A hospital is not the most exciting place to be. In fact, it is the most boring place in the world. Having to stay on hospital beds all day, no one would ever dream to spend another day on this dull place. But in some cases, some patients with serious medical conditions are required to stay in hospitals for a long period of time. Living in a hospital for weeks, or months, or a year, is a scary thing for most of us. Now, imagine a kid going through this ordeal. With their playful nature, sick children have no choice but to spend their dreary days confined on plain white beds. In order to lighten up their mood, a man from Charlotte, North Carolina came up with an idea. The board game bed sheets would enable hospitalized kids to play and pass time.
Kevin Gatlin was inspired to design board game bed sheets when he saw his wife playing games on his son’s bed just to help him fall asleep. But he seriously entertained the idea when he visited his friend’s son who was confined in a hospital. There he saw lots of sick children who were not only suffering from illness but also with extreme boredom. In order to distract these kids from the monotonous life of hospital setting, Gatlin decided to turn his idea into reality. He started by consulting teachers and family doctors in order to make the design entertaining and educational as well. In 2016, he founded Playtime Edventures, a toy company that produces children bed sheets, pillows, and slumber bags imprinted with interactive board games.
“With the help of passionate teachers and parents, we created Playtime Therapy Bed Sheets. Playtime Therapy Bed Sheets extend the play area of the room and provide kids with a place they can play, learn, sleep and heal on!”, Gatlin shares.
With these board game bed sheets, hospitalized children can have fun playing with their parents, hospital roommates, and even nurses. Featuring 50 different interactive games, the Playtime Therapy Bed Sheets would surely engage their interest into the game. This can help them forget about their sickness and boredom even just for a while. Today, Gatlin’s interactive bed sheets are being used in 10 different hospitals in the US. The company also allows people to buy these kid-friendly sheets on their website. When you buy a set, the company also donates a set to organizations and children’s hospitals. The company also gives people the opportunity to donate a set to any organization or hospital of their choice.
Here’s how people reacted with Gatlin’s innovative board game bed sheets:
Source: Playtime Edventures