We’re all feeling a bit of anxiety about the drastic changes to our normal lives, and cabin fever with kids in the mix is a whole other level of exhaustion! Yes, the shutdown of most activities and businesses is difficult and isolating… But with a bit of creativity you can at least make sure your family members are not isolated from each other. Try these fun ideas for family activities, and you could emerge from this crisis stronger together.
Board games. It sounds old fashioned, but board games bring you together in a way that “screen games” just cannot.
Teach your kids card games. Have you ever had the time to sit down and teach your kids poker, rummy, or solitaire? Get creative with poker games, and bet tokens that can be used for treats.
Exercise. We still need to exercise, because it’s good for both our moods and immune systems. If you can exercise safely outdoors, go for a walk or bike ride together. If you’re in a congested area, look on Youtube for family Zumba, yoga, and other options. Or just head out to the backyard and host your own family “Olympics”!
Experiment with family videos. Choreograph a dance routine, make a “music video”, or film a puppet show. You will treasure these family mementos later.
Complete a family puzzle. Order a 1000-piece (or even more complex) puzzle online. Make the puzzle a family activity on the dining room table until you get it all put together. Later, you can have it framed.
“Camp” in the backyard. Pitch a tent, make a campfire, roast s’mores and tell creepy stories.
Learn a new skill together. Try origami, a foreign language, or something else that has always intrigued you.
Cooking. Since it’s a bad idea to run out to the grocery store each time you’re missing an ingredient for a meal, make a game out of inventing new recipes together. Take stock of your pantry and see what you can come up with – perhaps even a new family favorite!
Don’t forget the milestones. It’s difficult to celebrate in the traditional ways right now, but we can alter our celebrations to fit guidelines. You can still decorate for a party, Facetime with friends or family, bake a cake, and celebrate birthdays, new babies, and more. When you look back at this time in your life, you’ll remember that you did things a little differently – but you did do them, together, with the people you love.