Quarantine Games
Some of my friends have been quarantined for weeks or months already. Others are just beginning their journey now. Still others of us are hovering on the edge of the precipice. It seems likely that within the next few weeks, many of us will be confined to our homes. And so, in the spirit of my Coronavirus Bingo post yesterday, today I sat down to create a list of things we could do to survive our time within these four walls. If, like me, you need a creative way to get through what's ahead, here are just a few ideas to get you started:
1. Bake cookies, cakes, muffins, anything! This is a great time to break out the baking gear.
2. Have an indoor camping trip. Push back the furniture, make or pitch a tent, and haul out the sleeping bags. Bonus points for indoor s'mores!
3. Plan a family visit to a virtual museum. These places offer free virtual tours online. Maybe it's time for a "family trip?"
4. Have a scavenger hunt. Hide clues around the house that your kids have to solve to find a prize. Maybe the prize is one of the cookies you baked...
5. Take Duolingo lessons. If school is cancelled, maybe it's a great time to start learning a new language! Take advantage of the time. Plus, Duolingo lessons are pretty fun!
6. Host a family game night. Or day. You could play all day.
7. Have an Original Star Wars movie marathon. Complete with popcorn and glazed eyes. When else can you watch all of them back to back?
8. Have a book reading contest. You could even make graphs or charts to map each person's progress! Plan a fun prize for the person who reads the most books (or the most pages) over the quarantine period.
9. Listen to an audio book together. Many libraries have online audio book sites (ours uses Hoopla) where you can download and "borrow" audio books. Make a list of classics you've always wanted to read or check out something new. This one pairs well with the next one...
10. Work on a puzzle together! This is a great time to break out a 1000 piece puzzle and chip away at it. See if you can get it finished before normal life resumes!
11. Go on a virtual run or hike. YouTube and similar sites often have footage filmed by people on walks, runs, or drives. Load one up and walk or jog in place as you take a tour of an Irish countryside or a Caribbean beach!
12. Host a classic video game tournament. Do I really need to say more? They'll cream me, hands down...
13. Create and visit a stuffed animal zoo. If your house is anything like ours, you have more stuffed animals than you can count! Let your kids set up a "zoo" in different rooms of the house, then pay the animals a visit. Bonus points if they make tickets for entrance, or if there's a "zookeeper" to tell you fun facts about each of the animals!
14. Have a Q-tip blow-dart fight! Have you ever stuffed a Q-tip inside a straw and blown on the other end? The Q-tip goes flying! Some of the most fun we've had at our kids' birthday parties is with games like this. Now is a great time to stake out the high ground in the house and launch an all-out battle!
15. Have a family concert. You can all perform in tandem, or each person can have the stage to perform their musical piece. I call dibs on the kazoo...
16. Watch Cars in homemade "cars." A cardboard box decorated like a car is ideal, but anything can work: a laundry basket, a bin, anything small and contained.
17. Have a throw-back day. If your kids are older like mine, take today to do all the things they used to enjoy, like reading Dr. Seuss books, setting up train tracks, having simple snacks, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or taking bubble baths. My kids routinely ask for "throw-back days" even without the quarantine!
18. Set up a hotel. If you have space, set up a guest bed in a main living space. Make the bed, lay out towels, and make it feel like an escape. We have Chromecast and a pull-out couch in our basement, so sometimes we cast a scene from another place to make it feel exotic. In the morning, set out a breakfast buffet like in a hotel. Play up the whole experience, and you'll all have a blast! (you could even offer to let them swim in the hotel "pool" or bathtub!)
19. Have a family dance party. Each person can pick a song, or you can dance through a favorite play list or songs on the radio. You could even add fancy lighting with Christmas lights to make it more fun!
20. Start a garden indoors. We may be stuck inside for the time being, but soon enough it will be warm and sunny and we'll be free to roam again. If you're planning to grow vegetables this summer, start your seeds indoors! An egg carton (or egg shells) can make great planters, and a sunny window will help the seeds grow. You could even spend time drawing up garden plans.
21. Have a puppet show. Write a script, make puppets, and enjoy the show!
22. Prepare a mini meal. A mini meal is anything that is smaller than normal (one of our family's favorite things): tiny meatloaf, miniature potatoes, Cornish hens, tiny hamburgers... Once Micah even made us miniature s'mores over a candle with Golden Grahams cereal pieces and miniature marshmallows!
23. Skype or FaceTime with grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends... Set up a regular time to "visit" with people you can't see in person anymore.
24. Send a "survival pack" to friends or family. Prepare a few things that they might enjoy (like those cookies you baked...). You could include a collection of craft supplies, notes and pictures from your kids, small toys or books that can be shared... Or make a "vacation in a box." Pick a theme (like the beach) and send them some items you have around home that pair well with that theme (sunglasses, inflatable beach ball, beach-themed coloring pictures, etc). You'll have fun packing it, and the person receiving it will have a blast unpacking and using their survival pack!
25. Make a movie and host a fancy screening party. It's easier than ever to make short movies using iMovie, Zing Studio, or other free apps and sites. When the movie is wrapped, get ready for a gala event. Roll out a red carpet (or whatever colored blanket or towel you have on hand), dress up in your fanciest clothes, and usher your "celebrity guests" into the living room to watch. You could even make fancy finger foods to serve at the after-party.
