Game on!

A dad has come up with a brilliant idea to help children have fun while spending time in hospital.

Kevin Gatlin, from North Carolina, has created some board game bed sheets, after realising how boring the hospital environment can be.

The Playtime Bed Sheets are bed sheets with board games and lessons for kids to play while they’re spending time in bed.

The idea first came to Kevin with his son in mind. After a hospital visit, he wondered how he would entertain his own son if he were ever to stay in hospital.

So, he and his wife started brainstorming ideas.

He said, “My wife used to utilize the bed with our son, they would play board games, they would do homework assignments, it was the biggest piece of furniture in the room.”

Two years later, after Kevin had met with teachers to explain what the sheets should have on them, his idea came to life.

He continued, “We put together bedsheets and slumber bags that cover everything from geography, math, science, grammar, word find games, over-sized game boards… all on a three-piece set. It’s an unfortunate situation that a child is in. It’s great for the child life coordinator and the nurses and doctors - it gives them a tool that they can use before they just poke the kid.”

Kevin went on to add that the bed sheets are great for more than just the hospital stay – as generally the unwell child doesn’t go straight back to school after a hospital stay. The bed sheets are perfect for at home, too.

So far, Kevin’s sheets are in 10 hospitals and people can buy them online.

He said, “To a child, the bed is the most important piece of furniture in their life. It’s not a place just for punishment or only to be used when they’re sick or when it’s time to go to sleep! We want our Playtime Bed Sheets to help create an environment where kids can continue to play, learn, sleep, and heal on their favorite piece of furniture!”

Metro