The Early Trail children explored the Design Thinking process through a relatable situation where a child felt angry and upset when her mother took away the TV remote after exceeding her screen time.
- Empathize: Children identified the girl’s emotions and shared how they would feel in the same situation.
- Define: They understood the problem and shared that“She is upset because she cannot watch TV.”
- Ideate: Children suggested ways to feel better and stay engaged, such as drawing, playing, reading, dancing and building blocks.
- Prototype: Using art and clay, story books children created representations of their emotions and ideas for calming themselves.
The activity helped children develop empathy, emotional awareness, creativity, problem-solving and self-regulation in a simple and meaningful way.