Child Core

Child Core Are you feeling lost in how to support your child through a medical experience?

We strive to meet you and your family exactly where you and in your journey and provide child life supports to you from the comfort of your home!

Child Life Specialists—we see you, and we’re proud to work alongside you. 🤍To the ones cleaning the same toy for the 20t...
05/21/2026

Child Life Specialists—we see you, and we’re proud to work alongside you. 🤍

To the ones cleaning the same toy for the 20th time, sitting on hospital floors, becoming human pretzels to stay in a child’s line of sight, and making hard moments feel a little less scary.

The work you do often goes unseen, but it deeply impacts how children and families experience medical care. ✨

We hope everyone going to conference has fun and enjoys the amazing city of Chicago!

Our formula for writing diagnosis education children’s books has become the foundation of our brainstorming and writing ...
05/11/2026

Our formula for writing diagnosis education children’s books has become the foundation of our brainstorming and writing process — and over time, we’ve realized it’s also a helpful guide for any diagnosis conversation with a child or loved one.

We wanted to share this framework with you.

Whether you’re a parent helping your child understand a diagnosis, or a provider supporting a child in a medical setting, there are four key pieces of information that can make these conversations clearer and less overwhelming.

When information is presented in simple, child-friendly language, children are better able to understand both the “what” and the “why” behind their diagnosis — helping them feel more informed, supported, and empowered.

Our simple framework:
- what is the job of the affected body par?
- what is disrupting its job?
[diagnosis]
- how is this changing the way the body works, or that body part does its job?
[symptoms]
- what extra help does the body need?
[treatment]

We have provided two examples, but are you feeling stuck with how to fill in the spaces for another diagnosis? We are here to chat! Send us a DM or put it in the comments and we can help.

When thinking about activities, interactions, play experiences that facilitate a child’s learning about a diagnosis it i...
04/23/2026

When thinking about activities, interactions, play experiences that facilitate a child’s learning about a diagnosis it is helpful to remember that we want to follow a child’s lead.

We want them to have the information/play experiences to gain a better understanding, but we also don’t want to try and force the knowledge on them if they aren’t ready.

Whether it is self-directed exploration, or a conversation that only lasts 1 minute or 20 minutes when we follow their lead in the process, they leave the interaction with a feeling of trust and safety.

This is the foundation that needs to be in place to continue to have those moments of exploration, play, or conversation to support their learning.

There is no “right time” to share about a diagnosis with a kid. The words used may be different and the method/tools for...
04/21/2026

There is no “right time” to share about a diagnosis with a kid. The words used may be different and the method/tools for sharing may vary depending on their developmental level, but including them in the experience of the world around them promotes positive coping and fosters resilience.

Introducing play with medical toys and/or real medical equipment is one way to support children in learning about health...
03/24/2026

Introducing play with medical toys and/or real medical equipment is one way to support children in learning about healthcare experiences.

The play can be caregiver-guided to gently walk the child through steps of an experience. The play can be child-led where the child can explore and use the toys/equipment however they want. Or the play can be a combination of the two.

Through the process of medical play, children learn organically about new things, have opportunities to ask questions, feel in control of the experience, and even showcase worries or misconceptions they don’t yet have the words for.

Medical play doesn’t have to be dolls/super heros and playing “doctor.” It can be making butterflies out of gauze and band-aids, it can be using needleless syringes and tongue depressors to paint, it can be making a mystery box out of medical items the child can guess, it can be decorating masks.

Whether your child has an upcoming medical experience, already had a medical experience, or you just want to introduce new things to learn about, have fun with it!

A lot of what child life specialists do is quiet, intentional, and often unseen—but it changes how children experience h...
03/07/2026

A lot of what child life specialists do is quiet, intentional, and often unseen—but it changes how children experience healthcare.

Welcome to the family! Introducing our first Child Core Education book in Spanish: ¿Qué es un trasplante de médula ósea?...
02/18/2026

Welcome to the family! Introducing our first Child Core Education book in Spanish: ¿Qué es un trasplante de médula ósea? [What is a Bone Marrow Transplant?]

The Child Life lens is so critical when providing support to kids and families, so we are all the more grateful we were able to collaborate with bilingual Child Life Specialists on our Spanish language series!

Link in BIO to where you can order yours from Amazon.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact to see a proof of the book or learn more about bulk ordering any of the books in our Child Core Education Series.

Collaborating with families and professionals to increase their confidence in supporting kids!
02/13/2026

Collaborating with families and professionals to increase their confidence in supporting kids!

It is okay if you don’t have all the answers — you are still able to help your child feel safe and prepared. If your chi...
02/11/2026

It is okay if you don’t have all the answers — you are still able to help your child feel safe and prepared.

If your child asks a question you don’t know the answer to, you are unsure how to answer, or you recognize you might not be in the best space to talk through the answer at that time, it is okay to say, “I don’t know.”

The important piece of this simple statement is the next part.

“I don’t know.... but that is a great question, let’s ask the doctor.”

“I don’t know.... but I am going to find the answer for you and when I do I will let you know.”

I don’t know.... but what could we do to find out together?”

This opens the door for honesty, models problem solving, and invites the child in for teamwork between parent and child.

Remember: honesty builds trust. Safety and calm are what help kids cope — not perfect words every time.

Showing up, being present, and speaking with love is enough. Save this post for the next hard conversation.

We’ve all been there. As Child Life Specialists and moms -melting down, crying, not cooperating - sometimes it seems lik...
02/02/2026

We’ve all been there. As Child Life Specialists and moms -melting down, crying, not cooperating - sometimes it seems like this is the soundtrack to our lives.

This information may not make the meltdown easier. For that you may need a vacation on a tropical island or your very own meltdown, but this information can be the narrative you keep reminding yourself of when things are hard.

Even if you have done all the preparation for your child, don’t forget to prepare yourself by acknowledging a meltdown is still possible, your child is still building those coping skills.

Things we can do outwardly even when we don’t feel * * calm inside as caregivers:
* get down on your child’s level
* make eye contact
* slow down your words
* assess if they need physical contact in that moment
* use as gentle of a tone as you can
* steady your own breathe if you can
* be silly to break the tension

Preparation doesn’t take away your child’s fear of something new or big that’s happening. That fear is a healthy, normal...
01/19/2026

Preparation doesn’t take away your child’s fear of something new or big that’s happening. That fear is a healthy, normal, developmentally appropriate response.

Preparation gives your child tools to buffer that fear while also building skills for future moments when they feel scared about something that may not be medical.

1) Start with what you know to be true:

-What is happening or what part of their body will the doctor be focusing on?
-Who will be with them?
-How will they get there?
-Are there pictures online of the place they will visit to walk through together? Or have they been before and can you remind them of the setting?

2) Help them know what they do have control over:

- What choices they do have and what they can do to be active participants in the process:
- Distraction: watch a video, look at a book, listen to a song
- Coping: blowing out a big breath, holding someone’s hand
- Sitting with parent: can sit on parents lap or sit side by side

3) Reassure:

“I’ll be right there with you, and we can take it one step at a time.”
“My job is to keep you safe, so I might give you a big hug.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, it is no one’s fault.”

4) Following:

Explain what the plan is for “after” the appointment. This helps anchor their brain in understanding that this experience will come to an end.

Save this for your next appointment 💚

Follow for practical parent support.

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