My Best Friend's Ideas & Tips For Keeping You & The Kiddos Entertained At Home

I know, I know, just when we thought we made it through the mildest winter in recent memory with barely a couple of picturesque snow dustings, cabin fever held an arm’s length away and spring about to emerge, this happens

Yes, it is imperative to hunker down and distance ourselves, it makes a huge, crucial difference. 

If you are tired of all the griping and think toilet paper memes are so 5 days ago, don’t despair. Connecting through the internet can be a double edged sword. On the one hand, we have unprecedented resources available to help us survive a sudden need to live in a temporary silo.  

Like old-timey monarchs, we all live with virtual court jesters named Netflix or Hulu or YouTube seated next to us just waiting to entertain. “I wish to see the first season of Firefly! Show me a laughing panda! OMG, I want to re-watch all the episodes of Friends featuring Maggie Wheeler! Do giraffes laugh? I want to see a sneezing wombat! Play that hippopotamus video again…you know the one, with the pink splatter!”  

Beyond mere entertainment, if you are feeling inspired, you can take on a second language, learn to cook something specific (crepes, anyone?) or plan a DIY project though countless educational, instruction or courseware sites (Doulingo, Khan Academy, Instructables, Alison, PBS kids, National Geographic, Seterra) for every age group.

But the age we live in is also unparalleled in terms of having instant access into people’s immediate, sometimes unfiltered, thoughts. When everyone gets on social media to air their grievances about the same thing at the same time, it can leave you feeling despondent. Unexpected upheavals are super challenging, especially when it comes to school, work and childcare but a constant barrage of negativity won’t help. When screen time feels like a bane instead of a boon, it is time to unplug, give it a rest and recharge until you can come back and share something positive.

Without screen time and the option to go out, with children at home, what do we do??? We build pillow forts, play cat’s cradle, make cities out of blocks, crochet, make collages, read, and sketch pictures. Get all your boxes together and tape them into a castle or make a maze or an igloo or a yurt. Got an old sheet? Secure it to a wall and use watercolors to paint a mural, toss it in the washer and make a new one tomorrow. Get all your broken crayons together. Younger siblings can peel and sort the broken pieces, while an adult melts them into muffin tins or silicon molds or ice cube trays. Let them cool, pop them out and you’ve got new crayons! Drag out the board games and puzzles. You can even make life size tic tac toe board using some painter’s tape to make an octothorpe on the floor and use pillow/stuffed animals for exes and oh’s. You can duplicate that hangry herbivore game with skateboards, pit balls and laundry baskets. You probably have everything you need in your house right now to make chalk (corn starch, water, food coloring), moon sand (flour and baby oil), slime (glue, borax, shaving cream), finger paint (flour, water, food coloring) or play dough (flour, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil). Get all your old nail polishes and make some art work on smooth stones for the garden or yard. Pull out your yoga mats and hold some poses in your living room. 

Panic buying and over-reacting won't help but this might. Balance social distancing with some at-home activites and wash your hands.

About The Author

Christina is a life-long Rhode Islander who has been dedicated to mission-driven human services work. A mother of two, she recycles, composts, and runs her household with solar energy. An animal lover and a world traveler, this bon vivant has jumped out of a plane, bungee jumped (twice!), run over the Newport Bridge, swum across Narragansett Bay, and penguin plunged.