Chance the Cameleon
& the Worried Whale
Print: Children's book
A kindhearted and whimsical children's book with interactive set.
The first 5 years of a child’s life is time of major mental development. There are very few resources for this age group to help with emotional awareness. This can possibly cause a future development of mental health issues and unhealthy relationships.
Target Audience & Process
The audience is primarily children ages 1-5 and their parents and/or caregivers. The secondary audience would be teachers, pediatricians, and anyone else in the childhood development field. The initial process in this collaborative project consisted of creating mind maps, speaking to professionals in the childhood development field, consumer research, and site visits of what is already in the children’s book market.
Preface
It was important to preface the book with a statement about the emotion that would be talked about in this children's book to prepare, bring comfort to the child, and start opening up dialogue between the child and parent.
Storyline & Design
The story of Chance is shown through fun animal characters that not only a child could relate to in a fun way but perhaps also relate to on a personal level. Without using a human character, the child is able to envision themselves more freely in an emotional situation without comparing themselves to how a human characters attributes would normally be depicted.
Emotion Magnets
It is proven that children in our target age range understand and learn best with multiple sensory options. So this kit creates that opportunity paired with the book to become a well rounded source. The coping kit includes magnets and a small mirror so the child can easily identify what emotion they are feeling in that moment. The child will then learn to communicate and cope with those strong emotions early on.
Parent App
Paired with the kit is a parent app because parents need emotional support and understanding too. The app is intended to not only educate the parents but also serve as a safe place for support and local resources as well.
