We’re talking all about augmented reality today and, fair warning, the whole Ready Set FUN! team is pretty obsessed with the possibilities it offers for playtime.
Join in on the Fun: The Rising Popularity of Augmented Reality
We want to talk about something new and exciting—augmented reality! It’s an interactive experience of a real-world environment that we’ve developed into multiple playrooms for our Atlanta area center. Today, we’re excited to dive deeper into what augmented reality is, how it works, and why we love it so much.
As one of our favorite entertainment options with virtually endless possibilities for how kids can use it, AR is a fun way to learn through play and increase sensory skills for young children. So, let’s jump right into what’s so cool about AR and why we think it’s the future of play.
Augmented Reality Games
Do you remember a few years back when it seemed as if the whole world was playing Pokémon Go together? We like to think of that as the “Augmented Reality Revolution.” Technology has advanced so much in the past decade or so, and we’ve seen the pros and cons of those advancements. More so than ever before, play and technology intersect. Kids are growing up alongside technology, and that makes it possible for them to explore different, new ways to play.
Ready Set FUN! combines activity-based learning, imagination play, and technology together in a setting that’s modern and creative. One way we do this is through augmented reality for kids.
What is Augmented Reality?
You’re likely wondering what augmented reality actually means—and how your kids play with it. The quick answer is that it’s how technology overlays visual or audio effects in actual reality.
The longer answer is that it’s when AR merges into the real world, similar to a kind of projection. Technology has come a long way since projectors were used in school, but the foundation is the same. AR objects are projected and then integrated into an environment kids can then play with. The concept of augmented reality is all about adding interactive elements to actual surroundings. As technology advances, we’re finding more and more uses for AR. This means that items your kids may have played with before can be experienced in a new way over and over again through this changing technology.
And they can experience it together! Multi-person augmented reality play is an interactive design that combines technology with the real world, with multiple users able to enjoy it at the same time.
Augmented Reality at Ready Set FUN!
These activities are educational, but they’re also exciting! Kids can have so much fun while learning and activating their imagination. Themes change daily, so kids (and parents) can experience creations coming to life in a new way each visit.
Imagination Sandbox
Tiny hands can build worlds with our Imagination Sandbox. A sensor monitors any physical shifts in the sand and the projection makes adjustments based on the changes detected. As kids dig, animals transform along with their surroundings, roaming through bodies of water and mountains of sand.
Our interactive sandbox provides children the ability to discover marine life, learn about fossils, and see how bugs move around on a daily basis. The projection is over the entire sandbox area and it’s made for multiple people to play together. With five different shifting worlds and day-to-night changes, there’s always something new to explore.
Imagination Art
Coloring on its own is fun, but watching your child’s artistic creations come alive in our interactive Draw Alive room? Even better. Kids can learn about dinosaurs, farm animals, airplanes, and more when they design their own creatures and watch them be brought to life in 3D realness.
With new digital worlds waiting to be populated by your child’s creations, paper drawings are brought into our actual reality with active movement.
The Benefits of Augmented Reality Games for Kids
Augmented reality for kids is a lot of fun! Honestly, parents can have just as much fun in our AR rooms as kids, but another added benefit is that it creates a new scope of learning. It keeps the best aspects of original playtime favorites like coloring and building but adds even more to them.
This kind of play can improve hand-eye coordination, enhance motor skills and vision, and increase focus, creativity, and concentration levels. Our rooms are all multi-person, so kids can learn how to share and play together as well.
The 3D aspects of AR bring your kids’ creations to life. Children are engaged in learning and, with the opportunity to create something they’re actively a part of, their attention is maintained as they continue to unearth new discoveries during play.
Our augmented reality rooms are available during playtime, parties, parents’ night out, and day camp. We love seeing how excited kids get when experiencing their creations come to life or when they create new worlds with the help of technology. If this is something you’d like to know more about, check it out here or call us at (404) 596-5566!
