At a Glance
These printable doctor cut outs include 13 ready-to-laminate medical tools - thermometers, syringes, stethoscope, medicine bottles, heart monitor, band-aids and more - that go far beyond dramatic play. They can work great as classroom displays, role play props, counting collections, sensory bin additions and small world setups.
There’s a lot more to these doctor cut outs than meets the eye.
At first glance they look like a sweet little set of printable medical tools for some doctor’s office dramatic play – and they definitely can be that. But once you’ve laminated them, you’ve got yourself a wonderfully open-ended resource that can be used in loads of different ways at home or in class.
Display props, math center counters, sensory bin treasures or conversation starters for nervous little patients…
The pack includes 13 items in total: a syringe, two thermometers (old-school and digital), a scalpel, a stethoscope, a first aid bag, a folder, a couple of medicine bottles, a band aid, a heart monitor and more. These would pair great with our doctor ID badges and head mirror craft for a healthcare themed unit.
And you can find loads more community helper themed activities for your little learners here!
What Skills Can Your Little Ones Learn And Develop?
The skills your children can learn with these depends how you’re going to use them, but here’s a few possibilities:
- Fine Motor Skills – if you let them cut them out and when they’re handling the items
- Imaginative Play – pretending to be doctors and nurses encourages creativity and role-playing.
- Vocabulary Building – learning the names of each item and discussing their uses expands vocabulary and language skills (a circle time where the items are passed around and the children guess what they’re used for could be really nice here!).
- Social Skills – dramatic play with peers fosters teamwork, cooperation, and communication.
- Problem-Solving – figuring out which thing to “use” for a pretend task encourages logical thinking.
- Social-emotional development – dramatic play around doctor visits gives kiddos a safe way to process real-life experiences. Taking turns being the doctor and the patient builds empathy.
- Mathematical thinking – used as themed counters, the cut outs support counting, one-to-one correspondence, sorting and early number sense.
How To Prepare These Healthcare Cut Outs
First you’re going to want to download the cut outs by clicking on the download button at the bottom of the page.
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Other Materials You’ll Need:
- Safety scissors
- Card stock or craft paper
Once you’ve downloaded them, you’ll need to print them off onto paper or card.
There’s thirteen items in the pack!
Then, you can cut them out. Or if you’d like your children to get some cutting practice, you can let them have a go.
Get Even More Out of These Doctor Cut Outs
Here are some different ways you could use these pretend play props.
Build a Community Helpers Display
Once laminated, add some velcro dots or sticky tack to the the cut outs and stick them to a display board with labels. Children can take individual tools down to use during dramatic play, then return them to the display afterward – so it’s a working resource, not just decoration.
Make a Doctor’s Bag Craft Combo
Have your little learners decorate a brown paper bag with a red cross to make their very own doctor’s bag, then fill it with their laminated medical items. Pairs really nicely with our doctor’s head mirror craft.
Doctor’s Office Sensory Bin
Hide the laminated medical tools in a tray of dry rice, shredded paper, cotton wool balls, or sand etc. Add a pair of tweezers or tongs, and let your kiddos excavate the medical kit one piece at a time.
Teddy Bear Hospital Small World
Set up a shallow tray with a few teddies or dolls as patients, a folded tea towel as a hospital bed, and the cut outs scattered around as the doctor’s kit. This kind of invitation to play sparks some awesome child-led storytelling.
Conversation Starters
Plenty of little ones get genuinely anxious about doctor visits, and these cut outs can be a powerful tool to help them to work through those feelings. It can be a nice way to rehearse what a check-up might look like and can hep take real fear out of the experience.
Themed Counting Collection
Use the cut outs as themed counters for any counting, sorting or number sense activity.
However you choose to use these doctor cut outs, I hope they get lots of use.
Enjoy and let’s nurture those neurons!
