How to Help a Child Recover From a Broken Arm

Now that you're over the shock of having your child break her arm, you get to focus on the rehabilitative process. The cast is off, but the arm is likely very weak. And, while kids heal very quickly as their bodies are still in the growing business, there are a few key things to consider to ensure that your child recovers fully.

Instructions

• 1

  Make sure you understand clearly what he can and cannot do. If your child is active, discuss with the doctor which activities are acceptable and which are not. Cover the playground games (four square, monkey bars, tag and whatever else your child regularly engages in) as well as any organized sports. Your child's arm will likely be too weak at first to make these immediate considerations, but as he recovers and improves, he'll likely want to do more than he really ought.

• 2

  Be clear with your child about what she may do and what she may not. Strategize about what other activities she might participate in during recess. Role play how she might handle her friends urging her on to the monkey bars before her arm is fully cleared by the doctor.

• 3

  Communicate clearly with the principal and teacher. Make sure you include the principal as she will let any "pull-out" teachers (P.E., art, computers and so forth) know of the considerations your child must observe. The teacher will supervise the classroom, and also likely the playground, so make sure they both know what the boundaries are for your child during the recovery phase.

• 4

  Supervise any exercises that your child has been given. Most children are asked to focus on range of motion for the elbow of the affected arm as well as wrist flexion (the ability to rotate the hand). Standard exercises will be given to you when the cast comes off, but you'll need to stay on top of this with your child to be sure that he's actually committing 15 minutes or so a few times a day to continue to recover from the injury.