Tips for Brightening Sick Days with Arts & Crafts for Kids

Anyone with a child is guaranteed to be faced with a few sick days. And never on a day that suits your schedule. Whether at home or at hospital, the hours are long and as caretaker you’ll do almost anything to brighten your kiddos day. 

Having spent countless nights in hospital beds with my Asthmatic son, I quickly looked to resources around me to stimulate and entertain my son. The hours in hospital feel so much longer and lonelier. Added to the stress, these visits were rarely planned. My husband, on the other side of the phone, has about 30 mins to pack a hospital back for myself and my son. 

As a seasoned hospital goer, we have a cupboard set aside with activities, crafts, toys waiting patiently to play like something out of Toy Story. By not allowing the kids regular access to this cupboard, also creates excitement around the activities. 

Here’s a list of 9 activities that are great to bring joy to a sick child and a small space: 

1. Watercolour painting- it’s quick and easy to clean. 
2. Diamond dotting- This is quickly becoming a new trend. Just a small picture is bound to keep the kids busy for hours. This activity is excellent to practise hand eye coordination as well as learning the alphabet.  
3. Beading with letters- Make your friends and family bracelets with their names on. This is lovely for hand eye coordination and learning to spell. 
4. Make your own card- great to leave a special something for the nursing staff that work so tirelessly. 
5. Remote controlled cars- There are so many passages and flat corridors to play and wonder. Remote controlled cars are great in hospitals. 
6. Colouring in- Or even better, have you seen the latest trend of 3M long colouring in? This is great for those cold and rainy days. 3 metres of colouring in will last you for days. Be sure to tape down your colouring in an area with little foot traffic. 
7. Doodling silly creatures - Take ordinary animals and turn them into something weird and wonderful. Mix up the bodies, ears, fins, furr and see what you come up with. Here is an easy tutorial.
8. Origami- This is an ancient art and is still as popular as before. The skill levels required vary greatly and this helps to keep kids of all ages busy. You can find easy tutorials here
9. Stories and kids songs downloaded on your phone to a music streaming app- This is great to drown out any unwanted noise. 

This list is great for kids at home or in hospital. Arts and crafts is a wonderful way to lift their spirits.  You can shop most items from Checkers Sixty60. If you have a bit more time, you can order all these goodies from www.scribbleandscratch.co.za. 

From one experienced Mamma to another, sending you strength and creativity to get through these challenging times. 

Want to be inspired by some more crafts? Head over to our templates and tutorials page for magic and creativity.