Creating sound environments for children: Educational videos and workshops for experiential learning of sound absorption

Japanese early childhood classrooms often face problems with noise and poor sound absorption. These problems make communication difficult and might affect children's development. For children who are particularly sensitive to sound, this poses a serious barrier to participating in educational activities. Despite the significance of these issues, preschool teachers are not fully aware of the importance of maintaining an appropriate acoustic environment. This study focuses on early childhood education environment, aiming to help preschool teachers develop a concrete understanding of the importance of acoustics—particularly sound absorption—through the following initiatives: (1) Educational videos: Videos were produced to help viewers experience the differences in how sound is heard and how activities sound in rooms with and without sound-absorbing materials. (2) Workshops: Hands-on workshops were conducted in which participants experienced spaces with varying reverberation times, including a sound-absorbing booth. Through these activities, participants became more aware of the acoustic environment and deepened their understanding of its relevance to children’s development and educational practice. In this demo session, we will introduce the video we produced and the sound-absorbing materials used in the workshop.