Keeping 9 year old with arm in cast occupied - tips needed

[sanity girl]

My daughter has managed to fracture her elbow. She has her arm in a cast and cannot now do the various activities we had planned for her this week (adventure playground, tennis course, karate, swimming). I am at work and she is with her grandparents. Any suggestions for good activities to keep her occupied that are not reading/watching tv/playing on computer? It's her left arm so she at least can use her right hand. She's usually very physically active so it's going to be tricky. At least we are off to Dorset at the weekend so a change of scene should help.

[enjoy]

Poor her!

We bought a metal detector for our 9 year old last summer.

Broken arm in a sling, but could handle a detector :-)

Good luck and a speedy recovery!

[Saffron]

Are Grandparents willing/ able to take her to some museums? There are some great exhibitions and family activities this summer. Would she still be able to do some crafty activities like this, maybe with a little help? Or, at least walking around the exhibits would be gentle exercise. xx

[sanity girl]

Thanks. Metal detector is quite a good idea - we are off to Dorset on Saturday so it could be an option to take along with us. She went to the cinema today and is going to sit on the side and watch her karate class this afternoon (she is that keen!).

[AbbieP]

Metal detector? Really?

I guess I live under a rock...

I think drawing could be quite fun. But like creative drawing - comic book for example (creating both a story with a plot and drawing the pictures), or learning drawing techniques. It helps develop creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Board games are also quite fun and easy to find - the market is literally flooded with board games. The whole family can play or with friends, doesn't matter really. It's a fun way to connect with people.

[missyelliott]

I feel for you. My 3 year old broke her leg and was in plaster from her toe to her hip for nearly 10 weeks. Not fun at all!

[Gubodge]

It hopefully won't affect her summer too much. My daughter has (twice) broken her right elbow (once on the first day of the summer hols) and once she was used to it it didn't slow her down much at all. If it's her left arm then I don't see why she shouldn't still play tennis and there are great waterproof cast covers that still allow swimming. We even had a 9 year old scaling a climbing wall with her arm in a cast at a birthday party.

[sanity girl]

This is good to hear, thanks. She is just back from the fracture clinic with a new cast - I had been hoping that she wouldn't need to keep it in the cast after two weeks, but it is still painful to touch and the consultant said more time was needed. When I told him my daughter had been very active in the past week he said she should tone it down a bit (I didn't dare say she even went bodyboarding in the sea when we were in Dorset - with a waterproof cast obviously!). I am going to load up my kindle for her for our holiday in France next week.

Gubodge Wrote:

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> It hopefully won't affect her summer too much. My

> daughter has (twice) broken her right elbow (once

> on the first day of the summer hols) and once she

> was used to it it didn't slow her down much at

> all. If it's her left arm then I don't see why she

> shouldn't still play tennis and there are great

> waterproof cast covers that still allow swimming.

> We even had a 9 year old scaling a climbing wall

> with her arm in a cast at a birthday party.