Q&A for How to Play Doctors (Kids)

You can play doctor at any age! And maybe, when your old enough, you can be a real doctor.

You can buy a toy stethoscope, or make one yourself! Be creative.

Here are some things you can include: a stethoscope, bandages, a reflex hammer, an otoscope, thermometer, and a blood pressure monitor.

That's okay! Playing is all about creativity and imagination. Make what you need or just pretend.

You could use disposable plastic syringes, which you can find at any drug store. (They won't have needles in them as they're meant for putting medicine in kids' mouths.) You could also make a fake syringe out of cardboard.

Do what the "doctor" says. Tell them how you're feeling, allergies and so on. Just pretend you're at a real hospital.

Yes, but only if they let you. They might be tired or contagious though, in which case they will probably say no.

You could still play with you cat, but you may want to instead play vet, and make sure your cat is okay with playing this.

You can play doctor at any age! Who knows, maybe you will grow up and become a real one!

You can buy a toy stethoscope in supermarkets, like Wal-Mart or online on sites like Amazon or eBay.

Use a bandage on their leg. If not, you can pretend to.

Perhaps, you could use cardboard to make it. Draw an outline and cut it out, and there you have a stethoscope.

I suggest paper, cardboard, or fabric. Remember that if you choose fabric, it needs sewing.

Of course, if you have a real stethoscope, you can certainly use it.

Use a toy reflex hammer, use slings and bandages, pretend to do surgeries, tell the patient about their medications and allergies, give pills and medicine, or even put them in a wheelchair! Use your imagination.

You don't have to, that was just a suggestion. Wearing a white coat makes you look more doctor-like.

Imagine it! Or you can make DIY props from cardboard or paper.

You can make DIY doctor supplies yourself.

You could make a fake X-ray and have interchangeable sheets of paper of different body parts.This could also be used for pretend broken bones.

You can. Just make sure with you acting with the fake shots and things like that. If they aren't comfortable with it, play something else.

You could bandage up broken bones and give your patients slings. You could also try taking your patient's pulse.

You don't have to do real paperwork, you can just make some up with blank paper. If you want to write down anything, write things like: Vital Signs: Heart works well, feet are not cold and eyes blinking properly. Just make it up!

You can make a nursery room and care for them with small beds (shoe boxes) and small portions of liquid to feed to them.

Do sign in and out sheets and maybe have forms for your patients to fill in too. You could also write invoices for large amounts of money that the patients have to pay to be treated.

Yes. There is no reason why you can't, assuming you have one. An added bonus is that you get to hear the real sounds of the body.

Respect them. If they refuse to open their mouth, let them go and move on to the next patient.