50 Activities for Sick Children

What activities to do with children when they are sick? The activities don't always have to be difficult, but they are perfect for keeping a positive spirit!!

Do you have a sick child at home? It's not funny. Runny nose, dry cough, puffy eyes, temperature…. What your child probably needs most is rest. But it is not healthy to spend all your time in front of the television.

As a mum, I looked for somewhat special activities so that my son could focus on pleasure rather than his state of being a sick child. It's incredible how much better kids feel when they think about having fun instead of their sore throat.

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If you find yourself in a similar situation with a sick child, I've compiled a list of simple activities you can do at home. The good thing is that most of these activities can be done in bed or lying down.

Activities for sick children – 50 ideas 

1. Get out the family albums. Dust off family photo albums and look at them with your child to discuss. Children like to learn more about their families.

2. Read books. Break up the day with reading breaks for your sick child.

3. Do some colouring. Spread out on the bed with your child and put some colour on their colouring books or print out colouring pages for children. There is no shortage of choices.

4. Go camping in the living room. Make a makeshift tent out of blankets or cardboard, get out the sleeping bags and snuggle up in this fun environment.

5. Play paper football on the bed. Make a ball of paper and roll up a sheet or blanket to make the goal. Who will score the most points in this funny football game?!!

6. Take a nap: it's my favourite activity!!!

7. Make a collage. Cut pictures and photos from old magazines to stick them on a sheet in an artistic, funny, creative or original way.

8. Play Pictionary on a dry erase board or slate.

9. Draw on a magic slate.

10. Play neither YES nor NO: a great classic.

11. Make lists. For example, how many animals can you find that start with the letter B? Baboon, weasel, woodcock, bison, sheep…

12. Play classic games. Many classics can easily be played in bed, such as Naval Battle or Card Battle. We also like the Uno.

13. Make sticker collages in a sticker book.

14. Create shadow puppets using a bedside lamp and your hands.

15. Play sock ball. Try making a hamper by tossing a pair of balled-up socks into a laundry basket. Who will score the most baskets and be the winner?!!

16. Solve mazes in Crazy Maze Books.

17. Sit down. When my son is sick, he likes me to join him in his bed to cuddle and have me all to himself. I'm always amazed at the questions he has to ask and how long our conversations can last.

18. Solve a Rubik's Cube.

19. Watch a movie. Take out his favourite DVD and enjoy watching it around a good hot chocolate, delicacies, popcorn or a homemade cake made beforehand!!

20. Listen to a book on CD or mp3.

21. Listen to music just for the ears' pleasure or to achieve a fantastic and funny choreography with your fingers.

22. Learn to do card tricks by following a manual.

23. Eat a chewing gum lollipop and count how many licks it takes to get to the gum. The kids love it!!!

24. Meal tray. Have breakfast or dinner in bed, or host a tea party in your child's room with their favourite treats!

25. Play with toy cars … in bed. Crumple the bed sheets to create the roads and the hills and invent a story around your city.

26. Play Messages. One person writes a message on the second person's back with their finger. The objective of the second person is then to guess the news that the first person wrote. It is her turn to think of a message when she has found it.

27. Play on the tablet: Play with educational apps if you have a tablet or a smartphone. These applications are suitable for having fun while learning!

28. Take pictures of the bedroom with a digital camera. What better place to practice photography than on the bed? If the device accidentally falls, there is a padded bed to land safely. Let your child have fun...

29. Make songs …about anything and everything!

30. Makeup stories. You can start with one person starting the story and each person adding a sentence to the account. Always very funny!

31. Write letters … to family members, friends or neighbours.

32. Make a pearl necklace.

33. Play the spelling game. The first person chooses a word to spell, says the word, and then spells the word. The following person must then select a term to spell that begins with the last letter of the first person's word. And so on. The only rule: the spelt word cannot be a proper noun and cannot be spelt more than once in a game.

34. Create a sculpture with marshmallows and toothpicks.

35. Play marbles. Create a course to follow using the cushions, sheets and blankets of the bed and organize a race through the maze!!

36. Do a puzzle.

37. Be a beautician for a day. Take turns fixing each other's hair, for example. You might end up with a hundred clips in your hair, but no one will see you anyway, except maybe your husband, but I'm sure you will understand!!

38. Do a timed race to see who can say the alphabet backwards the fastest. Not as simple as it sounds! For big kids!

39. Make a fabulous sculpture using nothing but aluminium foil.

40. Have a thumbs up for the battle. Who will be the strongest in the thumb fight?

41. Print portraits of the whole family and add funny faces with markers.

42. Enjoy good old pencil and paper games like Tic Tac Toe or Hangman.

43. Make paper aeroplanes. Are you not an expert on these flying machines? Check out a book on aeroplane building or watch my Best Paper Airplane tutorial.

44. Video chats. Use your computer or smartphone to call a grandparent or other relative or friends using Skype or another service. Seeing a friendly but distant face might cheer up your child.

45. Practice your origami skills. There are many books just for kids.

46. ​​Turn on the radio or a music player and play find the artist or song's name. 1 point per correct answer, the first to 10 wins the game!

47. Play a game of Chifoumi (also called Rock-Paper-Scissors).

48. Make your wish list for Christmas gifts by flipping through magazines.

49. Tell jokes. After all, it seems that laughter is the best medicine. Joke books for all ages are available everywhere.

50. Try to find Charlie in one of the books Where's Charlie?

Advice for parents of sick children 

Make a list of activities. Children are quickly tired of activities, even more so when they are sick. Be prepared to change games or activities often. To make these transitions easier, write down a list of your options at the start of the day.

Set up different resting places. Don't keep your sick kids on the same couch all day. Instead, set up other comfortable sites for them: a bed, a sofa in the living room, and an armchair in the hall.

Limit television and video games. They can slow your child's recovery. When kids watch a TV show, they may fight sleepiness to keep watching. They are pushed to continue their video game to move to the next level. When children do something quieter (reading or drawing), they are more likely to put the book or pencil down when tired and go to sleep.

Be ready. Try keeping a secret stash of colouring books, stickers, and small toys in a closet somewhere. Take them out when your kids get sick. Having something new to watch will help distract your suffering children.

Leave your work behind. If you're a working parent who needs to stay home to care for your sick child, resist the urge to do too much. You cannot take care of your child and work from home all day. Trying to do both can lead to stress and fatigue.

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