My lens as a child life professional is to provide individualized, trauma-informed, evidence-based, psychosocial coping support with developmentally appropriate language. With our family-centered services, we also provide sibling support (e.g. helping a NICU sibling understanding why their baby sister or brother isn't home yet from the hospital). Child life as a field aims to lessen the impact of stressful and potentially traumatic experiences on children's development in a variety of settings. Think bullying, hospitalizations, chronic illness, family trauma, disasters, or funerals (we are educated in grief, bereavement, and legacy building). Our training also equips us for day-to-day support for socioemotional learning, child development, transitions, and play! Our profession's foundation is based on play as the language of children as it establishes emotional safety and developmentally appropriate understanding. To learn more about our scope of practice, see the Association of Child Life Professionals website here.
Child life is a field of approximately 6,000 certified professionals globally providing needed and important interventions for children and families we work with. Below you will find some resources to get you started. You will find some organizations repeat as they overlap categories, but may link to different parts of the corresponding websites. My email address is at the bottom of the website should you have any questions.
Please note: some links may repeat as they overlap categories
General
Hands-On Learning, KiwiCo: "We make hands-on science, art & engineering seriously fun. Designed by experts, tested by kids." Instagram page includes videos for DIY science experiments and learning.
Pill Swallowing: Riley Takes Medicine, A Health Education Coloring Book by St. Jude Together: PDF available at bottom of this link
Pill Swallowing: strategies and approach that child life specialists use in interventions. By Nemours (English, Spanish) , by Johns Hopkins Medicine child life specialist, by Children's Health
Sesame Street: a wonderful, all-encompassing resource hub that you can explore according to your needs. Several favorites linked in categories below as well
Zero to Three: general parenting and child development resources
Spanish Resources (Recursos en Español)
Child Life to Go with Allie Jones, MA, CCLS: Blank Page Children's Books available in Spanish.
Child Mind Institute: Family Resource Center
Nemours Health Videos: KidsHealth for Kids (Spanish), KidsHealth for Teens (Spanish), KidsHealth for Parents (Spanish). Such a great hub of videos that are tailored to different age groups as well as caregivers. Provides developmentally appropriate explanations and anticipates questions that children typically have regarding their upcoming procedures, disease processes, and more.
Oncology resources: Linktree made in association with my internship project. Categories of links include: "Family Resources and Education", "Healthcare Experience", "Imaging, Procedures, and Terms", "Your Healthcare Team", and "Disease/Treatment Resources"
Books (see Bookshop wishlist here)
My Book Recommendations: My Recommendations for Children Bookshop Wishlist and for Adults Bookshop Wishlist. More information and referral link for purchases at bottom of this post
My Book Reviews: for children and for adults, both lists regularly updated as I read and review on topics of diversity and grief
Child Life to Go with Allie Jones, MA, CCLS: "Child Life To Go provides grab-and-go children's teaching books + activity guides and child life private sessions to navigate illness, medical events, or loss with hope-filled purpose. Resources and support for medical professionals and the whole family. Take Child Life to go!"... "Delivering the words to cope with illness & medical experiences." Blank Page Children's Books also available in Spanish.
Children's Hospital of Orange County Book Resource List: categories include siblings of children who are chronically ill or hospitalized, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) books for siblings, grief books for siblings, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome specific books on grief for siblings, books on autism for siblings, cancer, diabetes, hospitalization, dentist, general grief, feelings, and for caregivers
Dartmouth Health Children's Child Life Program: extensive catalog according to categories Chronic illness, Death and dying, Medical visit, Relaxation and coping, Special needs, When a parent is ill
Eyeseeme - African American Children's Bookstore: "Dive into the world of African American children's books with our vast inventory, catering to all ages and interests"
Grief and Bereavement: options for children
Grief and Bereavement: Companioning the grieving child: A soulful guide for caregivers by Alan Wolfelt
The Conscious Kid: Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) Storytime and Book Donations to Schools ("Out of all racial groups, API’s receive the least attention in school curriculum and textbooks") and Read-Alouds (contains video links)
The Special Kids in School series by Elaine Ernst Schneider: I am only familiar with the "asthma" version but it provides a very friendly way to broach the topic of an illness and what can be a difficult transition of living with it at school.
Media (Please see most up-to-date pages I'm following on @childlifewithanisha on Instagram)
Child Life on Call: Instagram // Podcast // Resources // Extensive resources and stories for caregivers and professionals
Cynthia Lee Rosignolo: Instagram // Parent of non-speaking autistic toddler with insightful and educated view of interventions and approaches
I Am Courageous: "Creating & sharing uplifting entertainment to enCOURAGE children in the hospital."
Mai Story Book Library: Instagram
Kristine Xiong: Instagram // Young family coping with toddler's leukemia diagnosis
Socioemotional Learning and Child Development
ACLP Bulletin Article: It's Okay Not to Be Okay by Kristin Brown, CCLS
Child Mind Institute: Family Resource Center (available in Spanish)
Children's Hospital of Orange County Book Resource List: see category "Books to Encourage Children to Talk About their Feelings"
Hand2mind: Exploring sites like this or searching "feelings activity," "socioemotional learning activities," etc. on Pinterest can give you creative ideas of what your child would most enjoy or benefit from.
List of Feelings Words for Kids by Michele Meleen, M.S.Ed.
Sesame Street: a wonderful, all-encompassing resource hub that you can explore according to your needs such as emotional well-being
TED Radio Hour, Press Play: to highlight part 3, "How Does Play Shape Our Development? [with] Dr. Stuart Brown [who] is the founder of the National Institute for Play in California"
Therapeutic Activities: ideas of ways to explore feelings
Coping Needs (More Coming Soon)
Book Catalog by Dartmouth Health Children's Child Life Program: Relaxation and Coping
Little Otter Health. Mental health service. "Little Otter is here to give you and your family a comprehensive, personalized approach to mental health care regardless of where you are in your journey."
Sensory Needs (More Coming Soon)
Child Mind Institute: parenting guides (available in Spanish)
Children's Hospital of Orange County Book Resource List: categories include books on autism for siblings
Fidgets: In case you are not familiar, fidgets can be extremely beneficial to children for distraction needs and stimulating behaviors. For pain management, it can help your child have a neurological outlet. Options are endless nowadays but some examples are pop-its, fidget spinners, stress balls, sensory noodles, thinking putty, slinkies, kinetic sand, pop tubes (explore options at your favorite retailers for ones your child may most enjoy)
Medical Preparation
Asthma: Sesame Street (coloring pages are an easy way to increase exposure to the topic for your child), I Have Asthma, What Does That Mean? by Wendy Chen (see Books menu above for more information)
Book Catalog by Dartmouth Health Children's Child Life Program: according to categories Chronic illness, Medical visit, Special needs, When a parent is ill
Child Life to Go with Allie Jones, MA, CCLS: "Child Life To Go provides grab-and-go children's teaching books + activity guides and child life private sessions to navigate illness, medical events, or loss with hope-filled purpose. Resources and support for medical professionals and the whole family. Take Child Life to go!"... "Delivering the words to cope with illness & medical experiences." Resources. Podcast. Instagram. Blank Page Children's Books also available in Spanish.
Diabetes: Children's Minnesota resources, the "diabetes care manual" especially
Nemours Health Videos: KidsHealth for Kids, KidsHealth for Teens, KidsHealth for Parents. Also available in Spanish: KidsHealth for Kids (Spanish), KidsHealth for Teens (Spanish), KidsHealth for Parents (Spanish). Such a great hub of videos that are tailored to different age groups as well as caregivers. Provides developmentally appropriate explanations and anticipates questions that children typically have regarding their upcoming procedures, disease processes, and more.
Osmosis Videos: if you are an information-seeking adult and want some more in depth understanding to some of the physiology or disease processes, I found this resource to be one of my absolute favorites during my medical studies. Great illustrations, easy to follow explanations, and accurate content.
Spanish language oncology resources: Linktree made in association with my internship project. Categories of links include: "Family Resources and Education", "Healthcare Experience", "Imaging, Procedures, and Terms", "Your Healthcare Team", and "Disease/Treatment Resources"
St. Jude Children's Hospital: Child-Friendly Definitions, emotional support and daily life
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (see DEIA resources page for adult learning)
DisabilityAdvice.org: Offers a complimentary resource designed for parents of children with learning disabilities, providing guidance on managing conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia, and auditory processing disorder. Their guide includes actionable advice on accessing educational resources, securing financial support like SSI, and empowering families to support their children’s unique educational and developmental needs. Check the complete guide here: disabilityadvice.org/child-disability/
Race: Sesame Street, available in Spanish
Race: books for all ages by Ibram X. Kendi (available at this link)
Race: "The Conscious Kid is an education, research and policy organization that supports families and educators in taking action to disrupt racism, inequity and bias." Instagram, Resources
Difficult Topics and Trauma
Child Life Disaster Relief: Instagram
Child Mind Institute: Instagram
Race: Sesame Street, available in Spanish
Race: books for all ages by Ibram X. Kendi (available at this link)
Race: "The Conscious Kid is an education, research and policy organization that supports families and educators in taking action to disrupt racism, inequity and bias." Instagram, Resources
Together by St. Jude: emotional support and daily life (tailored to cancer patients but I think some of the themes are applicable to any trauma)
Grief and Bereavement
Books: click here for options for children, my book reviews here (search for grief topics), and My Recommendations for Children Bookshop Wishlist (more information and referral link for purchases at bottom of this post)
Children's Bereavement Center: resources, free support groups for all ages
Dougy Center: Grief Out Loud Podcast
Healgrief.org: for young adults
National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG): find support near you
The Dinner Party: for young adults
What's your grief?: resources, kids/teens,
Wonders and Worries: Instagram, WonderCast (podcast), WonderCast Instagram
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Bookshop Referral LinkShedding Light on Child Life is an independent publication launched in November 2024 by Anisha S. Reza, MS, CCLS. All posts and resources are curated from this author's professional opinion and expertise. Any questions, comments, or requests can be directed via email to childlifewithanisha@gmail.com.
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