30 Ideas to Try Right Now
⚡ Filter by Time & Constraints
Showing 30 of 30 ideas for 5 Year Old when sick
⏱️ Duration
🎯 Requirements & Effort
📖
#1·⏱️ Anymess freelow effort
Audiobook + Drawing
🛒Materials: Phone/tablet (audio only), paper, crayons
- 1Put on a children's audiobook.
- 2Give your child paper and crayons.
- 3Ask them to draw what they hear.
🏷️
#2·⏱️ 15–20 minmess freelow effortno prepno materials
Sticker Sorting Game
🛒Materials: Sticker sheets, paper divided into sections
- 1Draw sections on paper (colours, shapes, animals).
- 2Give your child a sticker sheet.
- 3Challenge: put each sticker in the right section.
🧪
#3·⏱️ 10–15 minlow effortno prepno materialsmess free
Kitchen Science: Density Tower
🛒Materials: Tall glass, honey, dish soap, water, oil
- 1Slowly pour honey into the glass first.
- 2Then carefully add dish soap, then water, then oil.
- 3Watch the layers stack — each liquid has a different density!
💡
Drop safe items in (cork, grape, large plastic block) and see where they float.
🌯
#4·⏱️ 5–10 minno prepno materialslow effortmess free
Blanket Burrito Roll
🛒Materials: A blanket
- 1Lay a blanket flat on the floor.
- 2Child lies at one end and rolls themselves up into a 'burrito'.
- 3Add 'toppings': pillow as cheese, stuffed animal as salsa.
💡
Deep pressure from the blanket is genuinely calming — great before bedtime.
🌋
#5·⏱️ 15–20 minmess freeno materialslow effort
Couch Cushion Lava Floor
🛒Materials: Couch cushions, pillows
- 1Scatter cushions across the living room floor.
- 2The floor is 'lava' — you can only stand on cushions.
- 3Navigate from one end of the room to the other without touching the floor.
🗺️
#6·⏱️ 15–20 minmess freelow effort
Word Treasure Hunt
🛒Materials: Paper, pencil
- 1Hide 5 paper 'clues' around the house, each with a simple word (e.g. DOOR, TABLE).
- 2Each clue leads to the next hiding spot.
- 3Final clue leads to a small reward (sticker, snack).
💡
Write words your child can almost-but-not-quite read for the perfect challenge.
🧺
#7·⏱️ 10 minno prepno materialsmess freelow effort
Laundry Basket Race
🛒Materials: Laundry basket, soft floor
- 1Child sits inside the laundry basket.
- 2Parent pulls them across the floor — or they scoot themselves.
- 3Set up a 'race track' with turns and a finish line.
👁️
#8·⏱️ 5–10 minno prepno materialsmess freelow effort
I Spy
🛒Materials: None
- 1One person says 'I spy with my little eye, something...' and gives a clue.
- 2Others guess what it is.
- 3Whoever guesses correctly goes next.
💃
#9·⏱️ 5–10 minno prepno materialsmess freelow effort
Dance Party
🛒Materials: None (just music)
- 1Play your child's favorite upbeat song.
- 2Dance together in the living room.
- 3Pause the music randomly and yell 'Freeze!'
🎈
#10·⏱️ 10 minno prepmess freelow effort
Balloon Keep-Up
🛒Materials: 1 balloon
- 1Blow up a balloon.
- 2Rule: it cannot touch the floor.
- 3Count how many hits before it drops.
🎯
#11·⏱️ 5–10 minno preplow effort
Tape Maze
🛒Materials: Painter's tape
- 1Lay tape on the floor in a maze pattern.
- 2Walk only on the tape lines.
- 3Add challenges like jumping at certain points.
👑
#12·⏱️ 10 minno materialsno prepmess freelow effort
Simon Says
🛒Materials: None
- 1One person is Simon.
- 2Simon gives instructions: 'Simon says jump!'
- 3Only follow if it starts with 'Simon says' — catch everyone out!
🦁
#13·⏱️ 10 minno materialsno prepmess freelow effort
Animal Walks
🛒Materials: None
- 1Call out different animals.
- 2Challenge your child to walk/move like that animal.
- 3Try crab crawl, frog jumps, bear walks!
📖
#14·⏱️ 10 minno materialsno prepmess freelow effort
Storytelling Chain
🛒Materials: None
- 1First person starts a story with one sentence.
- 2Each person adds one more sentence.
- 3See how wild it gets!
