1. Download the playbook. Save the PDF to your computer.
2. Open it in a PDF reader. Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview on Mac, or your web browser all work.
3. Set the scale to 100%. This is the one setting that matters. Look for a box labeled Scale, Size, or Page Sizing and choose Actual size or 100%. Do not use "Fit to page" or "Shrink to fit" — those shrink the artwork and the panels won't line up when you fold.
4. Choose double-sided. Turn on Print on both sides (sometimes called Two-Sided or Duplex).
5. Print one copy and check it. Both sides should be right-side up relative to each other when you flip the sheet top-to-bottom. If the back side is upside down, print again and switch the flip setting — printers label this "flip on long edge" and "flip on short edge."

If your printer doesn't print double-sided: print page 1 first. Mark a small X on one corner so you remember the orientation, then put the sheet back in the paper tray and print page 2. You may need one test sheet to work out which way to load it.

A note on borders: most printers can't print all the way to the edge of the paper, so you may see a thin white border around the outside. This is normal. It won't affect any of the activities.

• One sheet of standard 8.5 × 11 in paper (Letter size)
• Any home or office printer
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
• Scissors, if your playbook includes a certificate to cut out

Regular copy paper works fine. If you have slightly heavier paper, the booklet will hold up better to repeated handling.

Folding Tutorial

1. Lay the sheet flat with the cover facing up — the side that says "A Children's Guide" with the name and age lines.
2. Fold it in half, top to bottom. Bring the top half behind the sheet, so the cover stays facing you. Run your finger along the crease.
3. Fold it in half again, left to right. Bring the left half behind the right half. The cover should now be on the front.
4. Press the folds firmly. Run a ruler edge or your thumbnail along each crease so the booklet lies flat.

That's it — you have an eight-page booklet, about the size of a postcard.

If the cover ends up on the inside, unfold the sheet and try folding in the opposite direction. Different printers orient the page differently.

There's no right order. Some children want to read it start to finish; others go straight to the maze or the coloring pages. Both are fine.

Doing it together is what helps most. Reading the pages aloud and coloring alongside your child gives them a natural opening to ask questions about what's going to happen.

If your playbook has a certificate, cut along the dotted line after the surgery and have a nurse or doctor sign it.