Child life

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 […]

From problem-solving to creativity, play allows kids to develop important skills they will continue to use throughout their life. Play varies at each age and can be broken down into these 6 stages of play. #playtime #kidsplay #playmatters #toddlers #toddlerplay #childdevelopment #toddlerdevelopment #playskills #pretendplay #playislearning #toddlerplay #childdevelopment #toddlerdevelopment #playislearning #stagesofplay #6stagesofplay Copyright © 2021 Pathways Foundation

This blog gets a lot of traffic from women (because, let’s be honest, it’s always women) who are interested in the field of child life. I get it, unfortunately there are not a ton of ch…

Asking for help can place childhood cancer families in a vulnerable position that most of us try to avoid until desperation sets in and the bills just get to be too big.

March is Child Life Month, a month where hospitals around the world have the opportunity to celebrate child life specialists and the Child Life profession through education and raising awareness. Here are 10 ways you can kickstart your Child Life Month celebrations!

Some links below are my affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a very small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Special thank you to Dr. Korie Leigh for her contribution to the tips and resources sections at the end of this post! Dr. Leigh i

What is a child life specialist? So glad you asked! It’s a question that everyone interested in improving kids’ medical experiences should be asking.

Guest Blog Post by Emily Jasinowski, mother of Mason and Arlo and Little Birch Blogger It’s an understatement to say that our son’s NICU journey was difficult on our family. Our worried hearts were wrapped around his health and well being, new diagnoses that dropped out of nowhere,

These books for children with cancer can help bring some comfort and reassurance during a very scary time. They help children feel as if they are not alone.

A day in the life of a child life specialist.

Check out these other blogs written by Child Life Specialists and students on their way to becoming Child Life Specialists! If you have a Child Life Blog, let me know and I’ll add it to the l…

Spread the word: 152 Shares Facebook Twitter Email More Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say to kids who worry, especially when they are overwhelmed in the moment. Well-meaning adults who just want to erase the worry for kids may say some phrases that aren’t so helpful and don’t empower kids to tune in to their bodies. To help a kid who is worried, try these helpful, empowering phrases: What to Say to Help a Kid Who is Worried: […]

Today one of our bloggers who is currently completing their child life internship hosted a Teddy Bear Clinic along with her co intern for the patients in the hospital. Teddy Bear Clinics are so muc…

Child Life Specialist

If you (or your preschooler) has ever asked the question, "what is blood made of?", you must check out this fun activity to learn about the parts of blood.

You may be surprised to see a child life specialist in one of the rooms at Cook Children’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). After all, this is an area devoted to babies. But spend some time in one of those rooms and you will see a big part of the child life specialist’s job is to help patients through tests and procedures, as well as copin...

One thing I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy: Preparing a child for surgery. If you have other children, help them prepare for their sibling's surgery.