35 Fun Ideas for Family Quality Time with a Chronically Ill Parent

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Plenty of parents would love to have more quality time with their family, but a lack of time, energy or money often gets in the way. And yet, it can hurt deeply when you can’t do the fun activities with your kids that you had envisioned because you’re sick and in pain. Not once, but repeatedly.

Of course you don’t want to disappoint your children – and yourself – but some days even playing a card game together can be too taxing on your brain when you have migraine, brain fog or distracting symptoms. Or maybe you personally struggle with getting out of the house to join in on the family fun, whether that’s a day trip or simply going for a meal.

Thankfully, with some effort, creativity and luck, you can still connect with your kids and partner on busy week days and spend quality time together on weekends when you’re a chronically ill mom or dad.

Some of these ideas will work better for your family than others, depending on your specific chronic illness and home situation. So just consider this list as inspiration that you can adapt to your own needs.

From tods to teens, try these 35 fun ideas for family quality time with a chronically ill parent.

1. Adapt Activities for Family Fun

With a little creativity, you can adapt some – not all – fun activities, so you can still enjoy some quality time with your loved ones.

Horizontal Parenting

Feeling so sick you can barely lift your head from the pillow? Embrace horizontal parenting to connect with your kids while lying down. Make yourself comfortable on the couch or in bed and see which one of these ideas works for you.

• 01. Do you need to rest, but can handle some mental stimulation? Cuddle up to watch one episode of your favorite TV show or listen to audiobooks together.
• 02. Got little ones asking to play with you? Try classics like “Simon says” and “I Spy”, sing “Head, shoulders, knees and toes” while your toddlers dance along or lean into reality by pretend playing doctor. You could even turn off the lights and close the curtains to play flashlight hide and seek from your bed.
• 03. Encourage your school-aged children to practice a new juggling trick, guitar song or TikTok dance routine, that they can then perform by your bedside later.
• 04. Spark fun conversations by playing a game of ‘Would You Rather…’ while you lay down.
• 05. If you have a little energy to spare, build a blanket fort for you to rest in. Bring snacks and a collection of comics or ‘search and find’ books for some cozy quiet time.

Seated Down Activities

If moving around is too much to handle for you, see if you can have some family fun while sitting down. The possibilities may surprise you!

• 06. Enjoy mess-free crafting together, like coloring, aqua doodle, paper folding, dot sticker art or making LEGO bracelets. You could also build 3D structures with play dough and tooth picks, or make and fly paper air planes.
• 07. Gather around the table to play games that aren’t too taxing on your brain, like Pop Up Pirate, Sushi Go or Guess Who?Easy activities like jigsaw puzzles can also offer a good time.
• 08. Let your younger kids blow off some steam by blowing bubbles or playing with a balloon from your (lawn) chair.
• 09. Get down on the floor if you can to build block towers, make a maze with Kapla planks or get creative with LEGO.
• 10. Got an energetic kid? Give seated “sports” a try. Roll a ball with your toddler on the ground, play throw and catch – and let your child do the running for you! – or even seated soccer while you’re sitting outside.
• 11. Have a video game competition. Whether you love Mario Kart, Fall Guys or digital Monopoly, have some family fun from the comfort of your couch.
• 12. Set up a comfortable daybed in the backyard or on the porch so you can supervise your kids while they play in the sandbox, get creative with sidewalk chalk or practice their basketball skills.
• 13. Host a movie night with themed snacks. No need to spend hours in the kitchen, but having a caramel apple while watching Snow White, Oreos with peanut butter during The Parent Trap or Asian snacks as Mulan‘s saving the Chinese empire could make your family quality time even more memorable.

Low-Stimulation Family Fun

Do you struggle with sensory overload, headaches or brain fog? Maybe these activities still allow you to bond with your family while looking after your health.

• 14. Got little ones around? Set up a simple ‘breakfast invitation’ like color sorting or Duplo counting cards for some independent learning, so you can slowly wake up with a cup of tea.
• 15. Have a spa day at home with your t(w)eens. Enjoy a steam facial and DIY face masks, have a soothing sooth soak, and of course give yourselves a mani and pedi with some sparkly nail polish!
• 16. Do you need some tranquility, but still can move freely? Look up some kid-friendly yoga videos you can do together. Bonus points if you can end with resting in Savasana!
• 17. Get some quiet time with these beautiful magnetic books that allow you to mix and match animals and recreate their own fairytale stories.
• 18. Natural surroundings are known to ease mental fatigue, calm your nervous system and boost your mood. Perhaps doing some easy gardening projects together will make you all feel a little better?
• 19. Create a vision board with your older children, with inspiration about style and bedroom decorations, dream destinations or goals for their bucket lists. You can get as creative or low-key as you’d like.

