Asthma Books and Videos For The Kiddos

As a Certified Asthma Educator, (AE-C), I love teaching families about asthma. Especially since I live with asthma and have three kids who inherited asthma from me. So, it's a big part of our lives.

My kids are older now (1 in grad school, 1 in college, and one finishing high school), so I miss having little kids around the house.

So it's fun for me to find asthma resources for kids. I have found books, videos and online games. Everyone learns differently, so I try to find lots of options. I'll list a few of the things I have found, but if you have other ideas, leave them in the comments below. (By the way, I do NOT get any financial gain for any of the resources I share.)

Books:

First of all, I'm old.... so I actually LIKE reading books and enjoy turning the pages. But some books are also available on Kindle for those of you that like those new fangled electronic reader things.

The ABC's of Asthma - we used to get copies from our local American Lung Association, but it looks like they are out of print. However, you can still get it for your Kindle.

Dusty the Asthma Goldfish - free activity book from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). It's short (8 pages), and you can print out copies at home for the kiddos. It's also available in Spanish.

Dr. Al and the Sneeze 'n Wheeze Busters - this coloring book is from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI). Its about a group of super heroes who have to defeat bad guys. The names of the good guys are pretty funny - Dr. Al Lergist (get it??) and his partners, Buster Bronchodilasaurus, Annie Histamine and Duel Actions. The bad guys names must have been made up by junior high aged kids because they are hilarious. Like Count Igor von Pollen, Big Bad Roach, Darth Mite,  Meeyowa Monstera the Cat Hairess, and Scuzzbucket (can I get an eye roll here?)

Buster's Breathless - this is the cute story from the PBS show, Arthur. The video is available online (see below), but this online book is cute for kids. We still quote lines from this book and movie! Binkie pretends he has asthma and can't breathe well and says, "Help! I have plasma." The other kids in the video roll their eyes and say, "It's asthma Binkie!" And then Binkie walks off with his shoulders slumped and says, "stupid word - too many consonants!" (Or something like that, it's been a long time since I watched the video or read the book...)

Videos:

Buster's Breathless - part 1. My kids grew up watching Arthur on PBS, and I LOVED seeing the episodes my kids could relate to (asthma, chicken pox, etc.) For some reason, the video isn't available on the Arthur PBS website, but I did find it on Youtube. But since it's long, there are 2 parts.

Buster's Breathless - part 2. I don't care how many times I have seen this, I love the show!

Tim and Moby Explain Asthma - this one is a little older, and the character talks fast, so put your seat belt on!

Iggy and the Inhalers - created by a pediatric allergist to help kids understand more about allergies and asthma, Iggy the Inhaler works with Coltron the Controller and Broncho the Bronchodilator to explain asthma.

Online Games:

Lungtropolis - this website is sponsored by the American Lung Association, and has 2 options, one for parents and one for kids. The kid's section is called "Lungtropolis Attack of the Mucus Mob". Kids will need to log in and learn how to fight the Mucus mob and learn ways to defeat the mob (their asthma.)

The site for parents is called "Lungtroplis: Helping Your Child Manage Asthma". It has basic asthma education.

Asthma and Allergy Word search and Food Allergy Word Search -  basic word searches you can print out at home and use with the kids. This page also has a couple of mazes, Meeyowa Monstera Maze and Big Bad Roach Maze.

There are a lot more resources out there for kids, but it's late (after 11 pm) and I have to get up early for work and my battery is about to die on my laptop.

If you have found anything fun for kids, please share! Since the families I work with are on a budget, I try to find things that are free - so keep that in mind if you have ideas!