It’s definitely that time of year. Cold and flu season. In the last month, my family of four has experienced 7 colds, 6 visits to the doctor, 5 fevers, 4 prescriptions, 3 ear infections, and 5 days of missed work/school. Ugh. I can’t decide which is worse… all of us being sick at the same time, or one person getting sick just as someone else is finally getting better. Both. Both are worse! This time of year can be so frustrating.
At least if we are all sick at the same time, we don’t have to worry about infecting each other. The hardest thing is when my six year old is sick. He is so active, it is hard to get him to sit still and rest. And it’s hard to keep him from playing with ALL the toys. And it’s hard to keep him away from his little brother.
Last year I started a sick day stash, a box of fun and quiet activities to keep my son busy and happy when he is sick. It works pretty well. I wanted to share a picture of our stash, but after the month we’ve had, it’s cleaned out. I need to re-stock!
Usually it’s full of coloring pages, activity books, books for reading, sticker books, simple crafts, and puzzles. I find some things for free online, and buy others at various stores or order them from Amazon. Here are some of our favorites.
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- Generally, my son is not super interested in coloring, but when he saw this giant coloring page roll he was thrilled. I cut off about three feet of the picture and taped it to the wall in his room.
- Another thing that got him excited to sit still and color were these FREE Pokemon Kaleidocycles from Hattifant. Kaleidocycles are really neat paper toys that transform when you flip them.
- I always enjoyed Highlights Hidden Pictures when I was a kid, and now you can buy books of hidden pictures. These keep my son busy for quite a while. He likes them just as much as I did.
- I usually have a couple of books on hand. Right now we are in the middle of the Dragon Masters series by Tracey West. Even though he is not quite old enough to read them on his own, my son loves to flip through the books and try to figure out what happens by looking at the pictures.
- Sticker activity books are always a big hit with my son. I have found several types that he likes.
- Recently, I found a book of sticker puzzles, which I had never seen before. With how much my son likes stickers, I just knew he would have fun with these, too. The Star Wars theme was perfect.
I generally have a few of the above in a box and when my son is sick at home I will get out one and surprise him. It makes being sick a little less miserable and helps him to sit still (at least for a while).
Do you have a sick day stash? How do you keep your kids busy when they are sick at home?
“Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are my praise.”
Jeremiah 17:14
~ Sarah ~
