Open Access

Examining the role of cartoons in encouraging physical activities for children with down syndrome: A case study of My Brother Ozi

1 Muş Alparslan University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Muş, Türkiye ROR
2 Muş Alparslan University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Muş, Türkiye ROR

Abstract

This study aims to examine the cartoon My Brother Ozi in terms of encouraging children with Down syndrome to do physical activities and exercises. Methods: My Brother Ozi cartoon consists of 25 episodes. All of the episodes were analyzed within the current study. Each episode of the cartoon My Brother Ozi is about 20 minutes long while the analysis of each episode took approximately 60 minutes. Accordingly, all the episodes were analyzed in 1500 minutes in total. While analyzing the cartoon My Brother Ozi, the document analysis technique, one of the qualitative research models, was used. Results: In the 1st episode of My Brother Ozi, Ozi sings the song “I do sports” for 15 minutes a day. In Episode 9, Ozi finds places, directions, and objects with a map. In Episode 19, Ozi and his friend Musti train weights for muscle development as part of inclusive education. In Episode 23, Ozi has to think about his homework, and the viewers are presented with the fact that he can think while exercising, and it is concluded that children are encouraged to engage in physical activities and exercises in all the episodes. Conclusion: The focus is on the socialization of a child with Down syndrome through physical activities, exercises, and inclusive education, serving as an example for both children with and without disabilities. It is observed that cartoons featuring characters who exhibit such exemplary behaviors could contribute to increasing awareness about disabilities and serve as beneficial role models for children.

Keywords

How to Cite

Karadag, T. F., & Vural, E. (2026). Examining the role of cartoons in encouraging physical activities for children with down syndrome: A case study of My Brother Ozi. International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, 17(64), 438–445. https://doi.org/10.70736/ijoess.566

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