Global Intergenerational Play Observatory

Global Intergenerational Play Observatory

Australia

Digital Discoveries with Country: Connecting Generations

Children, families, educators, Elders gather on South-East NSW local Aboriginal Peoples’ Country (including Wodi Wodi, Dharawal, Yuin and other interrelated kin) for an intergenerational experience grounded in respect for Country and shared learni

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Digital Discoveries with Country: A Yarn with Pete

Peter Hewitt, a proud Jerrinja/Yuin man, reflects on the deep cultural significance of guiding the Digital Discoveries with Country experience.

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Digital Discoveries with Country: A Yarn with a Grandmother

A grandmother reflects on her time at the Digital Discoveries with Country experience, where three generations—herself, her daughter, and her grandson—learned side by side.

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Digital Discoveries with Country: A Yarn with Jack

Jack Reilly, an artist and educator, reflects on the process of working with intergenerational clusters to create an archive of sounds from Country and the process of creating a collaborative soundtrack from the experience.

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Digital Discoveries with Country: A Yarn with Crystal

Crystal Arnold, a Gundungurra woman, reflects on the experience sharing her observations of intergenerational connections.

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Digital Discoveries with Country: Seeing Country

Brittney Angus and Jack Reilly supported the Digital Discoveries with Country experience as artists in residence. Brittney used photographs captured of Country by intergenerational participants to create the artwork “Seeing Country”.

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Tanzania

Eating together at a school celebration

Younger and older parents at a school, together they actively share a meal with the children to celebrate their school achievements and growth.

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Grandmother and Grandchild

Family bonding between grandmother and grandchild where connection, language growth and values are passed from grandmother to grandchild.

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Finland

An Australian family travelled to Rovaniemi, in  Lapland, Finland. These children had never experienced snow before and were guided by locals who shared their knowledge, stories and traditions. These videos capture moments of connection, curiosity and cultural exchange.

Learning to Icefish

The children step onto the frozen lake for their first ice‑fishing adventure, guided by a local expert who introduces them to new tools and techniques.

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Playing a Game

At a reindeer farm, stories of Sámi culture blend with playful learning as the children try their hand at lassoing a wooden reindeer.

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Cooking Together

Gathered around a crackling fire, the group warms up after time in the snow. The children watch their food cook with quiet concentration, their faces lit by the flames.

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Dubai

Tatiana lives in Dubai with her husband and their twelve-year-old daughter, Maia. Originally, Tatiana is from Russia and her husband is from Argentina; the family brings together multiple cultural traditions within their everyday life in Dubai. Maia, born and raised in Dubai, is fluent in speaking, writing and reading in Russian, Spanish, and English, and is developing Arabic and French at school.

Reading Together - 1

Sharing a poem about a squirrel becomes an intergenerational language exchange, where oral reading, discussion, and storytelling introduce forest animals while strengthening Russian language fluency.

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Reading Together - 2

Sharing a poem about a squirrel becomes an intergenerational language exchange, where oral reading, discussion, and storytelling introduce forest animals while strengthening Russian language fluency.

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Cooking Together

Preparing traditional Russian dumplings from the Ural Mountains becomes a shared cultural practice, where grandparents and children collaborate in mixing, shaping, and cooking from scratch.

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Singing and Dancing

In the park, grandparents and children sing a Russian song about sunbeams and move together in rhythm.

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Playing on the Swing

A simple swing becomes a site of shared presence and dialogue, improving native Spanish language.

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Ice Skating

On the winter ice, children, parents, and grandparents glide together, negotiating balance and support. Ice skating becomes an intergenerational practice of mutual encouragement, resilience, and shared seasonal tradition rooted in place.

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Painting Freely

Messy painting sessions invite experimentation with colour and texture. Generations sit side by side, sharing materials and ideas, where creativity becomes a collaborative process and agency is expressed through artistic exploration.

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Playing Doctor

Imaginative role-play unfolds as a child explores the idea of becoming a doctor, guided by a grandfather’s questions and encouragement. Through pretend scenarios, intergenerational dialogue supports identity formation, aspiration, and confidence.

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Engaging with Art Exhibitions - 1

Standing before paintings, grandparents and children discuss artistic themes and cultural heritage.

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Engaging with Art Exhibitions - 2

Standing before paintings, grandparents and children discuss artistic themes and cultural heritage.

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Crafting the Solar System

Creating a model of the solar system becomes a collaborative inquiry into scientific concepts.

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Photoshoot and Dramatic Play

Acting out scenes with a grandmother during a photoshoot transforms photography into playful performance. Expressive gestures, humour, and imagination foster shared narratives and joyful co-creation.

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Park Walks and Conversations

Regular walks in the park provide a natural setting for storytelling, questioning, and reflective dialogue. Movement through place supports relational closeness, cultural transmission, and everyday opportunities for intergenerational exchange.

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Gardening Together

Planting seeds and tending to growing plants becomes a shared practice of care and patience.

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Republic of Korea

When I Was Little: 내가 어렸을 때

When I Was Little: 내가 어렸을 때 is a retrospective account of childhood from the perspective of a 6 year-old child in Seoul, South Korea. This animation has been created from the re-storying of focus group interviews.

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