Christine Latreille, in an article for Active for Life written while suffering from “the gift of another hacking cold, only about a week since the end of the last one (Thanks, guys)”, notes, “While I’d usually be all for an after-school session of active play outdoors, just getting out of bed to come downstairs seemed a monumental feat.” She comments that some of her most challenging times as a parent have been when she has found herself sick and on her own with two young and active children.

She offers several suggestions for when you are feeling unwell and you and the kids are all confined to the house, including:

Sensory activities:

·      Gel Sensory bags: Fill a large Ziploc bag with hair gel and food colouring, secure with duct tape, and adhere to a window with masking tape. Preschoolers can trace letters and numbers and make art by pushing their fingers across the surface of the bag. https://viewsfromastepstool.com/gel-sensory-bags/

·      Baby-friendly sensory bags such as Hair Gel & Pebbles; Hair Gel & Soap Bubbles; Oil and Water Insect using plastic insects and bugs; and Shaving Cream, Glitter & Confetti https://viewsfromastepstool.com/baby-friendly-sensory-bags/

·      Sensory bins (e.g. a plastic tub with stones and plastic dinosaurs and lizards and a couple of fake plants to make a prehistoric swamp). Lots of ideas can be found at https://happyhooligans.ca/sensory-bins/ Put a plastic tablecloth underneath to make clean-up easier.

Balloons: for slightly older children, she suggests putting dried beans inside one balloon and then inserting the first balloon into a second balloon which you then inflate to create a wobbly hand-eye coordination game https://www.canadago4sport.com/Manipulative-Receive/Woobly-Balloon

Spa Day: “When you can barely muster the energy to leave your bed, this imaginative and low-key game will get the kids moving – while you don’t have to. Have your little one bring their stuffies from their room one at a time, then massage your legs, arms, and back. For an added twist that always delights my guy, close your eyes and try to guess WHICH stuffy is being used! It sounds so simple, but my-oh-my, this is a great game for kids when Mom or Dad isn’t feeling their best.”

Search and Find: She suggests having some prepared indoor scavenger hunt sheets on hand for these emergency days. “Kids will stay active as they search and cross off items such as a picture of a family member, an object with wheels, five things that are blue, or something that starts with the first letter of their name. Before they start, make sure they know that everything needs to be put away where they found it at the end of the game.”

For more ideas, go to https://activeforlife.com/keeping-kids-active-when-youre-under-the-weather/