Turn That Smile Upside Down: Easy Ways to Keep Your Sick Child Happy and Entertained

Kids get sick now and again and that means you might have a bored child on your hands who is off color and off school, also missing out on their usual activities to keep them entertained.

Here are some ideas to help pass the day and hold their attention with hours of fun. There is an idea to look at your family history and an updated version of a traditional pastime. Plus a chance to both enjoy some pleasant distractions from illness and a suggestion for a role play remedy.

Catch up on some memories

Life seems to run at such a pace for so many of us that we don’t get time to sit down and look through some old photos and remember some loved ones who may no longer be with us.

If you have a sick child to entertain this is a perfect opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and get your photo box out and personal mementos.

Kids love hearing family stories and asking questions about your past, so get settled down for the afternoon and put a smile on their face with some great tales and recollections of the past.

An activity that never fails to keep them happy

Many kids love nothing better than spending a few happy hours coloring and drawing, so this is a no-brainer activity as a sick day activity.

The traditional crayons and coloring book are fine but seeing as kids of all ages are so tech-savvy and used to using smartphones and tablets, you might want to try the coloring book app for Android.

It is aimed at adults as a way of keeping you calm by losing yourself in a coloring challenge, so you could either help your kids with the task or have a go yourself while they go to work with their crayons.

Recreate the spa experience at home

If your child is feeling a bit sick and suffering from a cold or a cough it always helps to have a bit of a pampering session to lift their spirits.

You could recreate the spa experience with your sick child and pay a visit to the “spa” in your own bathroom, for a nice hot shower or bath, followed by doing their hair and nails while sitting in a fluffy bathrobe.

Not only is this a relaxing and fun thing to do to as a way of soothing them, the warm and moist air will have a positive effect on easing their cough and cold symptoms.

The perfect role play for a sick day

If you have got a poorly child to entertain for the day what better way to do that than to play hospitals with them?

Playing hospitals is the go-to role play activity for so many kids regardless of whether they are sick or not. But setting up a pretend hospital at home takes on a new relevance when they are genuinely ill and could do with some care and attention.

Plasters and bandages, plus the chance to play doctors and nurses all go to make this a good choice of activity if you want to ensure the day passes quickly and take their mind off feeling poorly.

It doesn’t normally take long for kids to be on the mend, and it might seem even sooner when you manage to keep them entertained.

Jayden North has 2 daughters aged 7 and 14. With his teenage daughter wanting to spend less and less time with him he is upping the quality bonding time with his youngest whilst she still wants to know him!