Staying Home: 7 Ideas to Keep You Healthy and Happy During the Covid 19 Outbreak

Well, I’m at home this week with my sweet kiddos. My daughter’s school extended her Spring Break by a week, and the school I teach at is on Spring Break this week. Of course, we don’t know what the future will bring, yet. It may be that my daughter’s school and mine end up even further extending their breaks to prevent the spread of Covid 19. And of course, as a precaution we can’t go to malls, the zoo, movies, or really anyplace that we used to go to keep our children entertained. And it’s been rainy, so they can’t even play in the backyard. In short, it’s a recipe for a potential disaster of boredom, non-stop TV, and poor health from lack of exercise. So what to do to keep from going crazy or spending the whole week lazing in front of screens? After you’ve already cleaned/disinfected the house and folded all the socks?

  1. Yoga and Pilates YouTube!

Yes, suggestion does involve screens, but in a good way. I thought it would be fun for the whole family to try doing yoga together (we can stream the youtube videos on our TV). I’ll admit that doing yoga with a two-year-old and a six-year-old can be challenging/frustrating. You must be prepared at all times for a baby to decide now is the moment to start riding mommy like a pony, diving between her legs, or crawling between her arms as she’s doing a plank. But it’s worth it for the exercise, and even more for the utterly adorable sight of your children attempting yoga poses. A two-year-old in child’s pose, or waving his hands above his head as your stretch your arms? Priceless, y’all.

I’ve been doing Yoga with Adrian, the 30 days of yoga. Will we be stuck at home for a whole thirty days? I don’t know, but if we are, I will hopefully emerge from it with a much stronger core.

2. Family Music

I realize that not every is a freelance musician/music teacher with tons of musical instruments at home, but lots of people have a guitar or two stored away somewhere, and almost everyone can learn to sing (think family singalongs like in the Sound of Music!). So now’s the time! My children have ukuleles that they got for Christmas, and I’m starting to teach some songs to my six-year-old. YouTube is a brilliant resource for anyone learning almost any instrument, and tons of private music teachers are offering lessons online via Skype.

I’m learning Toss a Coin to Your Witcher on ukulele. When the virus is passed and we’re going to cons again, I can play it to annoy/impress people coming to my table!

3. Read!

I have so many books, guys. So, so many. But hey, now’s the time! I’m hoping to read at least a couple books a week while I’m home. I will work my way through my to-read list and luxuriate in the knowledge/pleasure I get from reading. Besides, reading to your children, and with them if they’re old enough, is a great family activity.

If you’re looking for books, check out Sapience or Saints and Curses (though these are definitely adult books, so don’t read them to your children. If you’d like a great book to read to your kids, check out my friend Sarah’s beautiful children’s book, The Box.

4. Write!

Even if you’re not normally a writer, it might be interesting for you to start writing for fun. Keep a Corvid 19 diary or journal, or write a blog about what you’re doing to stay active at home. Start that novel you’ve always dreamed of writing. Write down memories of your loved ones for a family scrapbook. Write letters to your Congresspeople and the President. Writing is a great way to keep your mind engaged, and it can help you communicate with the world in a safe, non-contagion-spreading way.

5. Games

I love board games, and there are tons of great options for families that everyone can enjoy. Card games are another fun and classic way to keep kids occupied that doesn’t involve TV. My six-year-old loves Uno, and hey, it’s probably a good way to develop counting skills, right? Or think of more active games like having a dance off or playing hide and seek. Also, while it may take some modifications for young kids, Dungeons and Dragons might be a fun thing to play as a family. My husband is also teaching our daughter to paint mini-figures.

6. Crafting

I’m seriously behind on my crafting right now, and I honestly haven’t done much nalbinding, tablet weaving, or sewing for months. I got so busy/distracted by other things! But now that I’m looking at being home for awhile (though as I said, at this point my school has not yet extended their Spring Break or instituted a longer closure, that is a distinct possibility), finishing some crafting projects and/or starting to make some new things sounds like a great way to pass the time and still feel a sense of accomplishment. My six-year-old is probably even old enough to start learning the basics of some crafting, so we could potentially do some things together.

7. Baking/Cooking

Who has time to make their own puff pastry, like they do on the Great British Baking Show? Potentially, I do! This could be another fun family activity, since I’ve been trying to teach my six-year-old some basic baking/cooking skills (I’m hoping that as she learns to cook or bake herself and she has a hand in preparing food, she’ll be more interested in eating new foods). Besides, this way we don’t have to risk getting infections from restaurant or food delivery workers who don’t have paid sick leave. Which is honestly inexcusable for a wealthy 1st world country with a pandemic.

So there’s my list of ideas to stay sane and non-inundated with TV and video games. Now I just have to stick to it!