Swoosh, Pop, and Kerplunk: Toys for Tangible Listening in Children

What would happen if you could catch a sound in your hands? Push or pull it, stretch it out, mix it up, or toss it at the ceiling like a spaghetti noodle? This work explores how children engage with sound in their environment, and as part of their social connection with others, supported by tangible sound toys. By looking at children’s playful processes of listening to and engaging with the isolation of sounds, we developed three sound-based toys that leverage tangible embodied metaphors. This paper presents our sound toy designs, and contributes to a deeper awareness of the affect of sound as a focused component in tangible design, to playfully challenge children to consider how sound impacts their environment, and how they can impact sound.