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So, are you bored at home? Well, read on and find out how to have fun as a kid playing doctor with your pals or family members!
Steps
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Get your doctor's kit together. You need some tools and instruments to be a doctor! You can use a toy doctor's kit, or you can make your own using kitchen utensils, pencils, blocks, other toys, or anything else that you can pretend to be medical instruments.
- If you have it, wear a white coat and a stethoscope! There are toy stethoscopes that actually work, use one if you have one.
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Find someone to play with. You'll need patients - they can be a sibling, friend, or even stuffed animals.Advertisement
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Gather some papers so you can do fake paperwork. You can pretend to take notes and fill in charts about your patients, write prescriptions for medicine, and look illnesses up in books. You can keep it simple with blank/scrap paper, or you can write and draw details!
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Make fake beds so your patients can go to sleep. Don't forget to make them comfortable!
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Start by having the patient lie or sit on the bed. Knock on the door and then come in.
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First, ask the patient if it hurts anywhere.
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You will then need to take their temperature using a toy thermometer. Put it under the patient's arm and leave it there before taking a reading.
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Next, get the stethoscope and listen to the patient's heart. Ask your patient to lift up their shirt to expose their chest or remove it. Then, put the stethoscope in your ears and hold it against the bare skin of the patient's chest. Listen carefully to the thumping sound of the patient's heart beating.
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You should then listen to the patient's lungs. Ask them to lift up or remove their shirt. Put the stethoscope in your ears and hold it against the bare skin of their chest. Ask them to take deep breaths in and out through their open mouth. Repeat using the same method holding the stethoscope against the bare skin of the patient's back.
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Ask the patient to lie down. If they are wearing two shirts, ask them to lift up one. Listen to the patient's heart again. You can hold the stethoscope against the bare skin of their belly and listen for rumbling and gurgling noises.
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11Tell your patient to open their mouth, stick out their tongue, and say "aah". Use a flashlight to inspect the throat and peer at the tonsils. Use the same flashlight to check their eyes and nose. Use an otoscope to look into the ears.
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Decide if the patient has any symptoms and either give an injection or prescribe some pretend medicine as appropriate.
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Have fun and enjoy the game. Get into the pretending - pick fake names, try helping different kinds of patients, and go along with the ideas and twists that your friends come up with.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionI'm 13 and I want to play doctor. Is that okay? Am I too old?Abby ElizabethCommunity AnswerYou can play doctor at any age! And maybe, when your old enough, you can be a real doctor.
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QuestionWhat if you do not have a stethoscope?Community AnswerYou can buy a toy stethoscope, or make one yourself! Be creative.
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QuestionWhat items should be in my doctor kit?Community AnswerHere are some things you can include: a stethoscope, bandages, a reflex hammer, an otoscope, thermometer, and a blood pressure monitor.
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Tips
- Set up a waiting room. Get some toys the patients can play with while waiting.Thanks
- Ask your parents for some snacks in case the patients get hungry.Thanks
- Be sure to always hold the stethoscope against the bare skin of the patient's chest, belly or back.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Personalize each patient by designing fun ID wristbands or badges on paper using crayons, markers and stickers. Add in details like birth date, weight, past surgeries or illnesses, emergency contacts and one of those appointment barcode sticker sheets if you have them.
- Print out some free doctor's note templates or prescription pads online to make the paperwork side of things more authentic. Get creative dreaming up imaginary patient names, medical histories, and health issues to describe. Let those imaginations run wild!
- Plush stuffed animals or plastic dolls work great as faux patients since they usually have removable outfits, allowing easy stomach or chest access for placing your toy stethoscope directly on their "skin" during checkup roleplaying. Way more realistic!
- Make a waiting area for impatient friends "awaiting" their appointments by placing magazines, toy medical pamphlets and clipboards with paperwork to fill out around a small table. This gives them something entertaining to do before their pretend visits.
- To keep safe, it's best not to create makeshift injections from household items like needles or thumbtacks glued to squirt bottles. Simply pretend to give shots — no risky materials needed!
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Warnings
- Always ask your parents for permission to use something that are not yours.Thanks
- Do not play with tools that aren't toys. Someone can get hurt.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Doctor's kit
- Toys
- Blankets
- Your bed (or a fake bed)
- Friends, siblings, or stuffed animals for patients
- Papers and pens/pencils
- Doctor's uniform
- Snacks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about parenting, check out our in-depth interview with Joel Warsh, MD .
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 75,726 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "This article has helped me and my kids out a lot, it keeps my kids busy. Thank you very much."
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