The more exciting activities we do, the more we are susceptible to others’ germs. It’s just a way of life. I have stashed away a couple go-to activities if a sick day comes around. Having activities to help sick kids through the day can be helpful for you and your child. Find 5 tips for keeping sick kids entertained in our post today.
Free the child’s potential, and you will transform him into the world.
~Maria Montessori
Being home with a sick child isn’t much fun, but it also give you the opportunity to slow down a bit. Take time to cuddle and be with your child. They need that extra support to feel better. Laundry and dishes can wait! (I have to tell myself this all the time!)
1. Read….A LOT!
My kids already love to read, but on sick days it is amplified. We have mounds of books by the couch and beds. Sometimes we pick a theme of books like all books on cars or only books about animals.
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2. Daydream
The conversations on sick days seem to be different in our house than other days. Our movements are much slower and we have time to stare out the window or focus on a picture in a book. What are the birds doing outside? What would you do if you could walk on the clouds? Could you walk around with 16 caps on top of your head like the peddler?
3. Crafts
Here’s a great list of some of our favorite sick day crafts:
Pipecleanrers- make glasses, word bracelets with letter beads, or glue fun designed on paper
Color-coloring books, color pictures of scenes outside, letter and number writing practice
Magnet board with letters and numbers
Building blocks
Need more ideas? Check here.
4. Play “I Spy”
“I Spy” is one of our all time favorite “pass the time” games. On sick days we are a little more relaxed, but our favorite “I spy” games at home are I Spy Language Lesson or the Introduction to Reading. Both are great for beginning readers. We like to let the conversation flow. Our conversations move from I spy to talking about word sounds to making up silly rhyming words. We make it a non stressful event by letting our kids lead the conversations and length of time for each game.
5. Picnic in the Living Room
The great thing about a sick day is that some of rules go out the window to help your little one feel better. We like to do something special that we usually don’t allow. We set up a picnic in the living room! You can also setup a fort or tent. Its great to keep kids busy and a little moral boost, if they are felling up to moving.
Good luck with your little sick one!
Yes, you are right, planning ahead for sick days is the way to go. We do a lot of reading as well though we have never done a picnic in the living room–that would certainly make for a change of pace and would be likely to brighten a mood 🙂
I hope you don’t get the try the picnic idea to soon, but hopefully it brings a little smile on the next sick day.
How often do we just get to sit and daydream?? What a great idea for a sick day. Also love the idea of a picnic in the living room. Fun!
Katie @ Cup of Tea
I agree! Life is so busy all the time, so it’s nice to take the downtime and just imagine. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. 🙂
Having sick kids is so hard! My kids also seem to want to read more when they are sick. I had never thought about it before. Hope your little one feels better soon!
Thank you! He feels better now and thankfully (cross our fingers) my daughter didn’t pick up the yuck. Reading is always a comfort for our kids and even more so when they are not feeling well. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. 🙂
I love your ideas Marie to do with your sweet children! I can’t wait to play “I spy” with Little Bee. Do you think 1.5 years old is too young? 🙂 Maybe not! He may be able to play now! Great idea! 🙂
He will love I Spy! I’m sure there are things he can recognize and find. We love color I Spy. Or shapes. 🙂 Try it out and let me know how it goes.
Sick days suck! I love these tips. We do ‘camp out’ in the living room for sick days. I blow up an airbed, and make sure we’ve got books, toys, flashlights, and some movies set aside. It’s nice to be able to try to take their minds off being sick, even if it’s just for a little bit.
I’ll have to try the air mattress sometime. W usually just use the blankets we have in the living room, but the kids will love the air mattress. Thank you for the idea!
These are wonderful ideas – you need calm activities on a sick day. I love the idea of a picnic in the living room.
Thank you, Clare. I hope you don’t have to use them to soon with your littles, but glad you have a couple ideas if the time comes.
Marie,
hi, I love your list. My absolute best is No 2 Daydream 🙂 lovely put, we tend to skip this activity too often.
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I am glad you enjoyed the list. I agree that we often skip the daydream part of being sick. As much as I don’t like my kids being sick, I really enjoy the calm that comes over our house and a reason to cuddle with them.
We love picnics in the living room too. Typically, when my husband is away for dinner, we like to relax and enjoy a casual meal in the living room. It’s a great idea for when someone isn’t feeling very good either.
Reading is a great idea also. My kids would love it if I read to them book after book after book but more often than not, I start getting really sleepy after the third or fourth book and I have to get up and move around a little to wake back up!
Thank you for stopping by Lisa! It’s great to see you here.
We do the same when my husband is away. It’s a little special treat away from the norm.
I started requesting my children only bring 2 or 3 books to bed time story time. Or I take a break between books and they listen to what I am reading. It’s a nice way to break up the monotony of rereading Caps for Sale for the hundredth time!