Date/Time: November 7, 2026 | 9:00 – 10:00 am

Room: TAHOMA 5

Abstract: Young children in the United States spend only 20% of their waking hours in formal education environments. This session showcases a collaboration between architects and designers, child development experts, and the Seattle Department of Transportation to create playful learning installations that inspire creativity outdoors, capitalizing on family time outside the classroom. This work moves beyond standard play structures and school environments to embrace individualized learning, problem-solving, and exploration by re-imagining public spaces like bus stops, sidewalks, and pocket parks. Based on the science of child development and learning, the playful learning approach is backed by more than a decade of research showing that these spaces prepare children to thrive in the future. Innovation begins by identifying spaces where children and families already spend time that may not have flexible, open-ended materials, or intentional use of color and texture to further engage the senses and enhance the overall experience. This session will explore how public spaces can support school-based learning by transforming sidewalks and pocket parks into opportunities for children and families to learn without knowing they are learning together!

Learning Objectives:

1. Consider the variety of public spaces that can be reimagined as learning opportunities for children and families.
2. Understand the research-based design principles of playful learning.
3. Experience and analyze playful learning activities that were developed by Playful Learning Landscapes and the Seattle Department of Transportation.
4. Describe actionable steps that they can take to adopt playful learning in their community.