5 Things to Do with Your Family While You Are Quarantined
In hopes to defuse and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 or Corona Virus a nationwide quarantine has come about nearly overnight. Many schools across the country have closed for the foreseeable future. Many jobs have shifted to a work-from-home status or closed until early May as of now. The White House has also asked for groups to be restricted to less than ten in efforts to social distance. Social distancing will help reduce the risk of being infected with the virus and help to contain those who are sick until they are well. Quarantining is wise for protection, but it does not have to be a time filled with fear. This can be a time of rest and real connection with your family while staying home to stay safe.
Here Are 5 Things to Do With Kids and Teens During the Quarantine
1. Play Board Games, Trivia Games, or Break Out a Puzzle
Playing classic board games or trivia games has been a great pastime for many generations. Classic games like Monopoly can bring out some healthy competition, while games like Apples to Apples bring about roars of laughter. Trivia games will test your knowledge, and you just might learn a thing or two along the way! Puzzles are another great way for the family to strategize together and offer each person something to work on until the final result is achieved by all. Playing games like these can also be a much-needed break from screens; it allows you to look at other people in the room and have discussions while being entertained. This is an activity that gets the whole family involved whether young or old, and it has the tendency to produce cherished memories of family fun and laughter.
2. Journal the Experience for Historical Record
A nation-wide quarantine is quite rare, and most definitely will be written about in history books for years to come. This is a great time to write a record day by day of not only events on the news, but of personal opinions and perspectives. What a gift it will be to a later generation to feel as if they were living in the events themselves as they read these entries, and they will serve as a time capsule for us to reread in the future of what life was like during such an age. If you have children of reading and writing age, assign a day to each child and rotate with that person being the family notetaker for the day. What did we do that day, what is the best memory of the day, who laughed the most, who did we pray for, what did we eat, did we learn anything new?
3. Host a Favorite Movie Night
Everyone has a favorite movie, and this is a great time to join together as a family and share together some favorite films. Perhaps each evening one member of the family can choose a favorite film in rotation. Much can be known about a person based upon their favorite films, so intentionally ask why a certain film strikes a heart chord. What sparks a feeling of admiration? Get to know your family even better by seeing what films make their eyes bright with wonder.
4. Bake Cookies or a Favorite Meal
Getting creative with toppings for pancakes can add giggles to breakfast time, or inventing new concoctions to taste. Adding family recipes can bring a blast from the past, or making new family recipes serve as a gift for generations to come. One night let your kids pick the recipe and everything that goes with it; it will be a culinary adventure and kids will (probably humorously) figure out what foods work together and what doesn't. You can't have too much laughter during a quarantine.
5. Check-in with Others
Just because you're quarantined it doesn't mean that you can't still check on others in need. Check-in on relatives via phone or video chat, make sure your older relatives or relatives with immune-compromised conditions have the supplies they need. Offer to pick up any groceries or prescriptions for them so they don't get exposed. Check-in with friends and neighbors too; if you're looking for something your family needs and can't find it teamwork is helpful if someone else can look for it and possibly find it at another store for you or share what they have.
To check out an extended list of things you and your family could do around the house, check out this link!
