Description:

Young children spend excessive amounts of time on screens instead of partaking in developmentally appropriate play. The Seeds of Wonder package aims to facilitate beneficial play methods for 3-6-year-old children and their parents.

In New Zealand, 90% of children aged 1-14 exceed daily screen time guidelines, replacing developmentally appropriate activities like family interactions, reading, and play. This can lead to cognitive delays and learning difficulties. As primary influencers of children's development, parents often want to address these concerns, but many lack knowledge or confidence in facilitating play. Barriers include time constraints, lack of ideas, limited understanding of play benefits, and overwhelming online information.

My research discovered a gap in the market for an accessible, illustrated parent resource about play that isn’t overwhelming. The Seeds of Wonder package puts everything a parent would want in one place.

Susan Isaacs' Play Theory, which emphasises play's role in emotional and cognitive development, guided this project. Isaacs advocated for parent-facilitated, child-guided play with diverse resources. The project incorporates physical, language, construction, dramatic, social, and child-initiated play methods to develop various skills.

Seeds of Wonder provides a range of activities for parents to set up for their children that can be played individually or together. It communicates a variety of accessible play methods to parents and encourages children to improve their storytelling, speaking, writing, and reading skills. Illustrations encourage child engagement and enable clear comprehension.

Upon opening the box, parents and children are welcomed by illustrations from the guidebook and card game. Story Seeds fosters storytelling growth with a deck of 72 illustrated cards across six categories. The box also includes an instruction booklet, a die for randomisation, a notepad for writing, and a game board for structure. The game’s tangible elements encourage playful learning. Inspired by nature, I designed a repeatable leaf and seed pattern, added a muslin bag for the cards, and handcrafted a wooden die. Designed for ages 3-6, Story Seeds includes separate rules for different age groups. If children struggle to begin, the instruction booklet offers story-starter prompts and word suggestions.

Wonder Play promotes exploration through hands-on activities for parents and children. The name symbolises adventure, reflected in the dotted line and circle in the logo. To reinforce a handmade feel, I used thick cardstock and stitched the book myself. Inside, scrapbook-style elements like grid paper, ripped tape, and sticky notes create an engaging experience. Over 100 watercolour and pencil-textured illustrations add humour, warmth, and personality. I combined the typefaces New Spirit and Quicksand for readability and a youthful tone. The colour palette differentiates the two components, with a muted version for Wonder Play to appeal to parents. The book’s fun and friendly tone encourages play through scavenger hunts, colouring pages, face painting, DIY crafts, and science experiments.