Easy Outings

Most kids love to go to the zoo, beach or carnival, but these outings can pose a lot of challenges for chronically ill parents, from mobility issues to overstimulation. Of course your family can go without you, but first check out this blog post with 10 Tips to Enjoy Day Trips with Chronic Illness to see if you can make your favorite outing more accessible.

• 20. Plan an easy outing that’s doable for you. Depending on your physical and mental condition, you may find a picnic in the park, playing miniature golf, picking seasonal fruits or going for pizza relatively comfortable activities. Visiting the library or a (small) local museum can also be an accessible option that’s not too noisy and crowded. Pace your energy well, take breaks and bring aids if needed.

2. Level Up Everyday Moments

We all want to make memories with our children. Thankfully, what builds your kid’s character the most is not a one-time trip to Disneyland, but that song you sing before bedtime each night and the monthly family game night you cherish.

Like the author William Martin puts it:

“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life.”

So what can you do to make the everyday moments even more special? Here are some low-effort ideas:

• 21. Have breakfast on the porch or balcony on beautiful mornings.
• 22. Resting in bed doesn’t always have to get in the way of spending quality moments with your family (if you can handle the mental stimulation). Snuggle up in the morning before the kids get ready for school. In the evening, let your partner bring up some hot chocolate and browse your family photo albums together. You could even brighten up your ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars so you can each make a wish at night before going to sleep.
• 23. Put a sweet note in your children’s lunch boxes.
• 24. Explore if you can make your daily commute to school a moment for bonding instead of a stressful time of day. Create a special playlist with songs for your drive, listen to a family-friendly podcast together or play a car game, like trying to spot other cars in all 7 colors of the rainbow (in order!).
• 25. At dinnertime, set the tone by lighting a candle, or each share your favorite moment of the day. You could also switch things up by having breakfast for dinner one night a week or having a picnic on the living room floor.
• 26. Make your own family traditions you can stick to on (relatively) bad days. Get ice cream on the last day of school before Summer, let your kids pick what’s for dinner on their birthday or drive through the neighborhood the days before Christmas to see all the magical decorations outside.

3. Do and Duplicate

With a fluctuating health, even the best laid plans can get messed up when your symptoms suddenly act up. In that case, it can be helpful to try the strategy of “Do and Duplicate”: do something extra on days you feel relatively good that you can fall back on on bad days.

Let’s take a look at some examples:

• 27. Read aloud your kid’s favorite picture book and record it (audio or video) for days when you’re in too much pain for bedtime stories. This also works well to comfort your kids if you often spend time in the hospital.
• 28. When you bake cupcakes or cookies together, save an extra batch in the freezer for your kid(s) to decorate during times when you don’t have the energy to bake from scratch.
• 29. Print a double amount of coloring pages and fun worksheets like sudokus, mazes and word puzzles that you child can do independently. That way, you always have something entertaining at hand for sick days, rain afternoons or longer car rides.

4. Shake things up!

Shake up your usual routines by doing something out-of-the-ordinary for your family.

• 30. Stay up late to watch the stars together or get up early to watch the sunrise.
• 31. Ring in the weekend with a 10-minute living room dance party (if you can handle the noise). Swinging in your seat also counts!
• 32. Host a book club with your older children. Pick an age-appropriate book you’re all interested in, make time for reading and plan a cozy meeting to discuss the novel, while enjoying tea and cookies. You could also watch the accompanying movie afterwards.
• 33. Do a gentle family activity you haven’t tried before, like karaoke, an escape room puzzle or learning a new skill together.
• 34. Grab blankets and pillows and sleep in the living room on special occasions.
• 35. Have a taste testing party with a ‘grand dessert’, cheese board or bowls with different flavors of potato chips.

And if all else fails… Be the audience.

How often do you hear your child say, “Mom, dad, watch this!” on any given day? As much as it hurts to not be able to join in on fun activities, being there to see your family enjoys themselves matters too.

I read this beautiful post on Cup of Jo that said your children want you to be their audience, to watch their life movie as it unfolds. Your attention and approval means more to them than you may realize.

And that also works after events! If your health stopped you from seeing your kid’s performance or sports game in real life, I bet they can’t wait to get home to tell you their stories and watch the photos or videos together.

No matter how much you struggle with your symptoms, your child loves to spend time with you in any way possible. Sadly, there will probably be days when even watching a movie together is more than you can handle. But hopefully this list has given you some ideas for family quality time with chronic illness, so you can join in on the fun too.

For more advice, check out the full series on parenting with chronic illness, from taking care of your baby to looking after school-aged kids when you’re sick. Also read the 10 Tips to Enjoy Day Trips with Chronic Illness to make family outings more accessible.