Play-Dough Surgery: Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy)
(our toddler-safe spin on The Breakfasteur's full OR version)
The gallbladder (that little green pouch tucked under the liver) stores extra bile. When tiny pebbles of hardened cholesterol or pigment - gallstones - clog its duct, the organ swells and hurts. Real surgeons snip it out; patients live perfectly fine without it because the liver keeps making bile that now drips straight into the gut.
Today's pretend operation lets kids:
- Find the gallbladder on a play-dough organ set.
- Discover what bile does and why stones cause pain.
- Practise the careful cut-detach-lift manoeuvre to remove the whole pouch.
- Giggle over the Cantonese saying “冇膽匪類” (literally “coward without gallbladder”) and realise Grandpa once had this surgery and he is now a "coward" 😂!
Set-up: What You'll Need
| Item | Color / Description |
|---|---|
| Play-dough organs | Liver (brown); Gallbladder (green, with bead/seed stones inside); Stomach (red); Large intestine (lavender); Small intestine (pink). Same setup as the Trichobezoar Removal post. |
| Layer of skin | Flat sheet of dough of any skin color |
| Instruments | Plastic scalpel; kid tweezers/chopsticks; blunt hook or toothpick for 'clips'; plastic needle for sutures |
| Foil-lined tray | Operating table |
Procedure: Basic Toddler Version 🎈
- Incise the skin - slice the orange sheet, fold back the flap.
- Locate & lift the liver gently to see the green gallbladder hiding beneath.
- Snip the neck (one clean cut) and pluck the whole pouch free.
- Open the pouch on a side table, dig out the "gallstones", explain why they cause pain.
- Close the skin with finger "sutures." Patient cured, no more tummy ache!
Advanced steps (for older kids / fine-motor practice)
- Pinch a narrow "cystic duct," clip it with two tiny dough rings, and cut between them - just like the real critical-view safety step.
- Peel the gallbladder off the underside of the liver with short, gentle scrapings.
- Pretend-inspect the bile duct for leaks before closing.
What Kids Learn
- Anatomy: liver, gallbladder, ducts, intestines.
- Physiology: bile helps digest fats; stones block flow → pain.
- Life lesson: you can live "膽小" (without a gallbladder!) and still be brave.
- Skills: pinpoint cutting, steady tweezing, two-hand coordination, tidy closure.
Seal the incision, announce "operation complete!" and let your junior surgeon parade the pebble-stones as proof that strange things inside the body sometimes need a ticket out. Next snack-time, ask which foods are fatty enough to need bile - instant revision disguised as fun.
More Surgical Steps
Video Inspiration
The Breakfasteur's Version:
Real Surgery Explained:
Background Audio
Gear We Used (Affiliate Links)
- Premium Doctor Stethoscope(The real stethoscope I used to hear her heartbeat when pregnant. Do not ask me why I needed this. 🙈)
- Dentist Play Set(We borrowed some props from a dentist set like this.)
- Kid-Size Garden Gloves(Couldn't find surgical gloves for children lol I wonder why, but these work well enough and she can use them for other stuff too!)
- Playdough set(What I use to make the organs and skin)
- The Body Book (in German)This is an amazing book i found on the streets, it has a lot of foldouts and is super informative 🔥
- Headlamp(USB-C rechargeable headlamp that is perfect for surgeries as well as adventures)
- Felt sewing set(We use this to learn how to do running stitches, and also to create other cute things that are now hanging all over her bed)
Keep Reading
Kinetic-Sand Surgery
A fun and educational sensory activity where kids perform "surgery" on kinetic sand to find plastic organs, learning about anatomy in a hands-on way.
Play-Dough Surgery: Trichobezoar Removal
Learn how to perform a play-dough surgery to remove a trichobezoar (hairball) from a model stomach. A fun, hands-on anatomy lesson for kids inspired by real OR footage.