Medical Play for Kids with Heart Defects

"Medical play" is when children play by:

• acting out medical situations, and/or

• using medical tools

So, for example, medical play could include:

• Using oral syringes to squirt paint on a paper

• Pretending to be a doctor giving a doll a physical exam

• Acting out someone going to the hospital in an ambulance using LEGOs

Medical play can be as diverse and imaginative as children themselves, and there are no limits to the types of medical play children and their caregivers can invent. We can think about medical play falling within these categories, each of which can have its own benefits:

• Role reenactment: the child acts out a situation they have already experienced

  • example: acting out a child's blood draw after the appointment, with a parent playing the role of the nurse, and the child pretending to have their blood drawn

• Role rehearsal: the child acts out a situation they will experience in the future

  • example: pretending to go in an MRI machine made out of pillows in preparation for an MRI scheduled the next week

• Role reversal: the child takes the role of the doctor while acting out an experience

  • example: the child pretending to be a nurse performing a dressing change on a parent or stuffed animal

• Imaginative dramatic play: the child imagines and acts out medical situations that are not realistic, or that have not happened to them

  • example: the child pretends to go to the doctor with a broken leg, and the parent pretends to perform an x-ray and give the child a cast, even though the child has never broken a leg

• Dramatic play with toys: the child uses toys to act out real or imagined medical situations

  • example: the child uses Barbies to act out someone having trouble breathing, and going to the hospital in an ambulance

• Indirect medical play: the child plays a game using medical words, images, or ideas, but where the medical content is not the main point of the game

  • example: the child plays a memory/matching game, where the images are objects in a doctor's office

• Medical material play: using medical devices and materials in a playful way

  • example: the child uses oral syringes to squirt paint on paper to make a picture

Medical play is immensely helpful for many children, including children with chronic illnesses and their siblings. Medical play can help by:

• Making medical tools and devices feel normal

• Reducing fear about medical tools and devices

• Creating positive feelings and associations about hospitals, doctors, and medical devices

• Reframing memories so that children feel more in control of things that have happened to them

• Creating a stable and understandable narrative about what has happened to a child

• Helping children understand and name their own thoughts and feelings

• Helping children communicate their thoughts and feelings in a way that feels safe

• Practicing strategies to cope with big feelings and scary thoughts

• Seeing children's bodies and experiences represented in their toys and games

• Feeling prepared and knowledgeable at future medical appointments

• Play with toy doctor's kits supplemented with some real medical materials

• Use play sets of hospitals, doctor's offices, and ambulances

• Build a doctor's office, ambulance, or medical device using LEGOs or other materials

• Play doctor, with a toy as a the patient

• Build sculptures and structures from tongue depressors, bandaids, and other medical materials

• Have squirt gun fights with oral syringes filled with water

• Paint or color a giant picture on exam table paper

• Decorate medical devices with stickers and paint

• Have a scavenger hunt in a doctor's office or hospital

• Draw or paint a picture of a hospital room or procedure room

• Write a story about a medical experience

• Write and act out a play about a medical experience

• Dip medical tubing into bubble solution and blow bubbles

• Try using different medical tools as musical instruments

• Dip medical tubing into bubble solution mixed with paint and blow bubbles onto paper to make bubble pictures

• Draw silly mouths and noses on medical masks

• Read books, watch videos, and play games with age-appropriate medical content

Medical play is not just for little kids. Teens and young adults can benefit as well. They might enjoy:

• playing a medical simulation video game

• making a sculpture or collage using medical equipment

• painting or drawing a medical scenario

• writing and performing a play about a medical scenario

• writing and singing a song about a medical scenario

• writing a picture book or making a computer animation to explain a medical scenario to younger children

• writing a poem or short story about medical care

• using LEGOs or other building materials to create a replica of a medical scene or object

• practicing safely using real medical equipment

• reading books, watching videos, and playing games with developmentally-appropriate and accurate medical content

When children are engaged in medical play, adults can usually help by:

• allowing children to be in control

• listening to children and responding to what they say

• asking few questions or no questions

• encouraging the child to use a toy as a "patient" rather than another child

• offering comfort or distraction if a child becomes distressed

Families can seek support from Child Life Specialists, social workers, and/or psychologists for guidance and support surrounding medical play.

The resources listed below can help caregivers and clinicians to design medical play experiences for children of all ages. As always, caregivers should preview resources, and select ones that are appropriate to a child's needs.

Links on this page are provided as resources only. Boston Children's Hospital and the Benderson Family Heart Center don't necessarily endorse all of the information on these sites. Linked web sites, articles or resources are not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by Boston Children's Hospital. All product and company names are the registered trademarks of their original owners. The use of any trade name or trademark is for identification and reference purposes only and does not imply any association with the trademark holder of their product brand.

Medical play should always be supervised by a responsible adult who is able to ensure physical and psychological safety. Supervision is especially important if:

• Children have a history of traumatic medical experiences

• Play objects could be used in an unsafe way

• Children are dramatically acting out situations with other children

In most cases, children should not continue playing if they become distressed. Families can talk with a Child Life Specialist or psychologist if they have any concerns about how their child is playing, or if they need support in using medical play effectively with their child.

Medical play is a vital coping strategy for many kids with heart defects and their families. However, it is most effective when it is integrated into a broader intervention designed to support children's social and emotional well-being. Families can talk with their care teams about the many providers and services that can help families thrive through chronic illness.

This content was reviewed by a psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital.

Developmental care is best when it is local. Families local to Boston can schedule evaluations with the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program (CNP). Families from other regions can use the link below to find their care team.