These ideas are small and in no way make up for the impact of this situation on our lives. But I hope they're a spring board for you as you face the days ahead. Make the most of this time. Set aside the fear and work to make memories that will help your kids through the unknown and enable them to look back on this time with some degree of fondness. We're all in this together...
1. Bake cookies, cakes, muffins, anything! This is a great time to break out the baking gear.
2. Have an indoor camping trip. Push back the furniture, make or pitch a tent, and haul out the sleeping bags. Bonus points for indoor s'mores!
3. Plan a family visit to a virtual museum. These places offer free virtual tours online. Maybe it's time for a "family trip?"
4. Have a scavenger hunt. Hide clues around the house that your kids have to solve to find a prize. Maybe the prize is one of the cookies you baked...
5. Take Duolingo lessons. If school is cancelled, maybe it's a great time to start learning a new language! Take advantage of the time. Plus, Duolingo lessons are pretty fun!
6. Host a family game night. Or day. You could play all day.
7. Have an Original Star Wars movie marathon. Complete with popcorn and glazed eyes. When else can you watch all of them back to back?
8. Have a book reading contest. You could even make graphs or charts to map each person's progress! Plan a fun prize for the person who reads the most books (or the most pages) over the quarantine period.
9. Listen to an audio book together. Many libraries have online audio book sites (ours uses Hoopla) where you can download and "borrow" audio books. Make a list of classics you've always wanted to read or check out something new. This one pairs well with the next one...
10. Work on a puzzle together! This is a great time to break out a 1000 piece puzzle and chip away at it. See if you can get it finished before normal life resumes!
11. Go on a virtual run or hike. YouTube and similar sites often have footage filmed by people on walks, runs, or drives. Load one up and walk or jog in place as you take a tour of an Irish countryside or a Caribbean beach!
12. Host a classic video game tournament. Do I really need to say more? They'll cream me, hands down...
13. Create and visit a stuffed animal zoo. If your house is anything like ours, you have more stuffed animals than you can count! Let your kids set up a "zoo" in different rooms of the house, then pay the animals a visit. Bonus points if they make tickets for entrance, or if there's a "zookeeper" to tell you fun facts about each of the animals!
14. Have a Q-tip blow-dart fight! Have you ever stuffed a Q-tip inside a straw and blown on the other end? The Q-tip goes flying! Some of the most fun we've had at our kids' birthday parties is with games like this. Now is a great time to stake out the high ground in the house and launch an all-out battle!
15. Have a family concert. You can all perform in tandem, or each person can have the stage to perform their musical piece. I call dibs on the kazoo...
16. Watch Cars in homemade "cars." A cardboard box decorated like a car is ideal, but anything can work: a laundry basket, a bin, anything small and contained.
17. Have a throw-back day. If your kids are older like mine, take today to do all the things they used to enjoy, like reading Dr. Seuss books, setting up train tracks, having simple snacks, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or taking bubble baths. My kids routinely ask for "throw-back days" even without the quarantine!
18. Set up a hotel. If you have space, set up a guest bed in a main living space. Make the bed, lay out towels, and make it feel like an escape. We have Chromecast and a pull-out couch in our basement, so sometimes we cast a scene from another place to make it feel exotic. In the morning, set out a breakfast buffet like in a hotel. Play up the whole experience, and you'll all have a blast! (you could even offer to let them swim in the hotel "pool" or bathtub!)
19. Have a family dance party. Each person can pick a song, or you can dance through a favorite play list or songs on the radio. You could even add fancy lighting with Christmas lights to make it more fun!
20. Start a garden indoors. We may be stuck inside for the time being, but soon enough it will be warm and sunny and we'll be free to roam again. If you're planning to grow vegetables this summer, start your seeds indoors! An egg carton (or egg shells) can make great planters, and a sunny window will help the seeds grow. You could even spend time drawing up garden plans.
21. Have a puppet show. Write a script, make puppets, and enjoy the show!
22. Prepare a mini meal. A mini meal is anything that is smaller than normal (one of our family's favorite things): tiny meatloaf, miniature potatoes, Cornish hens, tiny hamburgers... Once Micah even made us miniature s'mores over a candle with Golden Grahams cereal pieces and miniature marshmallows!
23. Skype or FaceTime with grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends... Set up a regular time to "visit" with people you can't see in person anymore.
24. Send a "survival pack" to friends or family. Prepare a few things that they might enjoy (like those cookies you baked...). You could include a collection of craft supplies, notes and pictures from your kids, small toys or books that can be shared... Or make a "vacation in a box." Pick a theme (like the beach) and send them some items you have around home that pair well with that theme (sunglasses, inflatable beach ball, beach-themed coloring pictures, etc). You'll have fun packing it, and the person receiving it will have a blast unpacking and using their survival pack!
25. Make a movie and host a fancy screening party. It's easier than ever to make short movies using iMovie, Zing Studio, or other free apps and sites. When the movie is wrapped, get ready for a gala event. Roll out a red carpet (or whatever colored blanket or towel you have on hand), dress up in your fanciest clothes, and usher your "celebrity guests" into the living room to watch. You could even make fancy finger foods to serve at the after-party.
These ideas are small and in no way make up for the impact of this situation on our lives. But I hope they're a spring board for you as you face the days ahead. Make the most of this time. Set aside the fear and work to make memories that will help your kids through the unknown and enable them to look back on this time with some degree of fondness. We're all in this together...
