7 Benefits Kids Get from Pretending to be a Doctor

One of my eldest son’s favorite pretend plays, aside from his all-time-favorite of playing store, is pretending to be a doctor.  He would borrow some of the things we have in the house that he often sees in his pediatrician’s clinic or what he sees doctors use during our visits to the hospital (i.e. cotton balls, band-aids, digital thermometer).  Sometimes, he uses other household items and imagines them to be doctor’s things.  Recently, I bought him his own set of doctor toys to help him get into character during his dramatic plays. 

He used to pretend doctor before with me, his dad or our maids as his patients.  Since I have already given birth, his new favorite patient now is his baby brother.  He loves to imitate what their pediatrician would usually do during our visits to her clinic and do the same things to his brother.

I encourage pretend play a lot in our household because I recognize the many benefits that it gives to kids.  I was inspired to mentally take note of the specific benefits that kids get from pretending to be a doctor a few weeks ago while playing with my son.

Let me share some of them with you in this article.

1.     It allows the child to put himself in his doctor’s shoes, try out doctor duties, and consider the possibility of becoming one in the future.  When a child imitates what a doctor does to his patients, the child gets to experience being a “doctor” even for a few minutes or an hour.  His pretend play somehow transports him to the future.  It allows him to imagine himself as a doctor and carrying out doctor duties.  This kind of pretend play can actually be the child’s first step to walking towards his dream profession.  One of the questions I ask my son when he pretends to be a doctor is if he wants to become one someday.  He would always say yes.  I think it boosts his confidence as well that he can indeed become a doctor when he grows up.  I think he also likes what doctors do that’s why he likes to imitate them and become like them someday.      

2.     It makes the child more comfortable with visits to the doctor and the procedures usually done during these visits.  Although my eldest son is not afraid of going to his doctor’s clinic, pretend plays help him become more comfortable with whatever will happen during our next visits especially if he would have to undergo procedures he hasn’t experienced in the past.  Our pretend plays serve as simulations of what can or will happen next time we go to the doctor.  For kids who are afraid to go to the doctor, this kind of play can allow them to experience and realize that doctors are our friends because they help us to become well and that going to the doctor can be pleasant.  Therefore, they need not fear or cry every time.  This kind of dramatic play can help make kids become more cooperative next time they go to the doctor’s clinic when they simply need to drink a vitamin or medicine, or you need to clean their wound.

3.     It provides an opportunity for the child to role-play different medical scenarios including basic first aid and other medical emergencies.  Kids thus learn not to panic when these situations happen and learn how to handle them in the process.  Moms and Dads can use these pretend plays to teach kids what to do when they or someone else gets wounded, injured or sick.  That way, kids can learn the basic concepts of first aid or at least be oriented through play of what to do or whom to call during medical emergencies.  Knowledge of these basic life skills equips the kids even through play and lessens their fear of these medical emergencies since they somehow know what to expect and do during these situations.     

4.     It helps the child practice his communication skills as he pretends to talk to his patients.  Pretend scenarios give us insight into what the child understands about the situation he is trying to imitate.  His words and how he talks to the other kids or people he is playing with allows him to manifest his communication skills.

5.     Pretending to use doctor tools helps increase the child’s vocabulary as he learns the names of the different things used by a doctor.  One of the things I did with my son when I bought his doctor toy set is to tell him the name of each item in his medical kit.  I also told him and explained to him the different uses of his tools.  After some time of playing doctor and using his tools, I eventually hear him use their names as he refers to them during play.

6.     Pretending to write on prescription pads enables children to practice their writing and spelling skills.  During one of our play times, my son got a pen and a small pad of paper.  He said he will write the name of the medicine and vitamin for his baby brother.  I took that as a cue and an opportunity to encourage him to write his full name as well with the word doctor before it just like in his pediatrician’s prescription pad.  He liked the idea instantly.  That has been our daily writing practice in the past weeks.  There are days when he would copy the word doctor and write it in his pad.  But there are also days when he would try to write words from memory aside from his name.  I also searched the web for coloring pages on doctors and printed some so my son can practice his coloring skills too.  You may click here and here to check them out.

7.     It teaches the child empathy for people who are sick or who are not well and encourages and inspires the child to do something to help them.  Through these kinds of pretend play, kids can learn to be extra caring and sensitive to the needs of people who are sick.  Moreover, it allows them to practice the ideal behavior around sick or frail people and in clinics or hospitals.

I plan to buy my son some children’s books about doctors too and maybe a small scrub suit or lab gown that he can use during his pretend plays.  I know that these would further enhance his imagination during his pretend plays.  If you happen to know some good children’s books from our local bookstores or stores that sell small lab gowns or scrub suits, please leave a comment so I can check them out.  Thanks!  Now, I need to get back to our clinic and be my little doctor’s assistant.

* This was originally published at Smart Parenting Online.