Presentation – CVC2026-622

Children draw playing: Insights from 101 children in Mongolia

Carolyn Gregoric, Children’s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Sharynne McLeod, Children’s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Belinda Downey, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Laura Hoffman, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Lindsay Smith, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Altaituya Burnee, Adjunct, Children’s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Mongolia

Background: Although play is a fundamental right under Article 31 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989), there is limited research capturing the perspectives of children living in Mongolia using child-centred methods such as drawings.

Aim: This study examined how children from Mongolia draw themselves playing using descriptive, developmental, and focal point analysis frameworks.

Method/approach/approach: Participants were 101 children from Mongolia aged three to eight years who submitted a drawing using an adapted version of the Early Childhood Voices Drawing Protocol. Drawings were included in the Children Draw Playing Global Online Gallery 2: Mongolia https://earlychildhoodresearch.csu.domains/early-childhood-voices-conference-2024/children-draw-playing/. A 20-member interdisciplinary research team coded data about drawings. A Mongolian team member guided descriptive, developmental, and focal point analyses. This research was approved by the Charles Sturt University Human Research Ethics Committee.

Results/findings/findings: The children’s drawings highlighted the importance of outdoor play and playgrounds in Mongolian children’s lives. While traditional games (e.g., ankle bones) were depicted, so too were manufactured toys (e.g., toy cars and dolls) and technology (e.g., phones). Global sports were represented in many drawings, including basketball, volleyball, and soccer. Focal points of play equipment, positivity and relationships, and connection were most evident. There was no statistically significant correlation between age and ability to draw a human figure.

Conclusion: Depictions of play in Mongolia reflected both local traditions and contemporary influences, including outdoor play, relationships, and a mix of traditional and modern play materials. These child-centred insights can inform culturally responsive play research, practice, and planning.

Implications for children and families: Mongolian children’s concept of “play” incorporates cultural continuity and global influences.

Implications for practitioners: Culturally meaningful play should be considered when designing and evaluating play spaces in homes, educational settings, and communities.

Funding: This research was supported by Charles Sturt University’s Children’s Voices Centre

Keywords: children’s voices, innovations, Mongolia, arts-based methods

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: