When kids receive an asthma diagnosis, it may seem a little confusing or scary to both you and your child at first. However, it helps if you give them all the information in a way that's easy for them to digest.
There are plenty of ways that we can help kids learn about their asthma diagnosis. Below are a few of our most successful tips.
Keep It Simple
When young children are diagnosed with asthma, they rely on their parents and doctors to help build their "toolkit" for coping effectively. This includes arming them with essential knowledge about what impending attacks feel like and how to treat them as well as triggers to avoid.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America offers a free PDF printable activity and coloring book that parents and children can complete together, giving kids the opportunity to learn about asthma with words and concepts they can grasp. Popular children's shows like Sesame Street and Arthur have featured episodes about asthma, which also provide a great source for discussing your child's condition.
Take Advantage of Apps and Online Games
There are many free resources online you and your child can use together to learn more about asthma.
- Learning about asthma is less scary with Iggy and the Inhalers, a fun site that combines cool comics, videos, and printables to offer lots of resources to families with an asthmatic child. Bonus? There are Spanish language resources here as well!
- Air quality plays a significant role in the health and comfort of asthma patients, but a lot of sites make it tough for kids to grasp. Kid's Air, a resource from AirNow.gov, gives kids the tools they need to view their local air quality and understand what it means.
- Thanks to the American Lung Association, kids can play a fun online game called Lungtropolis. They'll gain important asthma knowledge while defeating the "Mucus Mob.”