Building resilience in children with play, failure, reflection.

In a world where academic and social pressures weigh heavily on young minds, resilience is a crucial skill that empowers children to navigate challenges with confidence. How can we enhance resilience and reduce the fear of failure among children?

Our answer: blending psychology, play-based learning, and cultural philosophy into a fun board game.

INTRODUCTION

In a world where academic and social pressures weigh heavily on young minds, resilience is a crucial skill that empowers children to navigate challenges with confidence. The Kintsugi Project was conceived as a playful yet deeply reflective intervention designed to address the pervasive fear of failure and build resilience in secondary school children.

HIGHLIGHTS

Behavioural and social science methodology and psychometrics
Design and implementation of a behavioural intervention

Behavioural and social science methodology and psychometrics
Design and implementation of a behavioural intervention

MY ROLE

User research, product design, UI/UX, prototyping

RESEARCH

Fear of failure is a significant barrier to academic and personal growth, discouraging exploration, creativity, and risk-taking. Rooted in Achievement Motivation Theory and studied through tools like the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PFAI), fear of failure manifests as:

Avoidance of challenging tasks to prevent potential embarrassment or criticism.
Development of maladaptive behaviours such as procrastination and self-sabotage.

Resilience, defined as the ability to adapt and recover from setbacks, emerged as a vital skill for overcoming fear of failure. Psychological theories such as Growth Mindset emphasize that perceiving abilities as malleable rather than fixed empowers individuals to embrace challenges. Research into experiential learning and “ordinary magic” (Masten, 2014) showed that everyday manageable challenges could foster resilience by teaching emotional regulation, problem-solving, and persistence.

Avoidance of challenging tasks to prevent potential embarrassment or criticism.
Development of maladaptive behaviours such as procrastination and self-sabotage.

Structured play has long been recognized as a powerful medium for learning, as highlighted by Constructivist Theory (Piaget, 1964; Vygotsky, 1978). Key findings in this area include:

Play creates low-stakes environments where failure is safe and non-threatening.
Collaborative play promotes peer support, reducing the isolation often associated with setbacks.
Reflection during and after play enhances learning by encouraging participants to process their emotions and reframe challenges.

Structured play has long been recognized as a powerful medium for learning, as highlighted by Constructivist Theory (Piaget, 1964; Vygotsky, 1978). Key findings in this area include:

Play creates low-stakes environments where failure is safe and non-threatening.
Collaborative play promotes peer support, reducing the isolation often associated with setbacks.
Reflection during and after play enhances learning by encouraging participants to process their emotions and reframe challenges.

THE GAME: KINTSUGI

The research culminated in a set of design objectives for the intervention:

Promote Controlled Failure: Create an environment where failure is inevitable but safe, allowing participants to practice resilience.
Encourage Reflection: Include guided prompts to help children process emotions and extract lessons from setbacks.
Leverage Tangibility: Use physical objects to make abstract concepts like resilience and growth more relatable and memorable.
Foster Collaboration: Design activities that require teamwork to normalize shared challenges and collective problem-solving.

And what better way to achieve these goals than through a fun and engaging board game? In Kintsugi, players use a set of stacking stones, action cards, and gold polymer clay to simulate controlled failure and subsequent repair.

The research culminated in a set of design objectives for the intervention:

Promote Controlled Failure: Create an environment where failure is inevitable but safe, allowing participants to practice resilience.
Encourage Reflection: Include guided prompts to help children process emotions and extract lessons from setbacks.
Leverage Tangibility: Use physical objects to make abstract concepts like resilience and growth more relatable and memorable.
Foster Collaboration: Design activities that require teamwork to normalize shared challenges and collective problem-solving.

Kintsugi offers a creative twist on traditional stacking blocks, paired with an Action card deck to encourage structure, collaboration, and controlled moments of failure as the stacking stones inevitably break.

When a stack collapses, children engage in reflection prompts encouraging emotional processing, resilience-building, and group discussions. The physical act of repairing the "broken" stones mirrors the emotional resilience they learn to cultivate, turning failure into a celebratory moment. The Reflection card deck helps to lead these discussions, and includes fun exercises such as creating your own inspiring quote.

DISCUSSION & IMPACT

Kintsugi highlights the importance of integrating structured failure and guided reflection into educational frameworks. By transforming abstract psychological concepts into a hands-on, engaging activity, the project empowers children to see failure not as an endpoint but as a stepping stone for personal growth. This approach holds promise for integration into schools, after-school programs, and therapeutic settings, providing an innovative solution to a universal challenge.

An in-depth psychological report can be read here, including a mixed-methods study to validate the Kintsugi intervention.

Additional insights into modelling decisions for Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) are presented below, to ensure that the final product is easy to manufacture and assemble, and disassemble by the user.

DESIGNING FOR CONNECTION

Kintsugi's design draws inspiration from the Japanese art form it’s named after, seamlessly blending modern minimalism with traditional aesthetics. The gold accents symbolize resilience and the beauty of overcoming challenges, while a clean, approachable colour palette ensures inclusivity and accessibility for a younger audience.

Beyond the visual elements, I placed great emphasis on connection and collaboration:

Game Materials: The tactile nature of the game gives focus on hands-on interaction and emotional engagement.
Reflective Prompts: Curated cards feature thoughtful, inspiring quotes, creating a warm, supportive tone for children.
Take-Home Elements: The option to bake and keep the repaired stones offers children a lasting, personalized memento of their journey, extending Kintsugi's impact beyond the game itself.

To enhance user choice, we extended the functionality of the existing LG Home app to incorporate Evergarden. This integration allows users to plant specific seed types and receive customized sowing depths for optimal growth. The moisture sensor function is seamlessly accessible through the app. However, the Evergarden can be fully utilized as a standalone device for users who prefer an independent experience, as all outputs are conveniently displayed on the OLED screen.

BRANDING

I also took the opportunity to create a logo and brand image for the Kintsugi team: Zensaic. Zensaic incorporates the words 'zen', and 'mosaic', reflecting the team's goal of bringing together ideas to create a unique solution. I drew inspiration from the team's Asian roots, combining Chinese, Korean, and English typographies into a mosaic logo.