60 Things to Do When You are Stuck at Home
Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash
I don’t know where you are in the world. However, if you are stuck at home, you may feel like we do at our house.
“Is today going to be the same as yesterday?” my 7-year-old son asked, already dreading another 24 hours stuck in our house.
Was it just going to be another boring day of home school?
I smiled at my son and said, “No, today will be different, because today we’re going to do something new!”
Here are 60 fun and creative things to do when you’re stuck at home—gathered from our See Beyond staff.
Connection/Family/Friends
1. Do group chats with friends on Skype or FaceTime, and grab a cup of tea!
2. Write “snail mail” letters and cards to loved ones.
3. Take turns going around the table and telling favorite family memories.
4. Get past talking about “the crisis,” and ask questions about the people you’re with. “How are you doing with all of this? What has it been like to be quarantined? What do you miss most right now? What are you grateful for in the midst of this? Who do you wish you could connect with? How can I help?
5. Have a ‘house meeting’ with those you are living with and ask one another, “What would you like while we are quarantined?” Listen to desires and uncover expectations described more fully in our free ebook, “4 Ways to Uncover Expectations.”
6. Call parents, grandparents, siblings, or friends—especially those who are alone.
7. Start a book club with Zoom. Consider uplifting stories.
8. Read aloud with family or friends for 30 minutes a day.
See the lists on these links for some ideas.
20 Chapter Books to Read Aloud With Your Kids or 10 Books Even Adult Readers Will Love to Read Aloud
9. Hold a Netflix party and watch movies with your friends and family on the other side of the world.
10. Set up a new social media account to stay connected with faraway family and friends.
Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash
Play/Physical Activity
1. Watch and follow along with “Just Dance” videos.
2. Do a “Walk at Home” video with Leslie Sansone.
Find fitness videos at your level on FitnessBlender.com.
3. Get out old board games and play them with your family.
4. Buy a trampoline, stationary bike, or a treadmill online and have it delivered. Or, try a cheaper option: “Homemade Treadmill.”
5. Create a scavenger hunt in your house.
6. Learn a new dance like the country two step, hip hop, or salsa.
7. Play homemade ping pong. Set up a “net” by placing small books on their side or something similar on your dining room table—no matter how large or small. Find a ping pong ball or similar and use plastic container lids for paddles.
8. Have fun and strengthen bonds with these experiential bond-building activities.
9. Consult this free manual for easy, entertaining team-building activities that you can try with family as well.
10. Create choreography to your favorite music.
Rest/Relaxation/Self-Care
1. Take a much-needed nap every day and see if it makes a difference in how you cope.
2. Try mindfulness exerciseson Calm app or Headspace (see our article on overcoming chaos).
3. Give yourself (or friends and family members) manicures and pedicures.
4. Give each other neck rubs/foot rubs/massages.
5. Take a bath.
6. Complete a 1000-piece puzzle. Keep one on a working table.
7. Make your bucket list.
8. Color in an adult coloring book.
9. Set a timer and take time to simply stare out a window. When your thoughts wander, simply bring them back to what you are seeing.
10. Go on a daily walk to clear your head, and get some fresh air.
Soul Care/Spiritual
1. Take time to list the things for which you are thankful from the previous day or week.
2. Consider who you need to forgive, wrestle through, and do it.
3. Cultivate a spirit of generosity and others-centeredness. Donate online to charities, help others in need (elderly, sick, etc).
4. Pray for those who are struggling.
5. Journal about what you are learning during this season.
6. Write a poem about your current experience.
7. Take some time of prayer and confession to detox your inner life.
8. Find and sing songs that speak to your soul or uplift your spirit.
9. Talk to a friend about how this situation is affecting your faith.
10. Consider fasting as a physical spiritual practice.
Learning/Mental Stimulation
1. Try online learning: Enroll in an online course such as See Beyond’s ‘Introduction to Coaching’ event or see if your favorite university has free online courses, like Harvard or other Ivy League universities.
Take one of Coursera’s free courses.
Sign up for a free webinar.
2. Read or listen to audio books. Many libraries offer e-resources, and Audible is offering free streaming for kids as long as schools are closed.
3. Pull out that instrument hiding under the bed and try some online lessons.
4. Memorize something helpful or meaningful to you (a poem, a verse, a saying, a proverb, or a story).
5. Learn to connect flags, names of countries, and where they are located on a map.
6. Get the Picture This App and identify all the plants in the outdoor space you're allowed to visit.
7. Practice your multiplication tables for speed and do mental addition drills.
8. Try a new language with Duolingo.
9. Explore the world with Google Earth.
10. Take a virtual tour of a museum or a country.
“Serious” Catch-Up
1. Finances: Do your taxes. Catch up on bills. Reconcile bank and credit card accounts. Start a budget (try “You Need A Budget”)
2. Do spring house cleaning. Get the kids involved!
3. Catch up on emails and clean out your inbox—organize computer content.
4. Organize your closets, drawers, and kitchen cupboards.
5. Review and update legal documents (Power of Attorneys, wills, etc).
6. Find creative ways to use up food items in your pantry and freezer.
7. Fill out your annual census form (if that applies in your country).
8. Get up-to-date on electoral issues and prepare to vote wisely.
9. Work on your house, doing minor repairs.
10. Garden—remove weeds, trim trees, plant flowers, water, etc.
Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash
Creative Fun
1. Try a new recipe for dinner—use ingredients you have at home!
2. Redecorate a room or your whole house, or paint old furniture.
3. Organize family photosand work on your kids’ long overdue scrapbooks.
4. Make up a new game to play together.
5. Cut up old magazines and make them into homemade puzzles.
6. Have an indoor photo contest. Set categories like “best micro photograph,” “real life,” “candid,” “What’s this?” etc. Set a date in the future to vote.
7. Start a blog or even a book.
8. Learn to knit or crochet with this video for absolute beginners.
9. Make some “grown up” decorations with paper and scissors. You can find some by clicking here.
10. Make homemade cards for loved ones.
Today Will NOT Be the Same!
No, today was not the same as yesterday. Today was different. We tried something new!
After 10 minutes of reading with my son for his home school work, he said, “Mom, I’ve been reading for 10 minutes. We need a break. It’s time for recess!”
I laughed and said, “Yes, you’re right. It’s time for recess. Let’s try one of these fun ideas.”
We placed my open laptop on the dining room table, cleared the living room furniture, and turned on a “Just Dance” YouTube video. There was quite a selection, but we landed on “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
We followed along with the movements, and we felt free and happy!
If you are stuck inside the four walls of your house . . . give one of these ideas a try. You may decide that you enjoy being stuck for a while.
As you think, journal, or talk about how you are doing in this season, See Beyond's emotion charts in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic might be helpful to you. You might want to download the black and white, colorable version to help you identify what you are feeling.
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Did you know that you have two halves to your brain, but only one side can use words? That’s why using photographs can be so powerful. It helps you to catch a fresh vision. It taps into the right side of the brain and gives it a voice. You can use this tool to uncover hopes, dreams, and expectations, or to give a voice to some of the things you’ve been feeling. It’s a great tool to draw meaning out of others. Start by asking a question like, “What photo best represents _______?” and enjoy looking.
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