We are now on day 1,234,620 of isolating at home and the natives are growing restless—especially the youngest ones. Trying to keep kids or grandkids happy and entertained day after day when there is nowhere to go and all play dates are off limits is challenging. But before you park them in front of the screen and press “play,” consider these five options that they (and you) will enjoy.
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Go on a scavenger hunt: Make a list of 12-15 random items around your house or outside and challenge your children to find as many as they can within a 20-minute time frame.
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Play “What Am I?” Take zoomed in photos of things in your home, print them out or text them to your children, and see if they can correctly identify the item.
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Write a Story: Write down the sentence “once upon a time,” and then have everyone take turns adding a sentence. Build on each other’s sentences until you have a complete (and probably hilarious) tale.
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Try a Service Project: Work together to make simple masks for neighbors or family members, bake treats and leave them on the neighbor’s porch, color pictures or write thank you notes to first responders.
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Adopt a Pet: One of the positive things about sheltering at home is that animal shelters are seeing an uptick in adoptions. If you’ve been thinking about it—now’s a great time to adopt. Plenty of time on your hands for housebreaking.
Think outside the box and include your children in the planning of events and activities—the sillier the better. Create theme days like “Breakfast for Dinner Day,” or “Silly Sock Day,” or “Mismatched Clothing Day.” Plan a dinner menu made up of each family member’s favorite food. Stage and shoot home movies. Remember, this situation is temporary, but the memories you make will last a lifetime.
