Being stuck indoors and isolated can be quite a miserable experience for many people. Boredom sets in and for some, this boredom becomes anxiety, which is unhealthy.
If you have children in the house, finding safe and fun ways to pass the time during quarantine is a challenge best approached with these pointers to help you find your way while we are all dealing with the limits imposed by the pandemic. We are all in this together, and we want to help you have fun!
Best Ideas for Productive Activities
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Entertaining children at any time is often tricky! But with many parks and recreation centers closed for the foreseeable future, this task becomes nigh impossible for many families. USA Today published some options for those stuck indoors, while many other publications offered tips to overcome the obstacles faced by families.
If you or a family member plays an instrument, isolation is the perfect opportunity to pick it up and practice to your heart’s desire! It’s also the ideal time to pick up an instrument for the first time and take advantage of the countless videos and tutorials available for free online!
If music isn’t your thing, use this opportunity to record and preserve your feelings at this time in history. It may not seem interesting at the moment. But, one day your accounting of this pandemic and how society has been affected will be an effort sure to educate future family members. Write about your emotions, fears, hopes, and what you’re doing with limited opportunity. Encourage your children, as well, to record THEIR emotions and thoughts.
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Use this time to invest in learning a new language! Many apps are offering free lessons during the pandemic, so if you’ve ever wanted to learn Spanish, or dust off your high-school French, etc., now there is no reason not to try it out.
Other productive ideas for quarantine include cleaning out your closets and finally getting rid of all the clothes you or your kids won’t ever wear again. Get rid of all the ridiculous items in your home’s “junk” drawer (who doesn’t have one of these?).
Best Ideas for Silly, Just-for-Fun, Activities
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Maybe your idea for passing the time during quarantine involves more frivolity, less serious activities. That’s okay, too! Gather everyone around for some good old-fashioned board games! Play Monopoly, Sorry, Life, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, or a card game like Uno! What better time to take on your loved ones than when you’re all forced to stay inside? Make sure it’s all in the name of a good time!
Pop up a whole lot of popcorn and gather together and enjoy movie time, ANY time! Watch some family-friendly animation, slapstick comedies, or any combination of genres you please.
There are no rules as long as everyone is on-board! Just enjoy being together and sharing snacks and laughs!
Another cool, fun option is to pitch a tent right in your living room and “camp out” for a night of scary stories! Make microwave S’mores to complete the camping vibe. You can give one another mani/pedis, practice new hairstyles, and do one another’s makeup in your very own home beauty studio.
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Many of these fun activities are appropriate for men, women, and kiddos of all ages. Not the type to enjoy such silliness? Do you want even your fun activities to be a bit more studious? Go for more brain-involved fun, such as finding some recipes to recreate in your own kitchen. Take it a little further by choosing recipes you wouldn’t ordinarily consider pre-quarantine. Think, made-from-scratch exotic pizza, fancy flavored popcorn, or pancakes in flavors like pina-colada, passionfruit, or pineapple. The only limit is your imagination!
Make Your Quarantine Count
No matter which avenue you choose to take to make the most of your quarantine, ensure that you emerge from this pandemic with memories that you will always cherish. So many times in our lives, we just don’t have time to devote to our loved ones due to work demands and prior commitments outside of our homes.
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While we may be stuck inside, the world is still ours and we’re all still connected via the internet. Appreciate each other and be patient with one another, as we are all trying to adapt to the circumstances.
No matter the size of the home you share with your family, travel the world together on vacations you never had the time to take before. Make your quarantine count and despite the stress of the real world, consider this time with your loved ones a much-needed blessing for however long this goes on.
