AWARD YEAR
2021
CATEGORY
Play & Learning
GOALS
Good Health & Well-being
KEYWORDS
sensory toys, reduce trauma, children in hospitals, medical care
COUNTRY
Netherlands
DESIGNED BY
Josephine de Fijter
WEBSITE
https://ddw.nl/en/programme/2809/aiki
Aiki - sensory toys to reduce trauma
Aiki toys have been designed to help reduce trauma for children undergoing medical procedures
In collaboration with the Charlie Braveheart Foundation and Studio Bibi van der Velden, Dutch designer Josephine de Fijter has conceptualized a sensory object. That aims to prevent the child from enduring a traumatizing experience during medical care.
Medical encounters can leave a deep mark on the psyche of a child. They are often unnecessary frightening and stressful. The main aim is to bring autonomy back to the child by giving them a method of expression. The child receives the cuddle that will give them supported breathing throughout the examination. Rhythmic breathing exercises can have a long-term positive effect on our well-being. It stimulates brain regions that enable us to regulate our emotions.
Aiki is also designed to connect kids and doctors towards a trusting relationship. Being medically trained, pediatricians are in need of empathy tools and resources to read the emotional state of a child.