5 Hacks to engage your child during injury

Have you ever faced a situation when your child has been advised bed rest for a long period so that she heals completely from an injury? Other than taking care of her and giving her medical help, there are loads of things which need to be done. One of the most difficult one, for sure, is to keep her busy. She is bored as she cannot go to school or go down to play in the playground. Even if she thinks she can, she is too sick to get out of bed and run around. Now for the parents, the most difficult job is to keep her engaged.

First think of the different indoor activities she likes to do during her free time and start off with those. But again, she will look for variations. So you need to be patient and help her to pass those awful days. It is tough for you – the parents as well, but you are her best friend and only you can help her in those days. These are a few suggestions which might help you when you face such a problem.

1: Storybooks and stories are fun: Do not force her to read the books, which you want her to read. Instead   let her enjoy some books which she would love to read. Buy a few books because new books are always a bigger attraction. But again that does not mean that you buy her a new book every day.

2: Board games to beat boredom: Take out all the board games that have been put away at the back of the shelves. Sit with her and spend some time playing board games. They are fun. Games like Scrabble will not only help her pass time but will also increase her vocabulary.

3: DIY art & craft adds fun: Engage in a craft with her. Teach her something new. There are loads of options and ideas available on the Internet in case you are running out of them. Do something simple that will not be too invigorating for her. Please remember it is not a project but a way to keep her entertained. So let mistakes happen, as they add to the fun element.

4: Colours galore: I am sure your child loves colours so give her a packet of crayons, pencil colours sketch pens and some colouring books or some plain drawing sheets. Watch her imagination soar to a different level altogether. My son does not love colouring but he is extremely fond of sketching cartoons. So you are the best judge of what your child might be more interested in.

5: Friends get-together: An extremely pleasant surprise will be to get her friends over for a play date. Think of ideas where they can sit and play some games instead of running around the house. You can be a moderator to the game of ‘Name, Place Thing, and Animal’. A movie date might be a good idea in this case. With some popcorn and juices and a bunch of friends to give her company, she might be able to spend some fun time.

Do not feel guilty that she is sick. You do not have to give in to every demand of hers or spend your entire day sitting beside her. Just help her pass her time in a joyous way because s happy child heals faster. So just be on her side, be a friend on those days.

These are few of the ways I feel we can keep our child occupied during an injury. Do you have some more? Please do share your ideas in the comments section below to make this blog more interactive and useful for all the proparents in the community.