Bringing joy to the youngest patients at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital

The Play9 team has been working with Wishlist Foundation on an inspiring new project for the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, and are thrilled to be able to finally share it with you. The project is one which the Play9 team are extremely proud of, all the funding having been raised by the Sunshine Coast community through Mix FM’s Give ME 5 for Kids.

Mix FM’s Give ME 5 for Kids mission is to make a real difference to the lives of the children in the Sunshine Coast and their families. Every year, for the month of June, Give ME 5 for Kids run fundraising events that help deliver world-class public health care for their youngest patients.

This year, the Sunshine Coast community voted to have a portion of the funds go toward creating a kid-friendly environment at the Hospital, leading to Wishlist and Play9 partnering up to bring some play into the space.

Clare an Industrial Designer at Play9, having completed a research thesis on ‘The effects of play space design on childhood development’ says, “Play has been proven to be of high therapeutic value for hospitalised children and their families, contributing to their physical, cognitive and emotional well-being. Simple things such as, going to the park, playground, or sport practice after school can be a rare luxury for families who are constantly in and out of hospitals. They can end up spending hours, days, weeks and months inside. Bringing play into hospitals ensures a connection with a familiar, friendly environment and helps to create a continuity of everyday life. It contributes to reducing distress and anxiety, helping kids maintain their self-esteem and confidence, thus feeling that they are in control of the situation. Play encourages the participation of parents and siblings, alleviating parents anxiety but most importantly, play offers joy, amusement and acts as a physical & creative outlet.”

Wishlist and Play9 are taking kids on various adventures under-the-sea, with Play9 bringing in some new faces to brighten up the wards, 14 to be exact, all the type that the hospital family can relate to. Introducing you to three of the new members below. These characters aren’t just living in the screens, they transcend into the space through bespoke interactive wall art placed all around the hospital.

Steve Crawford, a school teacher at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, was asked what the importance is of setting up a comfortable and bright environment in hospitals, “It creates a bit of normality in a situation where parents and children are in a clinical space, and quite often have to deal with high amounts of stress. Having a space and area in a hospital setting where kids can play and just be kids is really important, for all ages. The decals you have installed have brought a natural leafy feel to a very clinical white space, it feels like you’ve brought the outside in.”

At Play9 it is our passion and mission to bring joy and play into commercial spaces through the design of premium, thoughtful and engaging products. The team is built of crafters, people who are truly passionate about Play. Every game begins with an idea, a hand-drawing and grows into something truly amazing. Let’s help create a kid-friendly world. Let’s Play!