How to Get a Sick Day off from School Without Going to the Doctor

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 11, 2023 References

Setting the Stage

|

Being Convincing

|

Acting Sick

|

Bonus Tips

|

Q&A

|

Tips

|

Warnings

|

Things You'll Need

It happens to be a school day but you feel like staying home to get a little rest. Feigning sick is a popular approach, but you risk having to go to the doctor if you don't play it right. There is an art to pretending to be sick that will leave you exactly where you want to be if you play it right. If you can pull it off, you'll be lounging in bed without worrying about getting a doctor's note in no time!

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Setting the Stage

1
Pick the right ailment. If you want to stay home but avoid a trip to the doctor, you have to choose a sickness that's not too severe. You'll have to feign an illness that can only be cured by staying at home and avoiding any hard work, (like going to school)! ^{[1]
X
Research source}
- A stomach virus is a good choice because it leaves you unable to go to class but isn't necessarily severe enough to call for medical attention.
- The most awful symptoms of a stomach virus include diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- A fever also works because it makes a good excuse to stay home but usually just requires a little rest.
- Fever signs and symptoms might include sweating, shivering, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, dehydration, and general weakness. ^{[3]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
2
Complain about the ailment. People don't generally get sick all of a sudden, so you'll have to begin feeling bad the day before you want to stay home and let your guardians know about it.
- Tell your guardians that you're not feeling your best. You can do this by saying some key phrases like:
  - "My head hurts.”
  - "I ate something funny at lunch today."
  - "A lot of my classmates have been out sick lately, I hope I didn't catch anything!"
Advertisement
3
Don't overly stress your performance. If you want to stay home without going to the doctor, you have to convey that you're sick but not sick enough to need medical care.
- Avoid suddenly showing all of your symptoms at once.
- Pretending to vomit may make your guardians concerned enough to bring you to the doctor, so it's best to stick to feigning the other two symptoms. ^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
- Avoid showing only the symptoms that you know your guardians usually treated with medication, like a headache.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Being Convincing

1
Plant the idea that you might need to stay home the following day without being overly dramatic. At this point in your performance, you're just starting to feel sick and need to be subtle, or else risk being figured out.
- The “art” of your performance lies in subtlety revealing your ailments.
- To help you find the right balance, think about what happened the last time you started to get sick.
- Avoid using direct phrases such as:
  - “I don't think I'll be able to go to school tomorrow.”
  - ”I'm not feeling well enough to make it to class.”
  - ”I'm too sick for school.”
2
Alter your afternoon routine. Don't engage in the normal activities you would do if you felt well to show that you're not feeling your best.
- Decline to participate in a favorite activity, such as watching a movie or playing a board game.
- Seem disinterested in engaging in the things your guardians know you usually enjoy doing.
- Don't contribute a lot to the conversation so that you seem too tired to be involved.
- If your parents ask if you've been feeling sick for a while, tell them that you've been feeling slightly off all day.
3
Don't eat much at the dinner table. If your stomach hurts, eating a big meal is the last thing you want to do! If you had a fever, you could be experiencing a loss of appetite, which also would make you not want to eat much.
- Excuse yourself to use the bathroom and don't come out for ten minutes to give the impression that you are feeling bad but that you can still function enough to not raise too much concern.
- When you return to the table, let your guardians know that your stomach is hurting by saying things like:
  - ”Sorry I was gone for so long, my stomach feels weird.”
  - ”I'm not sure if I can finish dinner, my stomach doesn't feel well.”
  - ”Can I be excused? My stomach is hurting and I think I want to lay down for a moment.”
- If possible, sneak some snacks into your bedroom to eat later so that you don't get really hungry at night!

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Acting Sick

1
Feign tiredness. Generally, being sick is really taxing on your body! Your body works hard to fight off stomach viruses and other fever-causing ailments so you'll need to show your guardians that your body is hard at work because you're "really" sick.
- Some well-known symptoms of a fever include body aches, fatigue, and muscle weakness. ^{[5]
  X
  Research source}
- You can show that you're tired by moving slower than normal, laying down on the couch, or resting your head on the table at dinner.
- When you're tired, your body temperature may drop slightly causing you to feel colder than normal. Get a blanket that's heavier than normal to put over yourself when you're sitting on the couch. ^{[6]
  X
  Research source}
2
Feign a temperature increase. If you know that your guardians will want to touch your face or use a thermometer to check for a fever, you first need to elevate your body temperature.
- A fever is also known as a “high temperature.” You have a fever when your temperature rises above its normal range, which is about 98.6 F (37 C). ^{[7]
  X
  Research source}
- Depending on what's causing your fever, additional fever signs and symptoms might include:
  - Sweating
  - Shivering
  - Headache
  - Muscle aches
  - Loss of appetite
  - Dehydration
  - General weakness ^{[8]
    X
    Trustworthy Source
    Mayo Clinic
    Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
    Go to source}
- Pretending you have an increased body temperature should be done by demonstrating that you have the symptoms of a fever and by showing that you have an above-average body temperature.
3
Increase your body temperature. You want your face looks red and to feel hot to the touch.
- Put on a sweater or heavy clothing to make your body warm.
- Without anyone seeing, do jumping jacks, high-knees, or mountain climbers for one minute.
- If you're not hot after one minute, repeat your method until you start to feel hot and sweaty.
- Don't overdo it! You don't want to push yourself too hard and risk injury. Be careful and only perform until you feel hot.
- Take off your added layer of clothing and immediately go to your guardians and say you don't feel well. They will see that you're sweating and if they touch your cheek, they will feel that you're hot.
4
Make your face red and your neck hot whenever possible. If you show that you're consistently warm, your guardians will be more likely to believe you're sick.
- Run a cloth under hot water and put it on your face and neck when no one is looking. Be sure that the water isn't too hot, because you risk burning yourself.
- Pat off the excess water with a dry towel. You want to seem warm and have a little bit of water remaining. This will make it look like you've been sweating.
- If you don't have access to a cloth, rub your face with your hands. This will create friction and warm your face quickly, as well as make it red.
- Ask your guardians to feel your head or cheek. Once you've warmed up, tell your guardians you don't feel good again and let them touch your hot forehead.
5
”Trick” the thermometer. If you know your guardians will want to measure your temperature, you'll have to plan ahead to make the thermometer hot to show your temperature is elevated.
- Rub the tip of the thermometer with your fingers. The faster you move your fingers, the faster the thermometer will heat up to the temperature you want.
- If you have a heat source nearby, like a light bulb, put the thermometer next to it for a few moments.
- If your thermometer is one with mercury inside, then you can also raise the temperature by soaking it in hot water. Make sure that the water isn't boiling, as this could cause the mercury thermometer to explode. The water temperature should only be a few degrees hotter than your body temperature, around 99.5F. ^{[9]
  X
  Research source}

