Play Area

A play area is a special space for children to play and have fun. It has toys, games, and activities just for children. These things support a child’s mental, physical, emotional, and social well-being.

Play areas in hospitals help kids:

• Relax
• Feel less scared
• Learn
• Stay active
• Make friends
• Spend time with family 

At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, we have play areas for kids who are visiting for the day (in each outpatient area). We also have play areas for children who need to stay longer (in each inpatient unit).

Services we provide

Child Life specialists offer therapeutic activities in the play areas. These activities support your child’s physical and emotional well-being while giving them time to have fun and relax. Volunteers also schedule activities throughout the week. 

What to expect during your visit

St. Jude play areas are safe spaces for children. Medical staff are not allowed to give exams or medicines in these areas. Staff may ask patients in these areas to go to an exam room, procedure area, or patient room. 

Medical staff are allowed to conduct exams, procedures, or give medicines in the play areas if there is an emergency.

To help prevent the spread of illness:

• Outpatients may not visit inpatient play areas.
• Inpatients may not visit outpatient play areas.
• St. Jude may give crayons and other things to each child who visits the play area.

• Children may not use bubbles, chalk, clay, or sand in the play areas.

• Children may not use cloth toys in these areas. 

Child life specialists may give patients a blank cloth doll for medical play. Patients can draw the faces and whatever else they would like. Real medical supplies are often used to show NG tubes, ports, dressing changes, and more. These dolls are used for 1 session. When the session ends, the dolls are either thrown away or given to the child.

For everyone’s safety:

• A parent, volunteer, or staff member must watch children in play areas at all times. 

• Food and drink are not allowed in the play areas.

Cleaning toys

All toys in the play areas are cleaned each day.

• Volunteers and staff wear gloves. They are trained to use an approved sanitizing cleaner.

• Toys are air-dried or washed in the dishwasher between uses.

• Toys are returned to the play area when they are dry.

Dirty-toy bins

Dirty-toy bins are in each play area. Toys that have been in a child’s mouth or that look dirty are placed into these bins. These toys are cleaned before the next use.

Please place toys in these bins if:

• The toy was taken to a patient room

• Your child played with the toy

• A child puts a toy in their mouth

• A child sneezed or coughed on the toy

Please do not take toys out of the dirty-toy bin. A volunteer or staff person must clean each toy to prevent the spread of infection.

Children in isolation

If a child is in isolation (may have a disease that could spread to others), they are not allowed to visit play areas. People visiting or staying with patients in isolation are not allowed in the play areas until the patient is no longer in isolation.

During isolation, a volunteer or staff member can bring toys or activities to the patient’s exam room or inpatient room.

BMT Inpatient

Only 1 patient can play at a time in the BMT play area. This area is closed when the patient leaves. It will reopen after staff has cleaned it.

Learn more

Most play areas are open 24 hours a day. Sometimes, they are closed for cleaning. They are also closed when many people in our community are sick.