Remember the days when we are all asking for an extended vacation? Now we got it, suddenly we are bored to our wits and frantically looking for things to do so we can be productive during this quarantine period. Kids are getting restless with all their pent up energy unused, moms and dads are running out of ideas for today’s menu, trying to work from home without their kids barging during the conference calls, and with all this uncertainty and fear of the COVID19, the last thing we need is chaos inside our own homes.
Here are a few things you can do to calm the storm in your household:
- Start a Story Time – Read a chapter of their favorite book a day, and do a quiz bee, the winner gets points or rewards. The rewards need not be monetary, it can be as simple as extra hour phone/game time, or maybe skip washing the dishes for dinner.
- Start a TikTok Account for your Family – I know, you do not want to look silly, and maybe you are not a good dancer, but that is the beauty of this app! You do not need to look perfect; you do not need to memorize a whole dance choreography; you can look silly and people will love it! In 1 minute or less, you have entertained yourself, your family, and your friends!
- Build a Puzzle – Do you have an unmade puzzle tucked away in your closet? You may have forgotten to go back to it due to your hectic schedule. Gather your family and build the puzzle, get it in the camera and do a time-lapse. It will be fun to watch as you see the puzzle beginning to complete the image.
- Regrow Veggies and Plants – If you have been neglecting your garden, now is the time to revisit it. Do a Google search on how to regrow plants and vegetables, there are lots of tutorials you can find. Regrow lettuce, onion springs, lucky bamboos, etc. Have your kids take a picture daily, say 10 good things to the plant (some say plants can hear you, and positivity helps them grow beautifully), and keep a record of the plant’s height.
- Backyard Camping – You do not need to go to the mountains, surprise your kids or your partner. Set up a tent, with your sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, little lights to make it cozy. Bring snacks and drinks with you. Plan a little activity for the night, board games, learn a new song, scary storytelling, games you can do which does not require a big space.
- Reconnect – Call your relatives and close friends, now that you have more free time, it’s just right to reconnect with relatives and friends you have missed, ask them how they are doing, maybe they are in need? You may not be able to do anything to help them, but in times like this, even a little “How are you?” and “Are you okay?” is enough to strengthen someone’s spirit.
- Support the Frontliners and Patients – Have your kids write get well soon cards for the patients and post it in your social media or email it to your local hospital. Do not forget the health care workers and first responders, they are also suffering, they are risking their lives to save others. A card of encouragement is enough to encourage them and to let them know they are not alone in this fight.
- DIY and Life Hacks Tests – You may have seen a lot of DIYs or Tips in your Facebook newsfeed, even Pinterest have them. Why not try some interesting and unbelievable ones and be the one to prove if it can be done in 5 minutes or if it is effective? Like the MythBusters, but a family-friendly one!
- General Cleaning – Now that you have all hands-on deck, general cleaning will be a lot easier, faster, and more fun! Assign a chore for each kid (safe one), at the end of each chore, give them a small amount of money as their wage. This will help them learn the value of money.
- Exercise, Eat Healthy and Stay Updated. – Make sure you have the whole family exercise at least an hour a day, keep a schedule, prepare healthy meals, take vitamins to boost the immune system. Let them know what is happening in the world right now. Awareness with the society will help them understand why we need to stay indoors, why we need to protect ourselves, why we need to tighten our belts, and why we need to boost each other’s morale.
There are a lot of things and hobbies we can do while the lockdown is in place. It is our choice if we want to be productive or not. Let us take advantage of the free time we have in our hands right now and the opportunity to help others in need.
Stay safe and healthy everyone!