Where does it hurt? Free printable pain board

Who it’s for

Children and adults who can’t easily say where they hurt: people who don’t speak or don’t speak much, young children who don’t know the names of body parts yet, and adults whose speech is affected, for example after a stroke. Parents, teachers, school nurses and caregivers use it to find out what’s wrong, and to tell a doctor or nurse what the person showed them.

When it helps

• Bumps and falls: at the playground, at school or at home, when crying is the only answer to “What happened?”
• Aches that can’t be seen: an earache, a toothache, a tummy ache or a headache, when a person can only show that something is wrong.
• At appointments: bring the board so the person can answer the questions themselves. The doctor visit visual schedule shows the steps of the visit, and the getting a shot visual schedule helps with shots.
• Sick days: pain and feeling unwell can come together; the I feel sick communication board covers the rest.

How to use it

1. Practice when nothing hurts. Play “Where’s your tummy?” and point to tummy on the board, then on your own body.
2. Ask one thing at a time. First “Where does it hurt?” Wait for a point. Then “How much?”
3. Point or draw. On a laminated copy, the person (or you) can circle the spot on the body outline with a dry-erase marker.
4. Check the answer another way. Point to two choices: “A little, or a lot?” Watch the face and body as well.
5. Bring it along. Take it to the doctor, the dentist or the school nurse, and show them how the person points.

The how-much scale

The scale has five steps, no hurt, a little, some, a lot and the worst, shown as bars that get taller, not as faces. Five words can be easier to choose from than ten numbers, especially for a young child. Practice with things that aren’t pain: “How much do you like ice cream? A little, or a lot?” Adults in the hospital may be asked for a number instead; the hospital communication board has a 0 to 10 scale.

Children and adults

The body outline is plain, with no clothes, hair or face, so it works for anyone. With a child, games like “Where’s your nose?” teach body words before they’re needed. With an adult, ask directly, give time to answer, and believe what they show you, even when it’s not what you expected. Point to your own body to check: “Here?”

What’s on the PDF

One page: the body outline on the left, with “Point to where it hurts”, and 12 body-part pictures beside it. Below are the how-much scale and an I need row. Pointing to medicine is a way to ask: a grown-up decides, and gives medicine only as the label or the doctor says.

Body parts

• head
• eyes
• ear
• mouth
• throat
• chest
• tummy
• back
• arm
• hand
• leg
• foot

How much does it hurt?

• no hurt
• a little
• some
• a lot
• the worst

I need

• medicine
• doctor
• bandage
• rest
• hug

Printing tips and where to keep it

• Laminate it, so the spot can be circled with a dry-erase marker and wiped clean.
• Keep one with the first-aid kit at home, and one in the bag you take to appointments.
• At school, give a copy to the teacher and the school nurse, and show them how the person points.