How to Have Fun at Home During The Coronavirus

No problemo. All you need is a few ideas that can turn your quarantine into quara-fun!

These fun ideas allow you to bond and spend quality time with your family during this Coronavirus Pandemic.

Just give them a shot. And the fun will take care of itself.

Try story time with a new book

This one may only be for smaller kids, but if there’s one thing I personally used to love in grade school – it was story time. Especially when our class got to bring in their favorite book!

So, whether reading a book together as a family is outdated or “uncool,” learning the plot of a good book together is very sensory.

Need a good book to get started with? We recommend “Miracle Malcolm” by Ariel Simmons, as it is an inspiring true story about faith, perseverance and most importantly, family.

Little Malcolm was born premature at a mere one pound and with the power of prayer and his parents by his side, he defied all odds. He is a living miracle and in uncertain times like this, we believe this is the perfect uplifting story we need to spread hope rather than fear and show that with faith on our side all things are possible. “This too shall pass!”

Did I mention the family is a small business too? Got to love supporting everyday families!

Miracle Malcolm is available at Amazon (hello Prime members), Target, Walmart and Barnes & Noble!

Photo credit: Ariel Simmons instagram @ariellsimmons

Try a new cooking recipe

Since you now have time on your hands, why not have a little fun testing a new recipe?

Chances are, you’ll make something that your family can’t get enough of…

Maybe it’s a new entree’. Maybe it’s a new desert Maybe it’s a new beverage.

For dinner, one quick and tasty recipe you can try-out tonight is Buffalo Chicken Sliders. This recipe is “slap your mama” good (but please don’t) because it is delicious, simple, and super-duper satisfying (which keeps you from pigging-out all day and night.) Did we mention there’s only 6 ingredients?

As for dessert, you should try-out baking a Greek Yogurt Cranberry Orange Pound Cake. It’s only 131 calories per slice (yasss…c’mon waistline)- talk about healthy AND delicious?! You and your family will definitely love this recipe.

Instead of cooking everything yourself, if your kids are old enough let them help you. While you put the ingredients together, they can stir everything up (*insert handwashing reminder little minions*) help you hunt down the ingredients in your pantry and even help you clean up afterwards.

All while you dance and sing your favorite songs in the kitchen: Alexa, play my Top 40 playlist please.

Pull out the card or board games

Most parents are letting their kids sit around all day -- playing the Playstation/ and watching Netflix.

While this is great for keeping your child busy, it’s not great for bonding together as a family during this Pandemic.

So, bring everyone to the table and play games that require family collaboration. This can be UNO, Poker, Monopoly, the block Stacking Game, and other family games you enjoy.

These types of games are fun, competitive, challenging, and rewarding. As long as you alternate these game types, it will keep your family entertained and busy throughout the day.

Get Puzzled

So when was the last time you put together a…. puzzle?

Jigsaw puzzles are a great way to connect with family

Survey says 28% of families with children at home favor this cognitive pastime. And guess what? They actually sharpen your cognitive tools, enhancing your smarts and have great short and long-term benefits.

How so?

• Jigsaw puzzles exercise the left and right sides of your brain at once
• Jigsaw puzzles improve your short-term memory
• Jigsaw puzzles relieve stress and are great meditation therapy

Jigsaw puzzles improve your visual-spatial reasoning

This is particularly interesting because as parents this helps us with skills in everyday tasks like:

• Driving a car (parking, switching lanes, etc.)
• Packing and figuring out how many items can fit in boxes, suitcases, or the trunks of our cars
• Using a map

Additionally whether you are an adult in these professions or have children interested in these fields, visual-spatial ability is important for people who are (or want to be):

• Architects
• Engineers
• Chemists
• Artists
• Surgeons

Source: USA Today, The Surprising Benefits of Puzzle Solving for adults

Create a DIY prize or activity spin wheel

Okay, so we have all watched our favorite movie about 10x and boy could we use some new ways to entertain ourselves – well, ba ba ba dam! Introducing the activity spin wheel.

What is it exactly? It’s a simple, inexpensive and ingenious little thing that you can create several versions of quick and easy. You can download a paper template to print here or you can create one out of cardboard by following the instructions here.

Now on to the fun part!

Here are some ideas to use for your new spin wheel to mix things up a bit:

• What’s for dinner? Have everyone pick a new recipe or their favorite meal and spin!
• Let’s pick a movie! A family favorite or an On-Demand new release and spin!
• Cardio anyone? Let’s choose a few exercises and spin to bring PE and the gym right to your living room (or outdoors)!
• Dessert a treat? Since we’re all snacking all day, why not pick a few choices and have a spin off once a day to limit our sugar and make that one treat something to look forward to?

Work on home projects

Now is also a great time to beautify your home...

This could mean rearranging some furniture, painting, or putting up new decorations. Whether it’s for the living room, your bedroom, your kids bedroom, the bathrooms, or kitchen.

The great thing about home projects is that… It's a fun, never-ending process. There’s always something you can do to make your home a more beautiful place to live.

So create a list, pick-up everything you need, grab your kid's hand, and get busy.

If you don't have the tools you, head to Lowe's or home depot to pick them up.

Go outside

Did they just say go outside?! Yes. Just because parks and places are closed-down, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun outside…in your own backyard that is.

Truth has it, our bodies need Vitamin D and fresh air to keep us alive and healthy.

So put your tennis shoes on and take your kids outside in the yard.

Run around, play soccer, flag football, BBQ, jump rope, or simply just relax in the sun.

The key is to be creative, and find outdoor activities that your family enjoys. Just make sure to practice safety first!

This is all to say...

The coronavirus shouldn’t keep you stuck at home, bored, laying on a couch all day while browsing endlessly on social media.

Instead, use this precious time to bond and connect with your family through fun activities.

By using these activities, you will instantly kill the quarantine boredom, and keep your family busy and uplifted during this coronavirus pandemic.

Just see for yourself!

Also, don’t forget to check out our exclusive Family Matching T- shirts.