Cookie Monster’s Beach Day
When children are in the hospital, their imagination can become a valuable tool in soothing themselves.
A child’s hospital stay can be stressful, to say the least. Together, watch this video in which Cookie Monster invites children to touch a blanket or sheet and spark their imagination. Cookie Monster demonstrates how, when the sheet is held or moved differently, it can become ocean waves or a sail on a boat.
Help your child try the activity along with Cookie Monster and try and model it yourself with a tissue (or another part of their sheet or blanket). Try making sound effects of wind or waves, talking about what else is under the water, and try thinking of new things their blanket could become:
- A picnic blanket (What food would they like to have at their picnic? Who would they live to invite? Where might they like to have their picnic?)
- A superhero cape (What are their superpowers?)
- A magic carpet or wing of an airplane (Where would they like to fly off to?)
- A stage they’re standing on (Would they like to sing a song?)
Check out this article for more ideas on helping children during hospital stays.
Special thanks to Nadine Ulysse, MPH, Child Life Specialist, NewYork Presbyterian
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