A life-size board game that gets families moving and thinking together

Parkopolis at Madison Park

As part of the Playful Learning initiative in Santa Ana, Parkopolis transforms a public space into a life-size, interactive board game designed to activate movement and conversation. Children and caregivers move across oversized game spaces, following prompts that encourage counting, comparison, prediction, and problem-solving as they play.

Each square invites participants to complete physical challenges, use STEM-related vocabulary, and collaborate to advance through the game. By combining large-scale design with structured prompts, Parkopolis supports active learning while strengthening caregiver-child interaction. The installation demonstrates how physical activity and STEM thinking can work together, turning play into a dynamic opportunity for shared exploration and discovery.

The Learning Goals

Parkopolis strengthens STEM content knowledge by embedding opportunities for children to notice mathematical and scientific concepts during play. As players move through the life-size board game, they engage with spatial reasoning, sequencing, estimation, counting, and comparison — making abstract ideas tangible through movement and interaction.

The installation also supports communication and collaboration, encouraging children and caregivers to talk through game decisions, explain thinking, negotiate next steps, and build shared strategies. These back-and-forth interactions amplify learning by linking movement, language, and STEM reasoning in a joyful, social context.

The Team

The Parkopolis installation was created through a collaboration between City of Santa Ana, University of California, Irvine, Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative, Temple University, and Playful Learning Landscapes.

The Science

Gaudreau, C., Bustamante, A. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2021). Questions in a life-sized board game: Comparing caregivers’ and children’s question-asking across STEM museum exhibits. Mind, Brain, and Education. [PDF Link] [Online link]

Bustamante, A. S., Schlesinger, M., Begolli, K. N., Golinkoff, R. M, Shahidi, N., Zonji, S., Riesen, C., Evans, N. & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2020). More than just a game: Transforming social interaction and STEM play with Parkopolis. Developmental Psychology, 56(6), 1041-1056. [PDF Link] [Online link]

Bustamante, A. S. (2018). Preliminary results from Parkopolis: The life-size STEM board game. Poster presented at the The Administration for Children and Families National Research Conference on Early Childhood, Arlington, VA. [PDF Link]