Write-up of an activity plan for hospitalized children to use as a hands-on, developmentally appropriate therapeutic activity.

1. Running Header: ACTIVITY PLAN 1
Activity Plan Assignment
Abigail Caldwell
University of Georgia

2. ACTIVITY PLAN 2
Activity Plan
Name of Activity & Source: This craft activity is called the Worry Eater and its creative
influences came from Pinterest.
Materials Used/Needed: The materials needed for this activity are: a small paper bag and
markers of several different colors. If time permits, construction paper, glue, and scissors may
also be used to further decorate the bag, but these are optional supplies.
Demographic Information Madeline is a four-year-old girl; she was completely healthy prior to
her diagnoses, but is now hospitalized with ALL (leukemia), and is preparing to begin
chemotherapy. Madeline lives with her mother, father, and her older sister, Lilly. The family
lives a comfortable, middle-class life, and both parents work day-time jobs, while Lilly is in first
grade and Madeline is at preschool. They are Caucasian, they live in a small town in South
Carolina, and they regularly attend church services on Sundays; the children also participate in
activities put on by the church’s Children’s Christian Education Director. They have many
friends at their church, in their school classes, and who live near them in a predominately white,
middle-class neighborhood. So far, Madeline has undergone one surgery- to place a port- and she
coped well, but she is still showing signs of fear around all medical staff.
Types of Activity (Check all that apply)
Therapeutic_x_ Diversion_x_ Developmentally Supportive_x_ Expressive_x_
Medical (Role Rehearsal/Reversal) ___ Medical (art)__ Medical (indirect)__
Medical (Fantasy)__
Developmental & therapeutic rational for why activity was chosen
The activity chosen includes the creation of a paper bag ‘worry eater’ puppet, on which
the patient can use expressive art and imagination to decorate and name. After the creation of the
character, a Child Life staff member can encourage the patient to discuss their concerns
regarding their upcoming procedures and treatments; the patient can then use ‘Worry Eater’ to
imaginarily ‘eat up’ those worries and fears. This therapeutic activity is also described as a
diversion because it will temporarily distract the patient from any anxieties through crafting and
imaginative discussion about their new friend, ‘Worry Eater.’

3. ACTIVITY PLAN 3
This activity will support Madeline, specifically, as she is a four-year-old toddler in
Erikson’s initiative vs. guilt stage, meaning she is trying to assert power and control. This play
gives her the opportunity to create her own character, and use it to ‘eat up,’ and somewhat
control, the things that could scare her during her experience in the hospital. Putting the power of
conquering her own fears, quite literally, onto Madeline’s hand, in the form of a ‘Worry Eater’
puppet, will help her to feel comfortable and in control. It will be especially helpful to discuss
Madeline’s fears about the medical staff, and use ‘Worry Eater’ to eat them up before they come
in her room, or even while they are present. Madeline can even have her sister create a ‘Worry
Eater,’ too, and they can become comfortable with them by playing and talking together.
Another possible way to use the ‘Worry Eater,’ besides discussing and using its mouth to
eat the worries, is by helping Madeline write her fears on little pieces of paper and allowing her
to use the puppet’s mouth to crush them up! There are many ways to use ‘Worry Eater’ to help a
young child cope with the anxieties of a hospital stay; whether it be through art, discussion, or
writing and physical destruction (on a small scale), Madeline has many options to control how
she conquers her fears with ‘Worry Eater.’
The patient can decorate Worry Eater as an animal, an
imaginative monster, or just cover it in drawings that make
he/she happy; there is a lot of freedom in the creation of
Worry Eater. Again, the construction paper glued on is
optional; Worry Eater’s face and body can simply be drawn
on.