Moms don’t get sick days. Moms who homeschool really don’t get sick days. We keep on keeping on. We push through the pain and the sickness. I’m not talking about stomach flu kind of sick. That’s a whole different ball game. I am talking about general sickness such as colds, headaches, and upset stomachs. We just keep going.

Recently I came down with one of the worst sinus infections of my life. My husband could not take off of work because of some important meetings. I totally understand and wouldn’t want him to take a day off for it anyway. So I have to come up with some activities to keep my boys busy while I take a couple of days to rest. Below is a list of ideas I keep ready for days such as this.

Activities For Kids When I Am Sick:

  1. Read aloud time- we love reading so when I don’t feel well I gather all of my kids on the couch and we read. As long as I don’t have a sore throat or fever, I can read. They sit quietly and look at the pictures while I read. Sometimes they get a little sleepy. It’s nice and quiet for me and relaxing for them.
  2. Puzzles- I have a ton of puzzles and I put them to good use when I don’t feel well. I set them up on the dining room table and they go to town. Sometime I join them for this activity. It also encourages big brothers to help little brother.
  3. TV- yup, we watch TV. When I’m sick, I don’t monitor how much TV time they get. I encourage them to do other things but sometime I just want a nap and I turn on a movie for them to watch. I give them a snack and off to bed I go.
  4. Art projects- I do love to do art projects. If I am not feeling well, we do non-messy ones. For instance, drawing with chalk on black construction paper or watercolors of a flower. I also put out the crayons and lots of paper and tell them to draw pictures from books we’ve recently read. Just no scissors or glue. It gets very messy with a five year old!
  5. Outside time- if the weather cooperates, I send my boys outside for an hour or two while I rest. This gives me a break and also gives them a chance to get some energy out. They love to build forts in our backyard and climb trees. I check on them every now and then and wave from the sliding glass door. They know I’m watching but also have freedom to explore and have fun.

These ideas have come in handy a few times over the years. If my husband is at home and I am sick, he closes our bedroom door and keeps the kids entertained so I can get better. He has had to stay home a handful of times due to migraines (I get one every now and then that knocks me out), stomach issues, or the flu. But, I keep these ideas in my back pocket for those times that I am ill but can still function a little.