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Bonus Tips

1
Gather supplies. Like any actor, you'll need some props to show your guardians that your symptoms are persistent and aren't going away.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Hide a cup of water somewhere by your bed. This will be used at night to convince your guardians that you are sweating.
- If you have an electric tea kettle that won't be noticed if missing, that's even better than a cup of water. This way, you will be able to show that you're both hot and sweating.
- Get a face cloth to hide by your bed next to the water. The cloth will be used to apply the water and also to make your face red.
2
Set your alarm. Wake yourself up In the middle of the night to show your guardians that you still have symptoms.
- Around 2 AM or 3 AM is a good time to wake up.
- Make sure that your parents don't hear the alarm go off. Instead, put it at a low volume or on vibrate and keep it near you so you'll hear.
- Use the cloth and water that you hid by your bed to rub your face until it looks red.
- Don't dry your face completely so that it is still slightly wet and will look like sweat.
- Walk into your guardian's room and ask them to feel your head because you think you might be sick.
3
Don't perform too much! If you complain about feeling extremely sick now your guardians might strongly consider taking you to the doctor.
- If your guardians come to sit with you at night, wait a few minutes before pretending to fall asleep.
- Tell them you feel thirsty and ask for water.
- Pull the sheets tight over you to show that you're cold.
- Avoid talking or complaining too much: let your performance speak for itself!
4
Stay in bed late in the morning. If you stay in bed, your guardians will be more likely to think that you're tired and simply need to sleep. If they believe you need rest, you'll be able to avoid both school and the doctor.
- If your guardians come to wake you up, try to rub your face with your hands before they come into your room to make your face red and hot.
- Tell your guardians that you couldn't sleep much.
- Say that you're even more exhausted than you were yesterday.
5
Don't fizzle out. Continue “showing” your symptoms during breakfast or else your guardians will know you don't want to go to school.
- Eat a little at breakfast to show that you are still not feeling well.
- Wear a heavy sweater and ask for an extra blanket because you “feel” really cold.
- Lay your head on the table to show that you're really tired and disinterested
6
If you followed these steps closely and your parents seem to buy into your story, ask them if you can stay home for the day.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I get sick the day before I need to go to school?

Community Answer

I wouldn't recommend actually getting sick to stay home from school, since that could land you in the doctor's office, which is even worse than actual school. Instead, complain to your guardian about common syndromes (headache, stomach pains, dry throat, etc. ) Don't say anything too extreme, like 'My stomach hurts so badly I think I'm going to die.' Also, don't pull this stunt too often, or your parents are sure to catch on.
Question

Why not use chicken noodle soup?

Community Answer

Chicken noodle soup is a classic remedy for colds and other such sicknesses. While it won't solve the problem, the heat will help your throat. Even if you are faking to stay out of school, you might as well have a bowl.
Question

But what about if it's summer? Your guardians could just think that it's the heat or the season/weather.

Community Answer

Usually, there's no school during the summer. If you get sick during the summer, however, make sure to rest a little bit and take some medicine, but don't let this stop you from proceeding with fun and casual summer activities.

Warnings

Turn down 'all offers of medicine'! Say you just need to sleep. Taking medications when you don't need them is dangerous. If you are forced to take them, take them into the bathroom and throw them away. Turn on the sink and drink some water to "wash down" all the fake signs of the medications.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 67 Not Helpful 11
If you fake too sick, you run the risk of your guardians taking you to the doctor. Make sure not to over-exaggerate!

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 8 Not Helpful 0
Don't do this too often: three or four times a year at most. If you use this method too many times, your guardians will see that you're lying and you'll have to go to school.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 8 Not Helpful 0
Weigh the pros and cons of getting caught. If you weren't able to follow these steps carefully or if your story doesn't seem believable, ask yourself if not going to school is worse than getting in trouble for feigning sickness.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 8 Not Helpful 0