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Social Story for a Cast or Broken Arm
A broken arm social story helps a child understand what just happened and what the next few weeks look like. A cast is strange at first: heavy, itchy, and it changes ordinary things like bath time and getting dressed. Children often worry about whether it will hurt, whether they can still play, and what happens when it comes off.
The story below walks through it plainly: the X-ray, the cast going on, the new rules, the friends signing it, and the cast coming off, which many children find the scariest part to imagine. Your child’s doctor is the one to ask about their own arm. Free to read aloud, or make one with your child in it.
What will happen, in order
- The arm got hurt
- A picture of the bone
- The cast goes on
- Keep it dry, let friends sign it
- One day, the cast comes off
Read the steps together in the daytime, more than once. The free printable below has these steps at the top and the bedtime story underneath.
Leo and the Green Cast
A free story to read aloud tonight
Leo fell off the monkey bars, and his arm hurt so much that he cried all the way to the doctor’s office. A nurse with cold hands and a kind face said, “Let’s take a picture of the inside of your arm.”
The picture was called an X-ray. Leo had to hold his arm very still on a flat table. It didn’t hurt, it just buzzed. On the screen, his bone was white, and there was a little crack in it, like a twig.
“Bones fix themselves,” said the doctor. “But they need to hold still while they do it. So we’re going to give your arm a cast.” Leo got to pick the color. He picked green.
The cast went on warm and wet, then it got hard. It was heavy, and sometimes it itched, and Leo couldn’t get it wet, so at bath time it wore a plastic bag, which looked very silly. At school, everybody wanted to sign it. By Friday there were nineteen names on it, and a drawing of a dinosaur.
After a few weeks, it was time for the cast to come off. The doctor used a special little saw that buzzed loudly. “This saw only cuts hard things,” she said. “It can’t cut skin.” It tickled. Then the cast cracked open, and there was Leo’s arm, pale and a bit thin and a bit smelly, and better.
That night, Leo’s arm felt light, like it might float away. He held it up in bed and wiggled his fingers. Then he tucked it under the blanket with the rest of him and fell asleep, with the old green cast and all its names sitting on the shelf.
How do I help my child with a new cast?
Telling them what to expect each step of the way tends to help: why the cast is there, what they can and can’t do, and what happens when it comes off. Follow the instructions from your child’s doctor about keeping it dry and when to come back, and call them if the cast feels too tight or something worries you.
Is having the cast removed scary for kids?
It can be, mostly because of the noise of the cast saw. Many children feel better knowing ahead of time that it vibrates rather than spins, and is designed not to cut skin. Your child’s care team can explain what will happen at their appointment.