Client: PAVE / SUSS. Year: 2023. Produced through: CraveFX.
An offline game that helps young children learn body safety and protective behaviours through gentle, guided play.
The question
Body safety is essential knowledge, but it needs to be introduced to young children with exceptional care. Garden of Safety needed to give four- to nine-year-olds clear language for boundaries and protective behaviours without making the subject frightening, while supporting both independent and adult-guided learning.
The approach
The offline game places children in the bright, reassuring world of Garden Town. Across three chapters and six mini-games, familiar plant characters guide players through body ownership, recognising unsafe actions, saying no and moving away, and identifying trusted adults who can help.
Interactions turn each principle into something a child can practise. The experience reinforces a simple protective sequence - say no, move away, and tell someone you trust - while helping children recognise discomfort and understand that unsafe secrets should be shared.
Solo and guided-play modes allow the same material to work in different settings. Prompts and supporting resources help parents, educators, and caregivers pause the game for meaningful conversations, so learning can continue beyond the screen.
Selected images
Garden Town introduces body-safety lessons through a bright, reassuring world and familiar characters.
Simple choices help children practise recognising and responding to everyday situations.
Activities teach children to distinguish safe surprises from secrets that should be shared with a trusted adult.
Gentle explanations reinforce each lesson immediately after a choice is made.
The Garden Town hub brings the game's cast and learning activities together.
Reflection
This project required restraint, clarity, and close attention to tone. The strongest design decisions were the ones that made difficult ideas easier to name without oversimplifying them, giving children practical actions and giving protective adults a gentler way to begin an important conversation.
Credits
PAVE Integrated Services and Singapore University of Social Sciences, with support from Lam Soon.