Mar 16, 2020

Things to Do When You're Stuck at Home + Coping with Social Distancing

My kids are home from school for at least the next two weeks, and my husband is working from home. That's a lot of family time!

It's not all fun and games, however, although thankfully we're all in good health. LAUSD is trying out a form of online instruction, and since it started today, I'm not sure how it's going to go for my kids. But they are supposed to be online at a specific time (or maybe times) each day. As part of our new routine, I need to figure out meal times around their new schedules.

Things to Do When You're Stuck at Home

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However, I was thinking about how this time could result in some family bonding, and how, if the kids were younger, I'd need to entertain them. So here's a list of activities families can do:

  • Board games

  • Multi-player video games (I welcome recommendations for games that are fun for parents to play with kids)

  • Movie day/night (especially marathons of series, like Harry Potter, with popcorn and candy)

  • Life lessons (teach the kids how to do laundry, cooking, cleaning, and finances)

  • Declutter together (and enjoy the memories as you go through things you haven't looked at in years)

  • Read a book together

  • Craft together (I'm especially thinking about things you can donate, like knitted blankets or paracord bracelets)

One fun activity that I was already planning to do with my family is a Miracle Berry Tasting Party. Apparently if you take a miracle berry tablet and let it dissolve to coat your tongue, things that are normally savory will taste sweet.

And once the weather clears up (we've had rain every day here), the kids can play outside, just not with friends. It is nice that they can socialize with their friends online. I'm already missing lunches and dinners with my girlfriends.

I've been reading some great tips on things that you can do during this time to reach out to and/or help others, including donating to your local food bank and calling friends and family (especially those who might be more socially isolated, like older relatives in nursing homes where visitation has been restricted). Of course, if you're out and about, you can offer to pick up something for someone else, or consider sharing your stockpile if you have plenty.

What are you doing to get through these home-bound times?

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