Upcoming Media, Play, and Imagination

This section investigates the role of media in shaping children’s play and imagination, with a particular focus on the history of consumerism in children’s toy culture. It considers the shift from imaginative, open-ended play to more scripted, media-driven play experiences. The discussion also addresses stereotypes and the lack of diverse narratives within children’s media. An accompanying activity—Content Analysis of Children’s Television and Toys—encourages participants to critically analyze how media content and marketing influence children’s play and identity formation.

Presenter: Kym Stewart

Kym holds a PhD in Education and an M.A. from the School of Communication from Simon Fraser University. Her PhD thesis explores her decades of media research, including various projects looking at children’s media culture and media-education practices. Her M.A. also explored youth media culture and is one of the earliest explorations of South Korea’s youth gaming and PC-Bang culture. She currently works as an instructor in the School of Communication at Capilano University.

Zoom links will be sent on the day of the workshop; please contact our office if you do not receive one.