What is medical play, and why does it matter in pediatric care?

By creating opportunities for exploration and guided interaction, medical play can help reduce fear and anxiety, support emotional processing and build trust between children and healthcare providers.

At McKesson Medical-Surgical, we distribute pediatric healthcare tools and supplies that help make therapeutic play possible. In September, we launched Playhouse MD™ – a new line of character-driven medical devices designed to make care moments less intimidating and more engaging for children. Through McKesson Medical-Surgical’s Simply Medical marketplace on Amazon, we are proud to serve as the exclusive accelerator and distributor for Playhouse MD, helping bring their playful, clinically designed pediatric devices to families nationwide.

Defining medical play and how it supports children

Medical play is a therapeutic form of play that helps children become familiar with medical equipment, procedures and healthcare experiences through exploration, imagination and guided interaction. Rather than simply distracting a child from fear, medical play offers a safe space for children to actively engage with their environment, ask questions and express emotions about what they’re experiencing.

A child might touch a stethoscope, apply a bandage to a doll or explore a mask before their own procedure. These hands-on experiences may help reduce fear of the unknown and build confidence, allowing children to approach medical visits with greater calm and understanding. Research suggests that children who participate in structured medical play can experience lower anxiety, better cooperation during medical procedures and more positive hospital experiences overall¹.

Benefits of medical play in healthcare settings

Medical play can help support children, healthcare teams and families by promoting emotional, cognitive and behavioral growth.

Emotional benefits

It can help children express fear, build resilience and manage distress. For example, a child who practices with medical tools such as a stethoscope or bandages may approach procedures like blood draws or vaccinations with less anxiety.

Cognitive benefits

Interacting with medical equipment and realistic scenarios may enhance understanding of procedures and healthcare experiences. Familiarity with tools like masks or thermometers can replace uncertainty with knowledge and curiosity.

Behavioral benefits

Children often show improved cooperation during procedures. A school-age child who has practiced taking a temperature with a toy thermometer may participate more calmly during the real procedure.

Long-term benefits

Structured medical play may support positive associations with healthcare. Children who engage in therapeutic play may be more comfortable communicating with providers, following treatment plans and returning for future care.

These benefits demonstrate how medical play can support both short-term comfort and longer-term trust in healthcare settings.

Types of medical play activities by age group

Medical play evolves with each developmental stage, and tailoring activities helps ensure they’re age-appropriate and effective².

Infants

For babies, gentle sensory play introduces positive associations with medical settings. Activities may include:

• Letting infants touch and explore safe, soft versions of medical items such as stethoscopes or bandages.
• Playing peek-a-boo while wearing a mask or medical gown to normalize these visuals.
• Using soothing sounds, lullabies or recorded heartbeats to build comfort with clinical sounds.
• Offering familiar items from home (blankets, rattles, soft toys) during care to create reassurance and continuity.

Toddlers

Toddlers are naturally curious and begin to imitate what they see. Medical play at this stage focuses on helping them explore and understand basic care routines. Activities can include:

• Pretending to give a doll a checkup using toy stethoscopes, thermometers or syringes (without needles).
• Using Playhouse MD’s character-inspired tools to reframe healthcare moments, helping reduce anxiety and build confidence.
• Applying adhesive bandages to dolls or stuffed animals.
• Reading or looking through picture books about doctor visits to introduce medical themes.
• Allowing children to handle safe, real items — such as gloves or tongue depressors — under supervision.

Preschoolers

Imaginative role play can help preschoolers process emotions and gain familiarity with care experiences. Some helpful activities might include:

• Acting out medical scenarios with toy kits or dress-up items.
• Practicing simple procedures like taking a doll’s temperature or listening to its heartbeat.
• Drawing pictures about doctor visits or hospitals to encourage expression and discussion.
• Using puppets or storytelling to explore feelings about care experiences.

School-age children

At this stage, children want more information and like to feel involved in their care. Medical play can help reduce anxiety by promoting understanding. Some examples include:

• Practicing with real (safe) medical tools under supervision.
• Journaling or drawing about healthcare experiences.
• Participating in simulated procedures or mock hospital activities guided by a child life specialist.

Teens

Older children and adolescents benefit from play that promotes independence and emotional expression. Examples include:

• Writing, journaling or creating digital stories about healthcare experiences.
• Mentoring younger patients through medical play or sharing coping strategies.
• Using creative outlets such as music, art or short videos to process emotions and prepare for treatment discussions.

Supervision remains important at every stage. Child life specialists and caregivers can help keep activities age-appropriate, emotionally supportive and safe.

The role of child life specialists in medical play

Child life specialists are trained professionals who use therapeutic play to help children navigate medical procedures, hospital stays and healthcare experiences. By combining knowledge of child development with expertise in clinical settings, they may help reduce anxiety and support children in building coping skills.

Certified child life specialists work closely with doctors, nurses and caregivers to prepare children for procedures, answer questions and guide exploration of medical equipment. Integrating medical play into hospital routines can support patient engagement, lower procedural distress and create more positive experiences for children and families. Research published in PubMed Central (PMC-NCBI) and other journals demonstrates that child life specialists may help children feel more confident and supported during healthcare experiences³.

Tools and kits used in medical play

Medical play uses a variety of tools to create safe, realistic experiences for children. Common items include toy stethoscopes, masks, gloves, bandages, syringes without needles, dolls, stuffed animals and child-friendly medical kits. Playhouse MD helps transform care routines into opportunities for comfort, confidence and connection. Playhouse MD purchases include a guide with playful prompts to help give caregivers ideas on how to create an environment of medical play at home.

These tools allow children to explore medical equipment without risk, demystifying procedures and reducing fear. Hospitals often use specialized play kits that simulate real medical equipment and encourage engagement in therapeutic play. Parents can replicate elements at home with toys, storybooks and guided activities to help children prepare for appointments, procedures or hospital stays.

At McKesson, our commitment to pediatric care includes providing safe, child-friendly medical equipment and supplies. As President Stanton McComb explains:

Through initiatives like Playhouse MD, McKesson supports healthcare providers in delivering therapeutic play and helping children have positive healthcare experiences.

Supporting medical play at home and in hospitals

Medical play can extend beyond the hospital, helping children feel more confident and prepared for healthcare experiences.

For parents:

• Use picture books, dolls and stuffed animals to simulate medical experiences before appointments, helping children understand what to expect.
• Encourage children to “play doctor” with a toy kit, letting them practice wearing masks, applying bandages or handling toy syringes.
• Discuss procedures with simple, reassuring language and invite children to ask questions.
• Incorporate playful and safe medical devices at home under supervision such as a playful medicine dispenser or thermometer to help create positive associations with healthcare.

For children with chronic illnesses, consistent medical play can support resilience and normalize ongoing treatment.

For clinicians:

• Create play-friendly spaces with toys, medical tools and storybooks to encourage exploration and comfort.
• Invite children to familiarize themselves with medical equipment before procedures to help reduce anxiety.
• Use therapeutic play to reinforce coping strategies and procedural understanding.
• Collaborate with child life specialists to tailor activities to each patient’s age and needs.

Cautions: Keep activities safe, developmentally appropriate and emotionally supportive, and avoid overwhelming children with too many new medical scenarios at once.

Play as a path to healing

Medical play supports children’s physical and emotional healing by reducing fear, building understanding and strengthening connections between healthcare teams, children and families. When caregivers and healthcare providers work together to create child-centered care experiences, children benefit both immediately and over the long term.

McKesson continues to provide pediatric care supplies, medical equipment and therapeutic play solutions — including Playhouse MD — that help support engaging, safe medical play for children in various care settings.