I plan to utilize graphic design by creating activities that will generate a sense of wonder and moderate the stress of children living in the United States who are planning to or have already moved to a new home.

Children within the United States experience high levels of stress when moving. They tend to suffer from a sense of loss of belonging as well as a loss of place and often have difficulty adjusting to their new surroundings. Currently, there are many tangible products plus digital applications that can facilitate adults through the move both in the physical and emotional sense. However, fewer things exist for children to help with this transition. Often, in children, there is a sense of loss and emotional turmoil that accompanies this move. But what if this experience becomes an adventure, one in which kids become excited about the move through the use of an app and other deliverables that encourage the child to safely explore their new environment.

My thesis will focus on children between the ages of 5-7years old, as well as their parents, and will feature three main deliverables:

DELIVERABLE 1: A multi-sectioned book will be available, complete with a marker set and craft supplies for interaction which will enable a child to record their experience and help to alleviate their stress. By altering their focus from what they left behind, the child can now concentrate on the positives that lie ahead.

DELIVERABLE 2: A digital app will be available that will present a captivating adventure game where different levels are achieved by completing specific tasks, such as finding the new post office or locating the closest library. This will help the child adjust to their new surroundings. Another component of this app is a photo hunt. This will encourage the child to safely explore their new surroundings.

DELIVERABLE 3: A working Url website featuring the multiple-section book, but in a digital format and will include Getting to Know Your New Town.  This will be in the form of a game, where an animated character walks around a town and has the ability to walk into different buildings and interact with other characters. Here, the child can learn about generic jobs that towns in America typically have.

The following objectives are what I hope to achieve with my thesis in the future

• make children see this move as a new adventure

• help children digitally connect to the new location before actually making the move

• help children deal with leaving their former home

• help children to help their parents with the move

• help children store happy memories and other mementos from their previous home