We didn’t have social media, streaming services, or many modern conveniences in the 80s, so being stuck at home sick meant we had to get creative. But that didn’t mean we had NOTHING to keep us occupied while we recovered.
Take a trip down memory lane with us to 15 popular ways we kept busy on sick days off from school in the 80s. From endless reruns on TV to curling up with a favorite book or toy, these simple moments defined our downtime and kept the boredom at bay.
Watch Classic 80s Cartoons
Classic cartoons made sick days in the 80s a lot more tolerable. The day felt a little brighter when Scooby-Doo, Dino-Riders, or The Flintstones popped on. You’d curl up with your favorite blanket and watch action-packed series like Voltron or Thundercats.
Even though we’ve forgotten half of the cartoons we used to indulge in, we remember how these stories felt larger than life when you weren’t rushing to school. You might’ve been sniffling under a blanket, but those animated adventures made it feel like you weren’t missing out on the fun.
Play Video Games
Sick days in the 80s often meant firing up the NES or Atari and zoning out to games like Duck Hunt or Pac-Man. The graphics weren’t flashy (we couldn’t even fathom what 4K would look like), and the sound effects were extremely basic, but they didn’t need to be anything else.
You’d lose hours jumping over barrels in Donkey Kong or dodging scorpions in Pitfall. Even if your head hurt and your throat was sore, pressing “Start” was all it took to forget about the box of tissues by your side.
Listen to Vinyl Records
We often forget how convenient Bluetooth, Spotify, and Apple Music are when we think back to vinyl, cassette tapes, and record players. In the 80s, digging through albums to find your favorite was part of the charm when you were too sick to go to school.
You’d pull out a Fleetwood Mac or Journey record and let the crackle play along with the music (and hope your head would stop pounding to the beat). The experience wasn’t instant, but it felt personal despite the sniffles.
Play with Legos
While we might have outgrown Legos, they’re still timeless and entertain millions of kids around the world.
We had it basic in the 80s, but those bricks kept us busy while we were home sick from school. No themed sets or instructions with hundreds of pieces—just a box of random bricks that sparked endless creativity.
You’d build towers, cars, or entire imaginary cities, only to knock them down and start again. Sometimes, the best part was searching for that perfect piece in the pile.
Craft with Easy-Bake Ovens
These made us feel like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver before we even knew who they were. Maybe our creations were inedible, but the experience was REAL.
The Easy-Bake Oven wasn’t about gourmet results but the thrill of baking something on your own. You’d mix powdered batter, pour it into tiny pans, and slide it into the little slot. The waiting was the hardest part, but pulling out those miniature cakes (half-burnt or not) was pure joy.
Play with Pound Puppies
Stuffed toys are everywhere now, but these cute little fuzzballs held our hearts in the 80s and comforted us while we were sick. Pound Puppies weren’t just toys—they were adopted “friends.”
Each one came with its own cardboard kennel and adoption certificate, which made them feel special.
Sick days meant tucking your puppy under a blanket and pretending to care for it, just like it cared for you. Those floppy ears, sad little eyes, and soft fur made everything feel a little better.
Play with Cabbage Patch Kids
These are timeless icons of childhood days, especially when we needed something to cheer us up if we could barely lift our heads.
Cabbage Patch Kids brought a sense of belonging. You’d “adopt” them with their official birth certificates and instantly feel like they were part of your family.
In the 80s, sick days were spent naming them, changing their outfits, or making up stories about their little lives. Seeing their chubby cheeks and soft yarn hair peeking out from under the covers made being stuck in bed a little easier.
Watch Educational Shows
We don’t know about you, but if a single image could inspire memories, you can probably hear it—like the opening song of so many educational shows.
From Sesame Street teaching us to count to The Electric Company making us love words, these shows had a way of making learning stick. Sick days didn’t feel wasted when you were watching LeVar Burton talk about books or Fred Rogers show us the beauty of kindness.
Make Friendship Bracelets
What better way to show your friends you missed them than by spending your sick day in bed creating friendship bracelets? You’d sit on the couch with a pile of thread in every color, figuring out how to twist and knot your way to a bracelet.
Sometimes, they turned out crooked, but nobody cared. The effort was what counted. You’d memorize simple patterns like stripes or zigzags and pass the time feeling a little less alone.
Once you returned to school, handing those bracelets to your friends was like saying, “I thought of you the whole time.”
Flip Through the Sears Catalog
It’s the 80s, and you’re sick in pajamas; what better way to will yourself to health than by browsing the Sears catalog for outfits? Page after page offered endless inspiration—shiny sneakers, stylish denim, or the latest kids’ jackets.
But it wasn’t just clothes. The catalog had everything: toys you wished for, kitchen gadgets Mom might like, you name it. It was as close to window shopping as you could get from bed.
Rewatch Favorite VHS Movies
We couldn’t exactly browse streaming services for something new, so we worked with what we had—our favorite movies on VHS, even though we knew the lines by heart. Variety wasn’t necessary.
Dirty Dancing, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or The Empire Strikes Back could hold your attention every time. The fuzzy picture and the hum of the VCR became part of the experience. You’d lie on the couch with snacks and let those well-known stories carry you through the day.
Play Board Games
Board games are still great for gatherings, and in the 80s, staying home from school (either with siblings or alone) made them a go-to boredom buster.
The Game of Life let you pick careers and dream about the future, while Monopoly tested your patience and sibling alliances. If no one was up for a long game, Chutes and Ladders was an easy choice. Even on days when you felt under the weather, those boards kept you busy.
Build Forts with Blankets and Pillows
Being confined to bed didn’t mean no adventure. Blankets draped over chairs and couch cushions turned the living room into a fortress. You’d grab extra pillows, books for weight, and maybe a flashlight to complete the look.
Once inside, the fort became a hideout where you could read comics, nap, or pretend you were in a secret lair. It wasn’t fancy, but it made being sick feel a little less boring. By the time it collapsed, you were already planning the next one.
Read Sweet Valley High Books
Nothing cured the boredom of a sick day like getting lost in Sweet Valley High. Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield had the kind of high school adventures you could only dream about—dramatic crushes, mysterious new students, and plenty of sibling rivalry.
Each book gave you a front-row seat to their glamorous California lives. You didn’t have to leave the couch to imagine sun-soaked streets or the halls of their high school. Before you knew it, the day flew by, even with a fever and tissues by your side.
Watch “Soap Operas” or “Talk Shows”
Sick days at home often meant daytime TV, which led to soap operas or talk shows. You’d lie on the couch, half-watching All My Children as characters schemed and swapped lovers.
For something lighter, talk shows like Donahue or Sally Jessy Raphael brought dramatic guests and heated audience debates. Even if you didn’t fully understand it, the over-the-top emotions and big personalities kept you hooked long enough to forget you weren’t feeling your best.
