University of East London and Kinder launch major study into parent–child interaction through play

New research supported by Kinder at the Institute for the Science of Early Years (ISEY) at the University of East London explores how shared play is associated with language use, emotional connection, and family interaction. 

In an era where families increasingly share the same physical space but are often disconnected by busy schedules, competing demands, and the pull of individual activities, researchers are turning their attention to everyday moments of interaction to better understand how families connect.  Shared play and joint activities are emerging as important areas to explore, offering opportunities for families to engage, communicate, and spend meaningful time together. 

Following the first stage of the study, parents consistently described shared play as a positive and meaningful experience. Many parents reported feeling closer to their children, more emotionally in sync, and more engaged during everyday interactions when they took part in shared play. 

Early findings from the UK pilot, delivered in partnership with Kinder as part of their global Value of Play initiative, reflect these experiences through observable behavioural patterns. During shared play, parents and young children were observed to move physically closer, show greater emotional alignment, and communicate in more responsive and connected ways. 

Research observations suggest that during shared play: 

• parents and children tend to move physically closer and appear more in sync 

• shared, responsive language is more frequently observed — a recognised marker of emotional bonding 

The research forms part of the Kinder Play Study, led by Professor Sam Wass, Director of UEL’s Institute for the Science of Early Years, and co-led by Muhammad Ehatisham Ul Haq, Technical Director at the Institute. The study explores whether and how shared play may be linked to communication, emotional connection, and closeness within families. 

The research focuses on children aged 3–6 and takes place in families’ homes. Instead of asking parents to describe their experiences, researchers use wearable sensors alongside video and audio recordings to observe play as it happens in real time. This allows them to track how close parents and children are to each other, how their heart rates and movements align, and how they communicate during play. 

Machine-learning techniques are used to process large volumes of sensor, audio, and video data, helping identify moments of play, examine interaction patterns, and explore how families dynamically respond to one another without relying on self-report alone. 

Building on this momentum, stage two of the Kinder Play Study is now launching, expanding the research to further examine these interaction patterns and explore new questions including whether play may be associated with children’s emotional regulation, and whether different types of play relate to different forms of family connection. 

Professor Sam Wass, Director, Institute for the Science of Early Years at University of East London said, “Play is often seen as something fun or optional, but our research suggests it may be fundamental to how families connect. By studying play as it naturally happens at home, we can see how shared moments bring parents and children into sync physically, emotionally and through language.” 

Muhammad Ehatisham Ul Haq, Technical Director, Institute for the Science of Early Years at University of East London said, “We are using machine learning to make the invisible moments of family play visible. Head-mounted cameras and computer vision models help us spot when play is happening, while audio recordings and transcriptions allow us to pick out play-related words and conversations. We then examine how heart rate, movement, and physical closeness change during these moments, and use large language models to see how parents’ and children’s words align.” 

“At Kinder, we've long believed in the fundamental role of play for children's development and family connections. Our Value of Play initiative reflects the importance we put in shared moments of play for parents and children,” said Emiliano Laricchiuta, Global President of Kinder at Ferrero. “We are closely following the results and the insights of this research, and look forward to the next phase, which together with the findings from this pilot study, will deepen our understanding of play's transformative power, and how to design toys and play experiences that genuinely support these moments of togetherness.” 

By combining science with everyday family life, the Kinder Play Study contributes to understanding how play fits into children’s development and family relationships, helping inform future research, policy, and practice.