As the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads, we’re all spending a lot more time at home. After a couple of weeks, you can start to go a little stir-crazy — and we all know that cooped-up kids can be tough to deal with!
Here are some fun ideas for activities you can do at home to help your family bond and keep your kids from getting too bored while also being socially distant:
Have A Scavenger Hunt
This can be done indoors or outdoors and you can make it as easy or difficult as you want. Create a list of items to find around the house, in your yard or on a walk in the neighborhood. Get neighbors involved by asking them to put up different items in their windows or in their yards. You can make this competitive between your kids by offering a prize for who can find the most items on the list.
Video Chat Parties
Stay connected with classmates, friends and family members with video chat parties. You can use a service like Zoom, Go To Meeting, Facebook Messenger or FaceTime to schedule video chats to get some virtual face-to-face interaction with other people. Get really creative and ask everyone to wear costumes or play a game together online.
Parade The Neighborhood
If the weather is nice out, decorate your bikes and wagons and go on a parade around the neighborhood. This will give your kids plenty to do to prepare for the parade before the event itself. Let your neighbors know that you’re doing this ahead of time and they can watch and wave from a safe social distance.
Virtual Tour Museums
Google offers virtual tours of many famous museums around the world through its Arts and Culture collections. Take a look around the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, or the National Gallery in London.
Learn Something New
This is a great time to learn something new, especially together as a family. Teach your kids how to look or learn a new recipe together. Learn how to speak a new language like Spanish or French using services like Duolingo or Babbel. If your family has instruments laying around, pick one up and watch instructional videos on YouTube. Speaking of YouTube, there are a ton of great instructional videos on there — everything from how to play different card games, how to crochet, all the way to changing the oil in a vehicle. Pick something new to learn every day!
Go Camping
No, not at a campground. Set up your tent in your backyard, living room or basement. Enjoy snacks and sit around telling stories, rather than watching TV, and let your kids sleep in the tent instead of in their beds. It’s an easy way to make an evening special.
Family Dance Party
Turn on the music and boogie! You can choose the tunes or let your kids pick their favorites. Jump around and dance together to the rhythm. This is a great way to get moving and have fun without too much work — and you can break out a dance party whenever you want! You can even make these themed and have your kids dress up in costume to make it more fun.
Arts and Crafts
There are a lot of arts and crafts activities that you and your kids can do at home. You likely have some supplies on hand now, but you can also pick some up at big box stores like Walmart and Target or order them online to be shipped to your house. Make a pinata. Create friendship bracelets. Paint images on a canvas. Make origami or paper fidget spinners. Have a paper airplane contest. Tye dye t-shirts and sweatpants. Build structures out of Q-Tips or popsicle sticks.
Create Your Own Games
The same old games might get boring after a while. Switch it up by having your kids create their own games! Have them make up rules for a new game. They may even want to draw up a game board and create pieces. Once the rules are set, play it together!
Share A Hobby You Love… Or Create One!
If you have a hobby that you enjoy doing, now is a great time to get your kids involved. Teach them how to garden, share with them your love of board games, or create a scrapbook together. If you don’t have a hobby yet, now is a great time to pick one to try.
Exercise Together
Get some exercise in and help your kids burn off some energy. Exercise together, either by making up your own routine or following a video routine from YouTube or an exercise video service like Daily Burn or Nike Training Club. Yoga and aerobic exercises are great for kids and adults of all ages, and many videos show you how can make adjustments to the exercises if you or your kids need to.
Put On A Show
Have your kids create a puppet show or one-act play that tells a story from start to finish. This will give them something to do while they create the story and practice — and then you’ll enjoy sitting back and watching their creativity shine!
What are you and your family doing while you’re staying at home? Share your ideas in the B100 Mom Squad Facebook Group!
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