Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop

I am thrilled to share insights from a recent article by Chris Berdik and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop about the transformative power of our partnership in co-designing with young people. As president of Mrs Wordsmith, I deeply believe in the importance of integrating children's voices and ideas into our product development process. The article, "Sticky Notes, Clay, and Big Ideas: The Magic of Co-Designing Edtech with Kids," showcases a co-design session for our Words of Power game (now available on Roblox), where students collaborated with our team to create innovative game features and storylines. A crucial takeaway for me: Children are not just playtesters but creative collaborators with unique insights that can reshape our offerings. Their contributions can lead to more engaging and effective educational experiences. Chris Berdik captured how embracing co-design helps our team ensure that our tools are inclusive and exciting for young people. I'm really proud of my Mrs Wordsmith team and their commitment to building educational resources with kids, not just for them. What do you think about co-design? Have you witnessed its benefits in your work? Take a read. Let me know. #edtech #codesign #education #innovation #kidsintech #cooneycentersandbox #literacyinnovations #SEL Big thanks to Azadeh Jamalian, Ph.D. Mona Leigh Guha, Ph.D. Medha Tare Michael Preston and the entire Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop team! https://lnkd.in/e8XzUn8k

Let's talk about play. When you hear “play,” you probably think of little kids. But play is just as developmentally critical for preteens and teens—especially in a world where they’re under immense pressure (see our Under Pressure Challenge) and have so little unstructured time. Gaming can be an outlet. As our friends at Center for Digital Thriving and Common Sense Media have found in their important report on Grind Culture (https://lnkd.in/gRtfi2Fj), digital play can help alleviate stress. Sometimes gaming is a teen's only chance to unwind and just be. Yet through our Youth Listening Tour, we heard teens say repeatedly, “I don’t have time for play. It isn’t productive.” Despite the fact that play is so important, they feel it isn't recognized by adults as a priority once they hit adolescence. Something is broken, and it’s time to flip the script. This is a sneak peek into our next funding challenge… Here Comes the Fun! Coming Soon ✨ We’re partnering with Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop (experts in designing healthy play) and Niantic, Inc. (creators of Pokemon Go and more) to reimagine digital play and gaming for young people. This week, we kicked off the conversation at Niantic HQ during Game Developers Conference, bringing gaming industry leaders into our world of listening to young people and building solutions with them. 🎮 Yes, there can be a dark side to gaming. About 8% of young players develop gaming addiction, toxic online cultures and bullying are a problem, and gaming companies must do more to design with youth wellbeing in mind. 💡 BUT digital play and gaming can also strengthen real social connection, spark creativity, build resilience, and relieve PRESSURE. It’s time to empower young people and families to navigate toward the positive side of gaming. #findyourway Here Comes the Fun launches in late April—stay tuned! Huge thanks to Niantic for hosting, Yennie Solheim for being our gracious host and moderator, and Michael Preston for bringing his deep expertise to our panel. Digital play is play, and it's an important a piece in the youth wellbeing puzzle. This is going to be a fun one! #YoungFutures #HereComesTheFunChallenge Young Futures Org Sierra Malia F. Dr. Kristine G. Cassie Archdeacon Brooke Messaye Sarah Jacobstein Kelsey Noonan Pivotal Ventures Kevin Connors Susan Crown Exchange Kathy Gu Jaspal Sandhu Margaret Laws Hopelab Pinterest Celine Coggins Ph.D. The Goodness Web (TGW) Emily Weinstein Carrie James Beck Tench Amanda Lenhart In Tandem Dave Hersh David Torres, PhD

As AI becomes more embedded in children’s daily lives, how can we ensure it supports their well-being? At IDC 2025, foundry10 researchers Jennifer Rubin and Riddhi Divanji will co-host a hybrid workshop alongside Medha Tare, Ph.D., Rotem Landesman, and Azadeh Jamalian, Ph.D., bringing together educators, researchers, and industry professionals to collaborate on designing AI with children’s best interests in mind. Want to participate? Submit a brief position paper about your experience, research, plans, or evaluation of AI tools used by children by April 15. Learn more: https://ow.ly/yjOM50VfSbY