Using Toys to Teach Kids Common Medical Procedures
Have you ever been in a hospital and had to get a CT scan or an X-ray? For adults, it’s never a fun experience, but we also understand the procedure and what needs to be done in order to get better. Imagine you were a child and had no idea what was going on – it can be an extremely frightening experience.
A young Japanese designer, Hikaru Imamura, designed a set of toys that will help teach children about the different pieces of medical equipment. His toys represent four common machines used in hospitals – a CT scanner, X-ray machine, echocardiograph, and electrocardiograph. They are depicted in simple, wooden forms and each one has a light or sound to help kids imagine how they work (the patient is part of a family of bears). These toys are a pretty great idea and may help to alleviate some of the anxiety and fear children face when encountering these machines at a doctor’s office or hospital. You can read more on the toys here.