Engaging children to co-create outdoor play activities for place-making

Abstract

Outdoor play activities are one of the ways via which children can acquire a sense of place towards their neighbourhood. Engaging children in the design of these activities through Participatory Design (PD) holds promise. However, knowledge lacks on the characteristics of place-making processes for children, the changing dynamics in these processes, and how PD can contribute to this. This paper proposes a PD method, grounded in literature, to support children in co-creating outdoor play activities for place-making. The method is applied with 42 children in Rotterdam. Involvement of local partners, preparation meetings, and PD materials tailored to children's interests and skills are vital to enable children to design outdoor play activities that are meaningful to them.