Sometimes talking isn’t the best way to communicate with children and teenagers. A range of creative methods can help explain cancer treatment and explore feelings without talking.
You can adapt these suggestions for different ages and interests.
 | Make up stories and play gamesBlow some bubbles in the air to represent cancer cells and challenge your children to pop these cancer bubbles by jumping, slapping or stomping on them. You can explain to your children that the treatment is “popping” the cancer cells, just like they are popping the bubbles. |
 | Visualise itDraw a flow chart, map or timeline to show the different stages of the treatment plan. Throughout treatment, you can look at the chart together to see where you are up to |
 | Say it with musicListening to different types of music together or getting kids to make up their own music could help kids imagine the impact of different treatments. (e.g. using percussion to represent destroying the cancer cells). |
 | Keep a journalKeeping a personal journal or diary can help older primary school children and teenagers to express their feelings. Some children may prefer to write stories or poems. |
 | Draw out feelingsAsk your kids to draw what they think cancer is or how different treatments work. Their artwork can show a lot about what they understand or are feeling. |
→ READ MORE: Answering key questions about treatment
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Joanna Fardell, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director, The Behavioural Sciences Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine, UNSW, NSW; Dr Diana Adams, Medical Oncologist, Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre and GenesisCare Campbelltown, NSW; Emma Bowne, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA; Ken Colbert, Consumer; Cara Dahl, Team Leader – Online Support, Cancer Hub, and ACA Registered Counsellor, NSW; Elizabeth Egan, Clinical Nurse Consultant – Oncology, St John of God Subiaco Hospital, WA; Dr Maria Ftanou, Director, Psychosocial Oncology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Nat Fuss, Senior Clinician, Canteen, SA; Helena Hobson, Senior Social Worker, Cancer Centre, Fiona Stanley Hospital and South Metropolitan Health Service, WA; Nadine Macbeth, Social Work Team Leader, Cancer and Chronic Care, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Damian Ragusa, General Manager – Services and Programs, Camp Quality; The Team at Redkite; Alexandra Wright, Consumer.
We would also like to thank the health professionals, consumers, organisations and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title, and we are grateful to the parents and young people whose real-life stories have added to the richness and relevance of this booklet.
We also thank and acknowledge Dr Paula K Rauch, American Cancer Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, Jessica Watt and Diane McGeachy for permission to use their work as source material.
View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.
