20 Ways To Entertain Kids When You Feel Like Death

Sick-days suck. Here are some helpful ideas to keep kids busy while you recover.

1. Set up a tent indoors.

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If you don't have a small tent, or kid's pop-up tent, make a sheet fort. Have your littles fill it with all their stuff. They can do everything in there--even watch cartoons on the iPad. Bonus: It helps minimize household destruction.

2. Turn your living room into a movie theatre.

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Push the furniture out of the way. Load up on blankets and pillows. Crash.

3. Indoor picnic.

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What? Eat on blankets? Genius.

4. Delivery

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Don't be a hero. Call for delivery.

5. Role reversal.

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Kids love pretending they're the boss. Let them take care of you.

6. Play-doh.

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Let them use plastic knives, kid scissors, rolling pins, stamps, cookie cutters. It should keep them busy for an hour or two.

7. Coloring

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Color with them. It's relaxing. No coloring books on hand? Try one of these free printable sheets.

8. Crack into your secret toy stash.

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If you don't have a secret/emergency stash, now's a good time to start! Something new always holds their attention for a bit.

9. Call a lifeline.

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Even if you don't know anyone to help, try using a babysitting line like UrbanSitter.com. Sometimes, you need to call for backup.

10. Scavenger hunt around the house.

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Try one of these 32 ideas, like finding objects that start with a certain letter.

11. Have them put on a show.

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Be the audience for their fashion show, puppet show, rock concert, dance show, or magic show.

12. Spa day.

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Do nails. Wear facemasks. Put cucumber slices on your eyes. Relax together.

13. Listen to audio books together.

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Go to one of these 10 sites to get free audiobooks.

14. Buy a new game for your tablet or phone.

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They love playing on your tech devices. Download a new game and let them play as long as they want.

15. Sensory bags.

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Try one of these 40 ideas.

16. Indoor swimming.

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Or just plain ol' tub time.

17. Play "Guess What I Am"

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Like charades--have your child act out being different animals. Guess what they are. You never have to leave the bed (and you never have to have a turn).

18. Play freeze dance.

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Boom.

19. One of these indoor activities.

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The activities on this list require very little prep.

20. Take it outside.

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If you can make it out of your bed, try letting the kids play outside for a bit. The fresh air and vitamin D will be good for you too.