Chest Clearance Games for Children

Chest Clearance Games for Children

Chest Clearance Games for Children

This leaflet provides information on chest clearance techniques for children, and tips to make these sessions effective and engaging for your child.

Please Note – They are intended to be always completed under adult supervision.

Why Chest Clearance is Important

Regular chest clearance helps remove mucus from the lungs, which aims to:

• Improve breathing and overall lung function
• Prevent infections
• Reduce the frequency of hospital visits

Positioning

Positioning your child in different ways allows gravity to help drain mucus from the lungs. Your physiotherapist will guide you on the best positions for your child. Common positions include:

• Lying on their side.
• Sitting up inthe bed or out in a chair with a slight lean forward.

Huffing and Coughing

Teaching your child to huff (forcefully breathe out with an open mouth) and cough effectively is important.

• Huffing: Have your child take a deep breath, then breathe out quickly and forcefully with their mouth open, like they’re trying to steam up a mirror.
• Coughing: Encourage your child to take a deep breath and cough strongly to clear the mucus.

Breathing/Blowing Games:

• Blowing Bubbles: encourages deep breaths and blowing through an ‘O’-shaped mouth. Repeat 3-4 times. As their technique improves, encourage your child to breathe out for longer, followed by a huff or cough.
• Bubble volcano: If your child is able to blow and not suck through a straw, fill a bottle/jug halfway with water, add some washing up liquid, and place a straw into the bottle/jug. Get your child to blow gently through the straw to create lots of bubbles! Aim for the blowing to be at least 3 seconds long, complete 5-10 breaths and then stop to cough.
• Blowing onto a Tissue: Hold a tissue in front of your child and ask them to take a deep breath and blow onto it to lift it up. If they struggle to lift it up, try removing one or two layers of the tissue.
• Pom Pom Football: This involves blowing a small cotton ball, pom pom, or rolled-up paper across a “football pitch” using a straw. You could do penalty shootouts or compete to see who can blow the ball the furthest.
• Blow Painting: Place drops of paint on a sheet of paper and blow through a straw close to the paint. The paint will spread across the paper.
• Steaming Up a Mirror: This is excellent practice for huffing. Simply ask them to “huff” to steam up a mirror.
• Object Transfer Game: Have your child practice moving small objects by sucking them onto the end of a straw with a deep breath, then moving them to another location while holding the suction. The object should NOT be smaller than the diameter of the straw – they are not trying to suck it up the straw.
• Blowing Windmills, Whistles, and Musical Instruments: This is a fun way to increase your child’s blowing strength.

When to Do Chest Clearance

Your physiotherapist will guide you on how often chest clearance should be done, typically:

• 1-2 times a day, or more during periods of illness.
• After physical activity, when mucus is more likely to be loosened.
• Before meals, to avoid feeling sick.

Hydration

• Keeping your child well-hydrated with plenty of drinks is important for effective chest clearance. Water helps thin the mucus, making it easier to clear.
• Ensure your child drinks plenty of fluids throughout the day, especially before and after chest clearance sessions.

Cleaning and Hygiene

It’s important to keep any equipment or toys used for chest clearance clean:

• Wash reusable items like straws, windmills, or instruments with warm, soapy water after each use.
• Single-use items such as tissues should be discarded immediately after use.
• Store chest clearance toys separately from other toys, preferably in a labelled box to maintain cleanliness.

Feedback for Inpatient Therapies

Please scan the QR code or follow the link below: 

If you have been seen by a Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist during your admission, please leave us some feedback by scanning the QR code or following the link and filling in the short survey.

https://apps.worcsacute.nhs.uk/PublicSurvey/AHPFeedback

Ward admitted to:__________________________________ Therapy team who treated you: _______________________

If your symptoms or condition worsens, or if you are concerned about anything, please call your GP, 111, or 999.

Patient Experience
We know that being admitted to hospital can be a difficult and unsettling time for you and your loved ones. If you have any questions or concerns, please do speak with a member of staff on the ward or in the relevant department who will do their best to answer your questions and reassure you. 

Feedback
Feedback is really important and useful to us – it can tell us where we are working well and where improvements can be made. There are lots of ways you can share your experience with us including completing our Friends and Family Test – cards are available and can be posted on all wards, departments and clinics at our hospitals. We value your comments and feedback and thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
If you have any concerns or questions about your care, we advise you to talk with the nurse in charge or the department manager in the first instance as they are best placed to answer any questions or resolve concerns quickly. If the relevant member of staff is unable to help resolve your concern, you can contact the PALS Team. We offer informal help, advice or support about any aspect of hospital services & experiences.

Our PALS team will liaise with the various departments in our hospitals on your behalf, if you feel unable to do so, to resolve your problems and where appropriate refer to outside help.

If you are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Department, who can investigate your concerns. You can make a complaint orally, electronically or in writing and we can advise and guide you through the complaints procedure.

How to contact PALS:
Telephone Patient Services: 0300 123 1732 or via email at: [email protected]

Opening times:
The PALS telephone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.00pm. Please be aware that you may need to leave a voicemail message, but we aim to return your call within one working day.

If you are unable to understand this leaflet, please communicate with a member of staff.  

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