10 home-based activities to get you through 10 days of self-isolating
Facing 10 days at home with the kids can be like standing at the base of Mount Everest! How are you going to keep them occupied (and out of your hair) for the 10 days? How will you keep everyone happy when you’re not allowed to leave the house?
Here we’ve put together 10 home-based activities that you can go through during the long self-isolating days to hopefully help the time pass quicker.
1) Learn a new dance
One way to keep the kids busy and also help them burn off some energy is to make up your own dance! One big craze from the past year has been doing the Jerusalema dance (click here for the YouTube!) and this one’s great for all the family to enjoy. If you’re feeling more creative then why not spend an afternoon making up your own crazy dance with the kids – it will turn a dull day into fun and uplifting memory for everyone to cherish! Another way to keep active is to do some yoga on the Wobbel Boards. Follow the printable Yoga Cards we have on our Wobbel Board page and get the kids moving!
2) Set up your own messy play
If you’ve got little ones and want to help their sensory skills while you’re stuck at home, why not set up your own messy play. Baby Sensory UAE even do messy play at home kits which are a super fun way to keep your little ones learning new things while staying safe at home.
3) Make a time capsule
We can all agree this past 12 months has been a time like no other, but instead of thinking of the negatives why not sit down with the kids and think of all the good things that have happened. Whether that’s memories of funny things that happened at home or the excitement of having mum/dad home more from work – put everything down on a list and get creative to draw pictures of your memories or make special cards for them. Put everything in a time capsule and set a date that you’ll sit down and re-open it as a family in the future.
4) Create your own photo back drop
With technology running through our kids’ veins these days, they all love experimenting with photos and videos of themselves. Why not go one step further and create a photo backdrop that they can take silly photos or videos against. Start with a large piece of paper or some cardboard sellotaped together and then paint, draw and craft on it till your hearts content! Some ideas are a forest backdrop with real leaves and grass, one covered in all their favourite toy characters or a winter wonderland made out of cotton wool and glitter!
5) Get crafty with Koko Cardboard
One of our favourite ways to keep the kids happy and busy at home is to set up an arts and crafts afternoon. And even better when the crafts can be handled more or less by themselves without our help! The Koko Carboard DIY kits are amazing and come in so many different designs that there’s even one to do every day of your quarantine period. Favourites so far in our house have been the Astronaut and Unicorn costume and the Rainbows.
6) Create a Vision Board
A great way to help your kids focus on the positive aspects of this year and look forward to a brighter tomorrow is by creating a vision board. This could be done individually or as a family and should contain pictures and drawings of things they would like to have or have happen in the future. For example, you could print photos of family you miss from home, draw your favourite holiday destination, or add in some of your favourite food from your favourite restaurants. Seeing everything all in one place will help lift their spirits and get their positive thinking caps on!
7) Make the ultimate fort
When our kids make forts at home, for the most part they only keep it up a couple of days before it needs to come down. One blessing of staying at home is you don’t have to worry about the house being messy because you have no guests coming to visit! So, make the ultimate family fort in the living room and let them keep it up for the whole time you’re self-isolating! A nice idea is to make it big enough so the whole family can hang out there together in the evenings watching a movie or having lazy breakfasts in the fort on the weekends.
8) Take a virtual museum tour
To help create the illusion of being out of the house take your kids on a virtual museum tour! This may sound a little more boring than it really is, as the majority of the world’s biggest museums now have amazing interactive tours you can do. With Google’s Arts and Culture initiative you can literally visit any art gallery in the world so start your activity at the TATE in London before heading to New York’s MOMA and ending up in The National Gallery of Rome. You can chat about which pieces of art you like and don’t like and even then set about creating your own master piece. We also love the Natural History Museum’s virtual experiences as there is something for everyone to enjoy and the San Diego Zoo live webcam of the animals is also great fun!
9) Make your own soap
We’re washing our hands more than ever so why not turn this into something fun by making your own soap! It’s easier than it sounds, and you can get really creative with the smells and flavours you add in. Here’s an easy recipe to get you started.
10) Keep a quarantine journal
While spending so much time at home can be challenging it’s important to try and focus on the positives and everything your grateful for during this time. Start by keeping a journal of your days and the highs and laughs you had – it’s these small moments that you need to remember to get you through the tough times. The Write to Me Family journal is perfect for this and will make an interesting memento to keep and read back on years later.
We would love to hear your ideas on how you’re keeping the kids occupied during your self-isolating days! Message us in the comments to share your experiences.
