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Arts, Crafts, and Bright Ideas

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• Learn to do Nail Art.
• Draw pictures for seniors at Waveny Care Center.
• Knit or crochet.
• Look at yourself in the mirror. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper.
• Coloring books: They’re not just for kids!
• Learn how to braid (fishtail, French, etc.).
• Learn origami. Make cranes for your loved ones.
• Actually try to reproduce something you see on Pinterest. Probably fail. Try again.
• Fold a piece of paper into a fortune teller you put your thumbs and pointer fingers into. Proceed to tell fortunes.
• Complete a puzzle. Take on a Rubik’s Cube. Or maybe a crossword puzzle!
• Finally read the rules to those long and intense board games you’ve never played with the family. Encourage the family to play.
• Memorize the periodic table. You never know when that will come in handy.
• Attempt things with your non-dominant hand, from writing to brushing your teeth. And challenge your family.
• Try moving in super-slow motion. It’s OK to laugh at regular speed.

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In the Kitchen

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• Host an International Dinner Night.
• Put together the most attractive charcuterie board possible, but you can only use foods you already have in your fridge and cupboard.
• Perfect Grandma’s bolognese recipe.
• Organize your spice rack alphabetically or get crazy and do it by cuisine.
• It may have been canceled, but you can still make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day.
• Have a space in your home where all of the Tupperware goes? Organize it and actually match lids to containers.

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Healthy and Happy

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• Go on a health kick and learn how to cook new recipes with ingredients you may not be using already, from miso to tahini.
• Meditate. Try lying down with your eyes closed, palms up and while focusing on your breath. Or, spend 20 minutes sitting cross-legged and repeat a soothing word to yourself in your head.
• Face masks, moisturizers, oh my! Treat yourself to a 10-step skin care routine you don’t have time for during a normal work week.
• Try out at-home workouts or yoga with the family.
• Acquire a foam roller and treat yourself to some physical therapy.
• Stretch. Work on your flexibility. It’s possible to get the splits back, right?
• Take deep breaths; in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Sleep. Get lots of it.
• Take a bubble bath.
• Shower your pets with love…walk, run, bath and belly rub time!
• Have a dance party with some moves from GoNoodle.

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Give Back

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• Take time to reflect: What have you accomplished in the last year? What goals are you setting for yourself in the next year?
• Make a list of things for which you are grateful.
• Write actual letters to family and friends. Write thank-you notes to local service people who help others.
• Have a family meeting about how to be more considerate of one another, especially while you will likely be spending more time together. Bring baked goods…but bake them first!
• Buy gift cards from your favorite local businesses to help keep them in business while we quarantine.
• Make lists of all the museums, sporting events and concerts you want to visit when they finally reopen.
• Consider donating money to food banks to help families struggling to get meals.

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Get Creative

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• If it won’t bother your family members: Dust off that old instrument and practice.
• Write poetry. Perhaps you can craft a haiku for Mother’s Day.
• Write a book with your family. Pick a character and each member writes a chapter about their adventures. Read aloud to each other.
• Write a song. If you want to make it about your time inside, put it to the tune of “My Sharona” and replace “Sharona” with “Corona,” do what you have to do.
• Study the art of beatboxing.
• Write a short story or get started on that novel.
• Start a journal or blog on how you enjoy tech-free family time
• Interview your grandparents (over the phone, of course) and save the audio. Can you create an audio story or book with that file?
• Go through your camera roll, pick your favorite pics from the past year and make a photo book or order framed versions online.

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Enjoy the Fresh Air

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• Plant Seedlings.
• Play Hide-and-Seek.
• Have an Indoor/Outdoor Yard Scavenger Hunt.
• Create an obstacle course. Challenge your family to see who gets the fastest time.
• Go fly a kite.
• Decorate the driveway with some sidewalk chalk.
• Make a tree fort.

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Use Your Imagination

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• Put on a play, puppet show or a soap opera and create your own dialogue.
• Film a “Newscast.”
• Play “Would You Rather” with any family member. Would you rather go skiing or swimming?
• Bring out the Legos. Build your house inside of your house.
• Have a Costume Night. Generally, the only time we can get away with putting on costumes is on Halloween.
• Have a Christmas Party (* In the Spring).

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Around the House

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• Clear out the family room and camp indoors with blankets, popcorn and scary movies or ghost stories.
• Finally get around to fixing that broken door knob and loose tile or cleaning scuffed up walls.
• Rearrange your furniture to make it seem like your home is a totally different space.
• Throw an indoor picnic
• Try on all your clothes and determine whether they “spark joy” á la Marie Kondo.
• Better yet, go through this process with your junk drawer and supply shelves.
• Read all the New Yorker issues piled on your desk. Or those National Geographics.

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