Play as a pedagogical tool for the integration of migrant children in new school environments

The increasing presence of migrant children in schools in Cyprus and other European countries is a challenge that requires innovative pedagogical approaches. The project entitled KidLe – Developing an intercultural game as a pedagogic tool for the inclusion of pupils with migrant background in new learning environments, co-funded by the European Union and the ERASMUS+ programme, comes to address this challenge through the development of such an intercultural game.

Play methodology has proven to be a particularly effective approach of integrating and learning new languages and cultures, especially in pre-school and primary education. Through the co-creation method, children aged 4-8 years, parents and teachers will be working together to develop five intercultural board games, which will then be integrated into a digital package that will be available as an open source online.

KidLe, a 2-year project (December 2023 – November 2025) aims to support the transition of migrant children to new school environments and to empower both parents and teachers to integrate play as a way of communication and learning with children.

The project consortium consists of 6 partners: the University Institute of Lisbon in Portugal, InterAktion organisation in Austria, SIRIUS Network in Belgium and the vocational organisation EuroSpeak Limited in Ireland. In Cyprus, the project is implemented by the University of Limassol and the Agios Spyridonas Kindergarten in Nicosia. The KidLe team met for the first time in January 2024 in Portugal where the structure and goals were set for the first deliverables of the project.

On March 21^st and 28^th, the University of Limassol in collaboration with the Agios Spyridonas Kindergarten in Nicosia implemented the first two focus group meetings with teachers and parents from Cyprus and other countries, such as Syria, Moldova and Greece. Through the focus groups, parents and teachers from different countries contribute to shaping the pedagogical needs and expectations of the project. A series of workshops will then be held with children aged 4-6 years old, parents and teachers to co-create the game for Cyprus.

It is important to note that the games will be available in all the languages of the project consortium, as well as in 5 other languages to be determined based on the teams that will be created in each country.

To learn more about the project activities and actions, you can follow the Facebook pages of
KidLe and the Research Centre of the University of Limassol.