8 Great Sick-Day Activities

Chase away those sick-day blues with these simple, laid-back crafts and games. Your child will be feeling better in no time!

Ages

6-7

Mother and child playing together

  1. Frozen Fun. Soothe sore throats with fruit juice popsicles. Freeze your child's favorite juice in a Popsicle mold or make fun fruit juice ice cubes to suck on.
  2. Once Upon a Time. Read a favorite fairy tale, then illustrate it together.
  3. Laughter Is the Best Medicine. So find the best jokes (in book collections and online), then compile them into an illustrated book. For an extra challenge, come up with some jokes of your own.
  4. Beautify a Box. Find a piece of old fabric and cut a small square out of the middle. Then decorate with fabric paint, markers, or by gluing other materials to it. Or, your child may want to try some simple needle-and-thread stitching. When the masterpiece is complete, drape it over any tissue box to make a charming cover.
  5. Who Wrote the Book of Love? Your child, of course! Write down the names of all the people she loves — friends, family, classmates — and add photographs or drawings before binding it together into one big book. You can also keep small, inexpensive photo albums on hand for projects like these.
  6. Revealing Rainbows. For a pretty picture with a twist, your child can use markers to color all over a piece of paper in as many different patterns and designs as he can think of, and then color over it all with a black crayon. Next, using a coin, he can carve a picture in the black and see what happens!
  7. Personalize Playing Cards. Make each number a member of your family and pasting her picture in the center. Go fish, anyone?
  8. Read Together. It's the best anytime activity of them all!
Creativity
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Arts & Crafts Printables
Age 7
Age 6
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Games and Toys
Illnesses and Conditions
Arts and Crafts