There are ways of making the best out of any situation. But being stuck at home makes it hard to come up with creative ideas when there's an overlay of fear and anxiety. Let's be sure this extra time spent with our family is filled with kindness, generosity, patience and encouragement.
Here's a few ideas for making the most of your time together and avoid driving each other crazy!
Games & Activities
- Pull out any not-yet-used holiday gifts
- Read a good book
- Join Audible and listen to books together
- Research your Family Tree
- Start some indoor seed plantings
- Build a blanket fort or tent
- Look at old photos and share their memories
- Write old-fashioned letters and postcards
- Make gratitude lists
- Play charades
- Plan a family vacation
- Play dress up
- Play Simon Says
- Do a puzzle
- Teach your kids how to play Solitaire
- Read to the pets or Grandparents (via Facetime/Skype)
- Teach your old dog (or new puppy) new tricks
- Have a backyard camp fire (if your city or town allows it)
- DIY manis and pedis
Learn & Teach
- Memorize all the Presidents
- Memorize all the states and capitals
- Learn some yoga poses
- Learn a few magic tricks
- Learn how to tie cool knots
- Go on the Duolingo app and learn a new language for free
- Practice drilling holes in scrap wood
- Hammer nails into scrap wood
- Learn Calligraphy
- Teach your kids cursive
Clean & Fix
- Encourage and help your kids re-do their rooms
- Make a new play space by cleaning part of your attic or basement
- Find, sort and wrap all your loose change
- Print your photos and write on the backs of them for posterity
- Clean out your junk drawer(s) together and find family treasures
- Wash the windows (your kids will love using the spray bottle)
- Alphabetize your books
- Match your socks, and then have a sock fight
- Dust your baseboards (your littlest ones might like this best)
- Clean out your closet and collect too-small clothes to donate
- Clean out, vacuum, and disinfect your car
- Change your smoke detector batteries
Cook
- Create a Family Cook Book
- Make an old family recipe
- Have a Thanksgiving feast
- Meal plan for a full week
- Choose recipes from different countries and fix a different recipe for each course or for each day
- Make off-season Christmas Cookies in spring colors
- Make your own granola mix
Arts & Crafts
- Make puppets
- Paint family portraits
- Make paper snowflakes
- Make a paper chain and see how long you can get it
- Make a tooth fairy pillow by hand
- Create a family playlist on Spotify
- Make pictures to give to nursing home residents or elderly neighbors (you can even mail them; everyone loves getting mail)
- Make necklaces and bracelets using beads or even pasta
- Make pet toys
- Write a song
- Print out your photos and make a scrapbook
- Make your own slime
- Make a simple bird feeder
- Make a family time capsule to open at a future date
- Make a “selfie” background with an old tablecloth or sheet, and markers or paint
- Tie dye a pillow case
- Make a pet rock
Perform
- Dance Party
- Puppet Shows
- Magic Shows
- Fortune Telling
- Read a story out loud and create your own illustrations
- Record your kids reading/telling their favorite story and replay it after dinner
- Have a concert while FaceTiming family or friends
- Write a rap song and perform it
- Record a family podcast on your phone to send relatives
- Record a pots and pans orchestra performance
Outside your Home: Driveway, Yard, and Garden
- Bike, scooter, or Ripstick in the driveway: You can set up an obstacle course or try new tricks.
- Build a Fairy House
- Star gaze
- Learn and find constellations
- Climb a tree
- Enjoy the classics: Play hopscotch, 4-square, Mother May I, or jump rope.
- Play flashlight tag
- Walk the dog
- Create a nature journal and record what you see
- Hang a bird feeder and count the birds
- Make a rock garden for your yard
- Go on a bike ride
We understand that the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak are causing changes to our everyday lives. Remember that everyone else is in the same situation and although it may be an uncertain time, we can choose to help spread hope instead of fear, be there for others, and be a difference maker in our home and community.