What is medical play?
Medical play lets children act out events related to their health care. It helps children to become more at ease in a health clinic or a hospital. It may be done before, during or after a visit to the doctor or hospital.
What are the benefits?
When your child must visit the doctor or have treatment, medical play can:
-teach your child what to expect
-help your child get ready for the sounds, sights, tastes, smells or feel of a medical setting
-allow your child to express his or her feelings
-reduce your child’s fears
-allow your child to feel more control over what happens to him or her
-help your child recover from an illness
How do I get my child started?
Often, when you give your child medical toys, they will naturally begin play. Appropriate items include;
-dolls or stuffed animals to act as patients
-medical play kits from toy stores and add extra items suited to the child’s age such as; cotton balls, band-aids, gauze or tape
-books about the human body, seeing the doctor or going to the hospital
-books or a handouts about the exam your child will have
During play
-Allow plenty of time.
-Let your child take the lead.
-Your child may give you a role to play, but let them tell you what to do.
-Let your child decide how long to play.
-Allow your child to express feelings and thoughts while playing.
-Watch for non-verbal cues that show your child’s feelings. Assure your child it is okay to feel this way.
-Allow your child to do medical play as often as she or he wishes. A child may need to re-create the event many times.
-If your child does not want to play, put away the play items and bring them out another time.
Your child may be too sick to play before a visit with the doctor. If so, play for your child. Then your child will know what will happen and can talk about their feelings.
Your role is to
-Answer questions and correct wrong ideas.
-Tell the truth. Truthful answers help your child to trust you and the care providers.
-Tell your child you will ask the doctor if you cannot answer a question.
-Use soft words you think your child will understand:
WORDS TO AVOID SUGGESTED SUBSTITUTIONS
Shot, bee stings Medicine under the skin
Organ Special place in body
Test See how______is working
Incision Special opening
Fissure Opening
Stretcher, gurney Rolling bed
Stool Child's usual term
Dye Special medicine
Pain Hurt, discomfort, owie, booboo
Deaden Numb, make sleepy
Cut, fix Make better
Take (e.g. temperature) See how warm you are, check
Anesthesia Special sleeping medicine
Catheter Tube
Monitor TV screen
Specimen Sample
Put to sleep Help you sleep
Gas Medicine mixed with air
Burning Warm feeling
-Learn as much as possible before a visit to avoid any wrong ideas.
-Tell your child as much as they want to know.
Medical Play by Age
Infants (0 to 12 months):
-Play peek-a-boo with masks and hats.
-Allow infants to hold and play with medical objects. Use only safe items. Any thing that fits in the mouth can cause choking.
Toddlers (13 to 36 months):
-Play doctor with dolls and medical kits.
-Read books about going to the doctor or hospital.
Pre-schoolers (3 to 5 years):
-Play doctor with dolls and medical kits.
-Ask questions about what the doll does. For example: Why is the doll going to the doctor? What will happen at the doctor’s office or hospital?
-Talk about feelings the “doll” might have.
School-age kids (6 to 12 years):
-Talk about the parts of the body and what they do.
-Talk about ways to cope during a treatment.
-Let them explore medical objects and their uses.
Teenagers (12 years and up):
-Offer books about the anatomy of the body.
-Ask questions that start a discussion. (Avoid questions with a “yes” or “no” answer.) Ask what they want to know.
-Provide creative things to do: journals for writing or paper and colored pencils for drawing pictures of medical events.
