The most appropriate statement is one that provides honest, age-appropriate, and sensory-based information without being overly frightening. For a 6-year-old (school-age) child, using familiar terms like "pinch" or "bug bite" helps them understand the sensation they might experience. This approach aligns with the principles of atraumatic care. Asking the child to describe the feeling afterward gives them a sense of control and involvement, which can reduce anxiety and promote coping. This method avoids false reassurance and negative language, fostering trust between the nurse and the child.

B. Stating the procedure will "hurt a lot" is overly negative and will significantly increase the child's fear and anxiety, making cooperation more difficult.

C. Labeling the procedure as "terrible" is unprofessional and introduces a high level of fear. Telling the child not to look can increase anxiety about the unknown.

D. This statement minimizes the child's potential pain, which can lead to a loss of trust. The phrase "be a big boy" is judgmental and discourages the child from expressing their feelings.

1. Hockenberry, M. J., Wilson, D., & Rodgers, C. C. (2019). Wong's nursing care of infants and children (11th ed.). Elsevier. In Chapter 36, "Pain Assessment and Management in Children," the text emphasizes preparing children for painful procedures by providing factual information in simple terms they can understand, such as describing the sensation as a "pinch" (p. 1045, Box 36.5).

2. Koller, D. (2008). Preparing children for medical procedures. Paediatrics & Child Health, 13(1), 33–36. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/13.1.33. This article highlights the importance of providing sensory information (what the child will feel, see, hear) and avoiding false reassurance. It supports describing sensations in familiar terms to reduce distress (p. 34, "Provide sensory information").

3. Perry, S. E., Hockenberry, M. J., Lowdermilk, D. L., & Wilson, D. (2014). Maternal child nursing care (5th ed.). Elsevier Mosby. Chapter 32, "Family-Centered Care of the Child During Illness and Hospitalization," advises nurses to "prepare the child for any unfamiliar procedure... by demonstrating on a doll... and describing the sensation—for example, 'a cool feeling when the skin is cleaned'" (p. 921). This supports the use of sensory-based, non-threatening descriptions.