Young children’s interactions with a social robot during a drawing task

Social robots communicate through human-like behaviours and are being used in preschool settings. However, the ways in which young children interact with social robots and how these impact upon early educational experiences are not fully known. This observational study explored preschoolers’ (Mean age = 4.58 years; N = 40) interactions with a social robot called NAO during a drawing activity, in South East Queensland, Australia. Most children (83%) engaged in the drawing activity and 60% talked to the social robot. A smaller proportion (10%) of children did not talk to the social robot or attempt the drawing task. Overall, the social robot successfully engaged and instructed preschool children during the drawing task however, not all children interacted with the social robot. It is recommended that a thoughtful approach to introducing social robots to preschools is needed to meet the individual and personal learning needs of young children.