Design thinking and service learning in one project

The project idea is simple: students make games for seniors.

The impact isn’t.

I discovered this intergenerational STEM project from a high school in Belgium and immediately added it to my wish list.

Here’s what makes it work:

Each student partners with ONE senior from a local care center. Not a hypothetical user. A real person with a name, a story, and hands that might shake when they play.

Together, they co-create. Sometimes it’s “old games made new.” Sometimes it’s simple movement activities. Always it’s designed WITH someone, not FOR someone.

The students learn programming. But they also learn to listen. To notice. To iterate based on real feedback from someone who actually needs what they’re building.

Design thinking and service learning in one package.

If you’re a makerspace teacher looking for a project that bridges tech skills with genuine human connection—bookmark this one.

I know I did.

Have you run something similar in your school or Makerspace?