🕺
#15·⏱️ 10 minno materialsmess freelow effort
Freeze Dance
🛒Materials: Phone/speaker
- 1Play music and dance freely.
- 2When music stops, everyone freezes.
- 3Last to freeze is out!
🧲
#16·⏱️ 15 minmess freelow effortno prepno materials
Fridge Magnet Stories
🛒Materials: Magnetic letters or word magnets, fridge
- 1Use fridge magnets to spell out silly sentences.
- 2Each person adds one word to make the sentence longer and sillier.
- 3Read the final sentence out loud — guaranteed laughs.
🧸
#17·⏱️ 10–15 minno prepno materialsmess freelow effort
Sensory Texture Hunt
🛒Materials: None
- 1Find something soft, something hard, something smooth, and something rough in the room.
- 2Have your child touch and describe each object.
- 3Repeat with different textures.
🧲
#18·⏱️ 15–20 minmess freelow effort
Magnetic Letters on Fridge
🛒Materials: Magnetic letters (or paper + tape)
- 1Stick letters on the fridge.
- 2Call out a word and have your child spell it.
- 3Start easy, then challenge them.
🎧
#19·⏱️ 15 minlow effortmess free
Audio Guided Hunt
🛒Materials: Phone or speaker
- 1Hide a few small items in a room.
- 2Record yourself giving audio instructions (e.g. 'Take three steps left').
- 3Play the audio and let your child search independently.
📚
#20·⏱️ 20+ minlow effortmess free
Book Club for One
🛒Materials: Books
- 1Let your child pick 3 books.
- 2They read (or look at pictures) independently.
- 3Later, ask them: 'Which was your favourite and why?'
❓
#21·⏱️ 10 minno prepno materialsmess freelow effort
20 Questions
🛒Materials: None
- 1One person thinks of an animal, object, or person.
- 2Others ask yes/no questions to guess.
- 3Maximum 20 questions allowed.
⚖️
#22·⏱️ 15 minno preplow effortmess free
DIY Balance Beam
🛒Materials: Painter's tape or a long plank
- 1Lay tape in a straight line on the floor.
- 2Challenge your child to walk heel-to-toe along the line.
- 3Make it harder by adding curves or carrying a cup of water.
🐺
#23·⏱️ 10–15 minno materialsmess freelow effort
Shadow Puppets
🛒Materials: A lamp (or phone torch)
- 1Darken the room and point a lamp at the wall.
- 2Use your hands to make animal shadows.
- 3Tell a story with shadow characters.
👥
#24·⏱️ 10–15 minno materialsmess freelow effortno prep
Mirror Mimic Game
🛒Materials: None
- 1Stand face-to-face with your child.
- 2Make slow movements (like lifting an arm or balancing on one foot).
- 3They must mimic your movements exactly like a mirror. Swap roles!
🗣️
#25·⏱️ 10–15 minno prepno materialsmess freelow effort
Interactive Storytelling
🛒Materials: None
- 1Start telling a story about a character.
- 2Pause at key moments and ask your child to make the decision.
- 3Continue the story based on their choices!
🧪
#26·⏱️ 15 minmess freelow effort
Mini Science Lab: Fizzing Colours
🛒Materials: Baking soda, vinegar, food colouring, ice cube tray
- 1Fill each ice cube section with baking soda.
- 2Add a drop of different food colouring to each.
- 3Use a pipette or spoon to add vinegar — watch each one fizz!
🪙
#27·⏱️ 10–15 minmess freelow effort
Coin Rubbing Art
🛒Materials: Coins, thin paper, wax crayons
- 1Place a coin flat under the paper.
- 2Rub the side of a crayon over the coin.
- 3The coin's texture appears on the paper — collect all the coins you have!
🎲
#28·⏱️ 20–40 minmess freelow effort
Board Game Hour
🛒Materials: Any board game
- 1Pick a game you haven't played in a while.
- 2Read the rules out loud together.
- 3Play 2 rounds — loser picks the next game.
✏️
#29·⏱️ 15+ minmess freelow effort
Dry Erase Board Drawing
🛒Materials: Whiteboard or laminated paper, dry erase marker
- 1Give your child the board.
- 2Suggest drawing prompts: favourite animal, dream house.
- 3Wipe and repeat.
🧱
#30·⏱️ 30+ minlow effortmess free
Building Block Free Play
🛒Materials: Lego, Duplo, or any blocks
- 1Set out a bucket of blocks.
- 2No instructions — free build.
- 3Only rule: must name what they built when done.
