When kids are at home sick, or recovering from being sick, keeping them occupied is important for getting back to the normal daily routine.  Kathy Buckworth stopped by Cityline to share some of her must-know suggestions.

1. Focus should be on activities/games which keep them entertained, and more importantly learning (as they’re missing school), but that are not physically too tiring.

2. It’s a good idea to have some of these in the house that only get used when kids are sick, so they don’t get bored.

3. Plan the TV schedule so they watch what you want them to, when you want them to (instead of all day or inappropriate programs).

– Keep screen time to a minimum (tv/laptops/tablets) and mix it up with games, books, etc

– Also a good time to review if kids are up to date on vaccinations and what’s in your medicine cabinet

A few great items to have on hand:

• Books, which have a learning component, for kids of all school ages

• National Geographic and other non-physical learning games for Xbox, portable gaming devices

• Cool new smaller toys (for kids restricted to bed/couch) including a Fijit (Furby type thing) and a Hot Wheels car that races on your iPad

• Chart to track what kids are eating to see what nutrients they might be missing, as a preventative measure to try to avoid sickness

• Non-messy arts and crafts for the couch/bed

Courtesy Kathy Buckworth, @kathybuckworth