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November 12, 2024

Cold & Flu Season: Fun Activities for When Your Child is Home Sick

Fall is in full swing, and that means it’s the time of year when colds, flus and other viruses may make their way through schools, workplaces and child care centers. When your child is sick, that means extra time at home – for both of you. While a very sick child likely needs mostly rest, some of the more minor bugs that go around leave enough energy for quiet play and activities.

Keeping your child engaged and occupied while they’re home sick can be a challenge. Many go-to activities require too much exertion, and a full day of screen time is rarely what you want for them. Here are some suggestions for sick day activities appropriate for many ages. As a bonus, many of these are activities that your child can do independently if you have work tasks or chores that need to be done, or they can be done together to add in some special bonding time.

1. Art Projects

There really is no limit to the number of art projects that you could come up with. Provide some googly eyes, yarn, pipe cleaners and markers and turn paper lunch bags into puppets. Collect a few rocks from outside and paint them. Play around with bubble painting, finger painting, sponge painting – what else can be used instead of a paintbrush? Create masks that show how they’re feeling with paper plates and crayons. Get creative – art projects are a great way to keep a child’s mind active and their sense of creativity flowing!

2. Make Salt Dough

This classic activity will still keep children engaged for hours. Salt dough is easy to make with flour, salt and water. Depending on the age of your child, you can make the salt dough together as a project, or you can quickly whip some up on your own. Once you have the dough made, the options for creation are endless! If it’s near a holiday, have your child create ornaments or decorations suitable for the holiday. They can use cookie cutters, or play freeform. Salt dough has a marvelous texture, so it’s also great sensory play. It’s easy to clean up, and creations can be baked for permanent keeping!

3. Make Cards for Friends

Since your child is home sick and missing their friends, have them make homemade cards for friends and family sharing those feelings! They can hand them out when they return to school. Sharing your feelings with friends and expressing yourself are great skills to focus on when you’re stuck at home.

4. Nature Collages

If you’re able to take a short walk outside, have your child collect “art supplies” as you walk. Things like leaves, twigs, bark, moss, acorns, flowers and long blades of grass can be turned into a collage with the help of a glue stick! Fresh air is the proverbial cure for many ailments, and short durations of gentle movement can help bodies recover. Plus, your child will get to create art using materials chosen all by his or herself!

5. Write a Story

Have your child write a story about their sick day. How does their body feel? What emotions are they having? What do they miss about school, and what was fun about staying at home? They can write about what’s making them feel bad, and what’s making them feel better. You can even use stapled sheets of paper to create your own book, and then have your child create the illustrations! Providing a safe outlet to process their feelings can help prevent frustration about missing out or feeling too sick for certain activities.

6. Do Some Yoga Together

Gentle stretches and relaxation can help ease symptoms and teach children how to care for and listen to their bodies. YouTube is filled with videos for child-friendly yoga, including many that are themed or include fun animations. If you want to limit screen time, you can also find printable PDFs of yoga poses for kids that you can move through together. This can be a great precursor to naptime, as your child focuses on calming their mind and body.

7. Construction-Based Projects

Building out of Legos, Lincoln Logs, Magna-Tiles, or a classic wooden block set are all fantastic ways for children to discover and learn through play. You can challenge them to build something tall, or something wide, or something that can withstand a paper fan. But if you don’t have these toys or your child has grown tired of them, there are some creative options you can make from things you have at home! For example, you can use grapes or marshmallows and toothpicks or bamboo sticks to construct 3D shapes, or you can cut sponges into different block shapes. You can also use salt dough and popsicle sticks (or real sticks!). Be creative – what do you already have at home that you could build something out of?

While having a sick child can be a source of stress, it can also provide opportunities for bonding and for creative play. While coloring books, reading stories and watching TV can all be a part of the sick day experience, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and your child to find creative ways to rest and take care of your bodies and minds!