Author: GHoffman

Going to the Doctor
Health and Wellness Kits
School Readiness Kits
This kit was created and assembled by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives in collaboration with the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute with funding from the School Ready Libraries Grant; adapted from the work of the Grant County Public Library.

Health and Wellness: Going to the Doctor (Dentist, Eyes, etc)
Goals
Identify and practice personal health habits which affect self and others in the prevention and spread of disease.
Describes the reasons for regular visits to health care providers
Identifies procedures and practices for obtaining emergency assistance and information. 1
These goals were taken from Building a Strong Foundation for School Success: Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards https://kidsnow.ky.gov/families/readiness/Documents/early-childhood-standards.pdf

January 2018
Page 1

Write
Suggested Activities
Let the children play doctor and have a “chart” available for the children to write notes in.
Let children draw and write about their latest visit to the doctor, dentist or eye doctor.
Let children create their own eye chart whether using letters or pictures.
School Readiness Asides to Parents and Caregivers
Many times children can act out their fears before they can verbalize them. By giving children a chance to act out these fears, you can help them understand what will take place at the doctor’s office.
Have fun with your child and the eye chart. If they are not able to read letters, use pictures or shapes.

January 2018
Page 3

Read
Suggested Activities
Read a story and have the children act it out or parts of it out. For example, they can act out going to the doctor, dentist or eye doctor.
Read a story about brushing teeth. After soaking a hard boiled egg overnight in Coke, have the children brush the egg with toothpaste to show them the importance of brushing teeth.
Read a story about going to the eye doctor, Have some frames from an assortment of glasses available with a mirror. Let the children look in the mirror to see how the frames look.
School Readiness Asides to Parents and Caregivers
The hard boiled egg lets the children see that stains stick to their teeth. By using the tooth brush, and toothpaste, they can see how they can get rid of the stains.
By trying on the frames children can see how they look. While they are looking in the mirror they can also practice their emotions faces and you can guess how that pair of glasses makes them feel.

January 2018
Page 2

Sing
The Doctor’s Song (tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat) I use a stethoscope To listen to your heart. To help you be a healthy child And heal you when you’re aren’t.
The Doctor In The Clinic (sing to the tune of Farmer in the dell) The doctor in the clinic. The doctor in the clinic. Hi-ho the derry-o, The doctor in the clinic.
The doctor takes a nurse… The nurse takes a patient… The patient gets help… The patient gets better…

January 2018
Page 4

Talk
Suggested Activities
Help children expand their vocabulary while learning about the instruments that their doctor, dentist and eye doctor uses. If you can, borrow a stethoscope, otoscope, etc from your local health care provider. If you can’t borrow these, use toy ones or as a last resort pictures to talk about what they are and how they are used.
During dramatic play, allow children to use a toy doctor or dentist’s kit. Encourage them to name the tools as they use them.
Encourage children to talk about their last visit to the doctor, dentist or eye doctor.
School Readiness Asides to Parents and Caregivers
By talking about the actual instruments that doctors use, you are empowering children and lessening their fear of going to the doctor.
Some children may fear the doctor because of painful experiences, however doctors also help children feel better so see if children can share these kinds of experiences too.

January 2018
Page 5

January 2018
Page 7

Play
Suggested Activities
Set up a dramatic play doctor’s office. Encourage children to take on different roles such as doctor, nurse, receptionist, etc.
Set up a hospital for teddy bears. Have some band aids available to help take care of the bears injuries.
Help the children build a hospital from blocks. Add emergency vehicles and people to go along with the theme.
School Readiness Asides to Parents and Caregivers
Dramatic play provides the opportunity for children to develop and practice many important skills and behaviors that contribute to later success in school and life.
By giving children the opportunity to care for their dolls and stuffed animals we are helping them practice empathy.

January 2018
Page 6

Citation Page
ALIGNMENT OF STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS. (2003, October 1). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from https://kidsnow.ky.gov/families/readiness/Documents/early-childhood-standards.pdf

January 2018
Page 8

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January 2018
Page 9

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January 2018
Page 11

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January 2018
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January 2018
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