Gentle
Sick day
They feel rough and cannot go out. Keep it gentle. Try these.
Find yours in 10 secondsThe Invisible Journey
Close your eyes. You're traveling somewhere right now. Where do you go?
The Favorites Lists
Make 5 lists of your favorites. A different category for each list.
The Eyes-Closed Drawing
Draw something specific with your eyes closed. Open, look at the disaster, laugh, try again.
The Advice Column
Write 5 absurd fictional problems before you leave, and the child has 30 minutes of delightful work.
The Interview Sheet
Write 10 questions before you leave, and come back to the most honest answers your child has ever given you.
The Dream Location
Guide them to their favorite place in 5 sentences, then let them draw every detail.
The Autobiography
A pre-made booklet with chapter titles. Child writes and draws the story of their own life.
Sound Map
Eyes closed, three minutes of pure listening — then describe every sound heard and which direction it came from.
Impossible List
Name every yellow food you can think of — two minutes, no stopping, paper optional.
The Sorting Tray
A tray of mixed objects from the junk drawer. The most absorbent sick-day activity that demands nothing at all.
The Story Vault
Record 5 mini-stories on your phone once, and the sick child has on-demand listening for the whole morning.
The Window Report
Watch the window for 5 minutes and report everything that happened out there.
The Ceiling Map
Find 5 things hiding in the patterns on the ceiling, the blanket, or the wall.
The Sound Map
Lie still, close your eyes, and map every sound you can hear in the house.
The Imaginary Menu
Design a menu for a restaurant that only you would want to eat at — every dish, every name, every price.
The Postcard
One small card to someone they love, and you actually send it.
The Inventor's Problem
Find one thing in this house that doesn't work perfectly, then invent the machine that fixes it.
Who's on My Back?
A famous name written on paper, held behind the child's head, guessed through yes or no questions alone.
The Sick Day Map
Draw the place you most wish you could go right now. Real or completely invented.
The Robot Voice
Everything you say for the next 20 minutes must be said in a robot voice.
The Three Questions
Leave 3 written questions. Child answers whenever they feel ready.
The Slow Drawing
Draw one single object as slowly as possible. Every detail, no rushing allowed.
The Story Starter
Write one opening sentence. Child continues the story for as long as they want.
The Catalog Mission
Old magazines and catalogs. The original sick-day activity, and it still works.