Building more playful pediatric experiences.
The Project PLAY is a youth-led nonprofit initiative developing purposeful-play experiences, creative resources, research, and community events connected to pediatric healthcare.
Children are more than the appointment ahead of them.
Healthcare spaces often require children to wait, follow unfamiliar routines, and give up control over many parts of their experience. The Project PLAY explores how imagination, activity, storytelling, and thoughtful design can give children more opportunities to choose, create, focus, and participate.
Starting with the waiting room.
The first Project PLAY experience focuses on children waiting before pediatric appointments. Waiting is one of the most common healthcare moments, and it creates a practical place to begin developing activities that can be engaging, portable, adaptable, and easy to introduce.
An expanding ecosystem of purposeful play.
The Project PLAY creates purposeful-play experiences, stories, resources, research, and community initiatives that support more engaging and child-centered pediatric healthcare moments.
A future where children in pediatric healthcare environments still have meaningful opportunities for play, imagination, expression, and choice.
Five ideas that guide every decision.
Child-Centered
Begin with the child's experience rather than the product.
Purposeful
Give every activity and design choice a clear reason.
Imaginative
Create experiences children genuinely want to enter.
Thoughtful
Consider accessibility, usability, safety, and different needs.
Evidence-Informed
Learn from research and qualified professionals without overstating results.
The Project PLAY is currently developing its first adventure kit, planning its first community fundraiser, gathering feedback, and building the foundation for future projects.