Student project

The Inner Garden: Play Rituals for Mental Wellbeing

Designer
Pauliina Kittilä
Moe Miyahara
Education
Master
Subject area
Communication Design
Focus area
Design for Play
Year
2026
Collaboration partners
Sjælesorg på Nettet
Background
How can play rituals create new pathways to reflection and wellbeing?

The Inner Garden: Play Rituals for Mental Wellbeing

What if reflection didn’t begin with words? The Inner Garden is a play-ritual kit for teenagers that creates space for reflection through play, imagination, and sensory experiences. Through an audio journey, reflection cards, a letter, and a symbolic bracelet, participants are invited to explore their inner lives through the metaphor of an Inner Garden. Developed in collaboration with Sjælesorg på Nettet, the project explores how play rituals can create new pathways to wellbeing and conversation.