Medical play

In honor of Spring finally being upon us, here’s a fun and easy art project: First Aid Butterflies!! . . Things you need: Paper in your choice of color Markers Gauze (or cheesecloth) Band-aid…

Learn about our bodies with these human body activities for kids! All of these ideas are hands-on way to explain the body's systems and functions for kids.

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that kids light up from new and unexpected kinds of play. It doesn’t have to be complex. Some of the easiest and most fun play ideas that have come to me without referencing good ‘ole Pinterest have been from just looking around and recycling empty containe

Last year our pediatrician heard a murmur in my daughter's heart at her 18-month checkup. We were referred to a pediatric cardiologist who took a further listen and he felt that it was harmless but that we should make sure and get a follow-up with her regular pediatrician in a year to check that it had gone away on it's own. We had that follow-up last week, and the pediatrician still hears the murmur so, my daughter needs a pediatric EKG. She will need to be hooked up to the machine for…

We are so excited to review these beautiful products. They are human organs, glands and more.

Painful medical procedures are difficult to cope with. As a Certified Child Life Specialist, my role is to prepare children for new experiences while providing a coping plan. I had the opportunity to support my own son for a routine blood test this week. He was quite nervous when his pediatrician mentioned it and I […]

Teach kids about their lungs and breathing with this simple and easy DIY project using loose parts. Child life specialists, this would be perfect for children with asthma, cystic fibrosis or just to teach how to take slow, deep breaths for distraction and coping. My son’s kinder program created these last week using a balloon, straw […]

Today I'm going to explain how you can create medical/hospital edition cards to use with the Headbanz game. Check out my previous Game on! blog post to read about why game playing with a medical theme is a fun way to help children learn and prepare for a visit to the hospital for surgery.

Working in private practice, I don’t have access to a medical closet that is filled with supplies to teach kids about an upcoming procedure, therefore I have to get really creative with loose parts. I would encourage all child life specialists to incorporate this with patients, as it helps to deepen their thought process and gain […]