Hospital Pilots

Acorn Studio Press was born from seeing how children and families often face overwhelming challenges without the tools to cope.

Hospitals can feel like places of waiting, fear, or isolation. Our Hospital Pilots put stories, play, and creativity back into those spaces — giving children a way to imagine, connect, and find resilience.

Indy, Founder

Who is this project for?

Our Hospital Pilots are designed for children and families in healthcare settings, alongside the nurses, play specialists, and hospital staff who support them.

They are particularly suited to children facing long stays, treatment anxiety, or disrupted schooling, where creative engagement can make a significant difference to wellbeing.

What can I expect?

Why it matters

Where is it located and when?

Children in hospital often lose their sense of agency and confidence. Even in hospital beds, children can still create worlds, tell stories, and hold onto their sense of play. Creative engagement helps them reframe the experience — making the unfamiliar feel a little more manageable.

Early pilots show that children using the packs become more relaxed and engaged, families report reduced stress, and hospital staff value having new tools to support wellbeing.

By weaving imagination into hospital settings, we are helping children and families find resilience, connection, and courage at moments when they need it most.

Our first Hospital Pilots are being rolled out in partnership with NHS hospital trusts and children’s wards in 2025. Initial pilots focus on paediatric units where children face extended stays or recurrent treatment. Over time, the pilots will expand to more hospitals, with the potential to adapt resources for hospices and home-care contexts.

Each pilot provides play-led tools and creative packs, designed to spark imagination and help families reconnect through curiosity. Activities are simple, tactile, and inclusive — from drawing prompts and storytelling games to kindness cards and reflection tools. Children are encouraged to explore at their own pace, whether in bed or playrooms, with support from hospital play teams and Acorn Studio Press facilitators. Even in medical settings, children can still create worlds, share stories, and hold onto their sense of play.