in areas with more installed play equipment, with densities of children in equipped areas 3.3 to 12.6 times higher than in an open grassy field. There were no significant differences by play area in the percent of children who were physically active at all, but children were more likely to be very active in areas with basketball goals and an installed play structure than in an open field.Conclusions:Playground equipment appeared to have a strong influence on where children played and a moderate influence on levels of activity. To maximize physical activity in children, playgrounds should be designed with ample and diverse play equipment.

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A New Socially Assistive Robot with Integrated Serious Games for Therapies with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21248414 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (24) ◽

pp. 8414

Author(s):

João Antonio Campos Panceri ◽

Éberte Freitas ◽

Josiany Carlos de Souza ◽

Sheila da Luz Schreider ◽

Eliete Caldeira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Down Syndrome ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Trisomy 21 ◽

Serious Games ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Assistive Robot ◽

Socially Assistive Robot

This work introduces a new socially assistive robot termed MARIA T21 (meaning “Mobile Autonomous Robot for Interaction with Autistics”, with the addition of the acronym T21, meaning “Trisomy 21”, which is used to designate individuals with Down syndrome). This new robot is used in psychomotor therapies for children with Down syndrome (contributing to improve their proprioception, postural balance, and gait) as well as in psychosocial and cognitive therapies for children with autism spectrum disorder. The robot uses, as a novelty, an embedded mini-video projector able to project Serious Games on the floor or tables to make already-established therapies funnier to these children, thus creating a motivating and facilitating effect for both children and therapists. The Serious Games were developed in Python through the library Pygame, considering theoretical bases of behavioral psychology for these children, which are integrated into the robot through the robot operating system (ROS). Encouraging results from the child–robot interaction are shown, according to outcomes obtained from the application of the Goal Attainment Scale. Regarding the Serious Games, they were considered suitable based on both the “Guidelines for Game Design of Serious Games for Children” and the “Evaluation of the Psychological Bases” used during the games’ development. Thus, this pilot study seeks to demonstrate that the use of a robot as a therapeutic tool together with the concept of Serious Games is an innovative and promising tool to help health professionals in conducting therapies with children with autistic spectrum disorder and Down syndrome. Due to health issues imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the sample of children was limited to eight children (one child with typical development, one with Trisomy 21, both female, and six children with ASD, one girl and five boys), from 4 to 9 years of age. For the non-typically developing children, the inclusion criterion was the existence of a conclusive diagnosis and fulfillment of at least 1 year of therapy. The protocol was carried out in an infant psychotherapy room with three video cameras, supervised by a group of researchers and a therapist. The experiments were separated into four steps: The first stage was composed of a robot introduction followed by an approximation between robot and child to establish eye contact and assess proxemics and interaction between child/robot. In the second stage, the robot projected Serious Games on the floor, and emitted verbal commands, seeking to evaluate the child’s susceptibility to perform the proposed tasks. In the third stage, the games were performed for a certain time, with the robot sending messages of positive reinforcement to encourage the child to accomplish the game. Finally, in the fourth stage, the robot finished the games and said goodbye to the child, using messages aiming to build a closer relationship with the child.

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Does the Spatial Layout of a Playground Affect the Play Activities in Young Children? A Pilot Study

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.627052 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Masashi Sumiya ◽

Tetsushi Nonaka

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Young Children ◽

Spatial Layout ◽

Free Play ◽

Activity Level ◽

Interindividual Variation ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Play Activity ◽

Physical Activity Levels

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to describe, through measurement of physical activity and observation of free outdoor play, the relation between children’s free play and the spatial layout of the playground. To accomplish this, we altered the spatial layout of the same playground to see how the layout affects the play activity and the physical activity levels in the same children.MethodsParticipants were six young children (four girls and two boys; mean age = 5 years and 1 month, SD = 2.59 months). Participants’ physical activity level and the duration of different types of action that occurred in each area and their transitions were compared before and after the alteration of the play-equipment layout using the data from accelerometers and video recordings.ResultsA significant increase in physical activity occurred after the spatial layout alteration, which was related to action differences. Before the alteration, children tended to play in a similar manner for a given play area; however, after the alteration, pronounced interindividual variation in play activity across children was observed.ConclusionThe present pilot study found that in free play situations in the outdoor playground, the spatial layout of playground affects the pattern of play activity and the physical activity levels of young children.

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Animal-Assisted Play: A Strategy for Promoting Children’s Physical Activity Play

International Journal of Playwork Practice ◽

10.25035/ijpp.02.01.06 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer Boisvert ◽

W. Andrew Harrell

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Companion Animals ◽

Life Quality ◽

Well Being ◽

Free Play ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Therapeutic Benefits ◽

Agency Risk ◽

Health And Well Being

This article explores how animal-assisted play might be used as a strategy in playwork to support children’s right to play, enrich their play experiences, encourage their physical activity play and better their health and life quality. Children’s interactions with pets or companion animals in free play or animal-assisted activities (AAA) can yield therapeutic benefits by increasing physical and mental health and well-being and also offer possibilities for more outdoor play, agency, risk-taking, fun and enjoyment, as well as high-quality play experiences. We invite playwork practitioners to consider the important role of animals in children’s lives and the potential value of animal-assisted play in creating opportunities for enriching children’s play and life quality.

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