Smart and robotic toys introduce more possibilities than ever
for building interactive settings for playful learning. Here we explore their
use for supporting the development of storytelling skills in children. Previous
research on interactive storytelling prototypes has already shown
their potential to this end. However, the focus has often been set on
technical implementation issues or using very specialized hardware that
may limit their potential to go outside the lab. The lack of a general
and integrated application with off-the-shelf affordable components has
encouraged our research on how to combine a tablet application with
an existing smart robotic toy, so that it supports the creation of structured
stories and children's reection on them. Thus, this paper reports
on the design and development of a multimedia storytelling application
that includes a smart robotic toy, adopting a user-centric approach with
iterative design and user-testing cycles.
Keywords: Interactive Digital Storytelling, Smart Toys and Robots, Structured Narrative Support, Application for Primary School Children