So this past weekend found my youngest daughter and myself sick. Not emergency room sick, but sick enough to want to lay around in our pajamas and watch television all day. This was a perfect solution for my daughter, but I still had two other children to take care of and not a lot of energy to do it with. 
 
Have you faced this challenge yourself? Once you’re a parent, sick days don’t really happen for you anymore, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to crash on the couch and recuperate. If you find yourself battling the flu, a cold, or just drained from a long day, here are some suggestions on how you can still be involved from the comfort of your recliner.
 
Flash Cards. They’re great for learning letters, numbers, and objects, but you don’t have to stop there. I’ll throw the deck in the air and then have the little ones search for a “J” or the jaguar, and then they have to act out the picture on the card. They love it.

 

Freeze Dance. This is always a blast, and if you’re not under the weather, you’ll find yourself joining in. Turn on some music and watch your kids invent dance moves. When you turn it off, they have to freeze in place. Their giggles are a guaranteed mood booster.

Storytelling. Kids love to hear stories. Stories you make up, fairy tales, or my personal favorite-family stories. They’re fascinated by listening to stories about when they were a baby, when you were a kid, or family legends. If you can get them involved and have them start making up their own plot twists, you’ll double the fun and strengthen their creative muscles in the process.

Imaginative play. My two girls love to play kitten. They crawl around on the ground, chase after “cat toys” and beg for treats. They can do this for an hour at a time and never tire of the game. I didn’t feel like batting paws with them, but I did call out tricks they needed to do to earn a treat.

Home movies or photo albums. You’ll enjoy this as much as your children and can spend hours going over old pictures or watching old movies. I found a video from when I was 12 on a hike with my mom and brother - not exactly the most exciting movie in the world, but I loved it. And so did they.

Both my daughter and I are feeling much better now but I did realize something during my sick spell. When my kids had to do more to keep themselves occupied, they did it without a hitch. I tend to be right there with the next activity, ready and happy to pitch in and help them with their homework or playing, but they don’t need that all the time. I’m glad to see that they’re becoming more independent and relying on themselves, and each other, more and more. Obviously mommy is still going to be a big part of their day, but when it comes to letting them use their imagination, I’m going to give them a little more space and enjoy the show. I’m Claire, the Afena blog mom. Thanks for reading.