If you’re like one of the many families across the country, you’re finding yourself with a massive amount of time stuck at home because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Schools are shutting down and employers are finding alternatives to coming into work. In this unique situation, even if you normally work outside the home, you may be telecommuting or not working at all for a few weeks.
The concept of social distancing has changed what our lives look like now. It’s not like summer vacation when you can go out to places to find entertainment, since it is recommended that people stay in their homes and not go out in social settings.
What are you going to do with all that time indoors? Here are some things for you and your family to do to occupy some of that extra time at home and, also, to use as a distraction from the current health situation.
JUST FOR FUN
- Play board games
- Play with play dough
- Paint
- Play Simon Says
- Make tents – Camp out in the living room for a few days.
- Make cookies or cake
- Research your birthday– Find out what was going on in the world on the day you were born.
- Play hide the thimble– One person hides a thimble, or other small object, somewhere in a room while the players wait in another room or close their eyes. The players search for the thimble. The hider can give temperature clues to help guide the players. The closer they are to the thimble- the hotter they are, the farther away from the thimble- the colder they are.
- Play a card game
- Play tic-tac-toe or hangman
- Roll up saved pennies
- Have a movie marathon of your favorite type of movie or your favorite actor
- Balloon fun– Hit the balloon with any part of your body. Don’t let it drop!
CREATIVE TIME
- Paint rocks
- Face paint
- Make lacing cards – Cut shapes out of cardstock. Punch holes around edges. Tie the end of a shoelace to one hole and start lacing the holes.
- Make books about yourself
- Build card houses with playing cards
- Draw your town on cardboard– “Drive” toy cars on the streets.
- Learn to juggle
- Put together puzzles
- Invent a new game
- Make sock puppets and have a puppet show
- Make musical instruments
- Set up a play store
- Play a word game– Play my father owns a grocery store or we’re going on a picnic.
- Make a doll house– Tape shoe boxes together to make a 2-story house and garage. Then decorate and make furniture for it.
- Toss beanbags into a target
- Make chalk drawings on black construction paper
- Make a mystery bag game– Put objects into a bag or pillowcase. Have someone reach inside and guess what the object is just by feeling it.
- Write a play, design costumes, and perform the play
- Make a music video
- Do a photo shoot
- Make a tunnel– Tape boxes together or drape a sheet over a table.
- Build paper airplanes
- Make crazy hats
- Play with Dominoes– Line Dominoes up in a fun pattern. Then push one over and watch them all fall.
- Make your own crossword puzzles
OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN
Don’t stop the learning just because schools are shut down. This is a good time to teach your children some valuable lessons at home and do activities that require thinking skills.
- Teach how to cook
- Teach how to sew on a button
- Memorize the US presidents
- Learn the states and capitals
- Memorize books of the Bible
- Play alphabet bingo– Make a bingo card by taking a piece of paper and dividing it up into 25 squares. Make one for each player. Write random letters in each square without repeating any letters. Make each card different. Write the letters A through Z on 26 separate pieces of paper to use as call letters. You could use toy letters or Scrabble pieces if you have them. Play like normal bingo. You can use scraps of paper or cereal for markers to cover called letters.
- Read a book
- Play a concentration (memory) game
- Play a listening game– Secretly record noises, then play back one at a time and let people guess what they are.
- Teach how to do laundry
- Go on an alphabet hunt– Search your house for objects that begin with the letters A through Z.
- Play float or sink game– Fill a large bowl with water. Gather up small objects. Put each object, one at a time, in the water to see if it sinks or if it floats.
MAKE MEMORIES
- Record family members telling stories about growing up
- Make scrapbooks of family photos
- Create a scrapbook of special papers, pictures, awards etc. for each child
- Make a list of goals for each member of the family
- Watch home movies
- Build your family tree
- Create a family trivia game
- Make a family recipe book
- Cook dinner together
HOME MANAGEMENT
This one doesn’t sound much fun, but this would be a great opportunity to get your house in order and create some systems to make life easier. When this health situation is over, you’ll have more free time to enjoy fun activities and come home to a clean and uncluttered home.
- Spring cleaning
- Organize each room of your home
- Straighten up your home– If you don’t have enough energy for a full-blown organizing job, pick up everything off floors and furniture that doesn’t belong there and put where it belongs.
- Make a chore chart
- Make a meal plan
- Clean out your closet
- Sort your hardware and tools
- Go through your socks
- Sort your movies
CHASE YOUR DREAMS
Now could be the time to stop procrastinating and start doing those things you have been wanting to do for a long, long time.
- Start a blog
- Write a book
- Write a song
- Research new career ideas
- Start a small business
OUTSIDE TIME
Get some fresh air and enjoy the sunshine. You can find ways to spend time outside every day without spending time around large groups of people.
- Take a walk
- Play In your yard- You can run, skip, jump, kick a ball, play Frisbee, and lots of other things in your yard.
- Play on outside play equipment
- Do yard work
- Clean out your car
SOCIALIZING FROM A DISTANCE
Finally, if you’re craving social contact, here are some ways of (kind of) satisfying that craving without being around groups of people.
- Group video chat
- Video tape or take photos of your creative activities and share on social media
- Call friends or elderly neighbors to check on them to make sure they’re OK
- Write letters to friends and family who live far away
These activities will get your mind off the health situation and provide entertainment. The Coronavirus will end, and everything will get back to normal soon. Use this time to your advantage to get things done and spend quality time with your family.
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