Quarantined Week Five: 6 Ways to Get Creative this Weekend!

Give yourselves a pat on the back as you made it past one month of quarantine! Have you finally found a routine that works best for your family? Or are you still finding it hard to keep the kids entertained with the same old things? Whether you’re looking to spice up your routine or an engaging activity, we may have something for you as it’s that time again for our weekly list of ideas. 

1. Balloon Tennis: Have the kids always wanted to pick up a new sport such as tennis? Now would be the perfect time — except for the fact that public athletic courts are currently closed. However, here’s a possible solution for you! Balloon tennis is a great way to ease your child into the sport and it can be played both indoors and outdoors. This activity is a quick set up and doesn’t require many materials. To make the net, you will need two chairs set however far apart and a piece of string or tape to tie from one chair to the other. Next, blow up one balloon (but it might be best to have backups in case one pops) to use as your tennis ball. Feel free to have the kids draw on it with a sharpie to make it look more authentic. Now, there are two ways you can do rackets. First, simply have the kids use their hands — but only one! — to hit the balloon back and forth. Second, use paper plates, large popsicle sticks, and tape to make a paper plate racket. Once that is figured out, you’re all set to start your game of tennis! Have the kids begin by rallying back and forth; if the balloon hits the ground, restart. When they’re ready to start an actual game of tennis, keep score or try these other versions of balloon tennis to add a creative twist! Not only is balloon tennis a great source for physical activity, but also allows kids to exercise their gross motor skills as they jump, leap, and stretch into action during the game.
2. Learn Coding: This could be a good time for your child to start learning a new skill. Why not have them start a coding program? Basic coding is a vital skill for both children and adults in this day and age. Technology is only continuing to grow and develop. Coding is something I have always longed to pick up in my down time, and I wish the resources that are available to kids now were around when I was kid. There are a plethora of benefits for kids to pick up this skill. Learning to code allows children to express their creative imaginations in unique and exciting ways. Whether or not that is in the form of building simple websites or games, kids are able to enhance their design, logic, and problem-solving capabilities. Worried about cost? Don’t, as many coding programs for kids are being offered for free right now! Check out Code Monster (my personal recommendation for beginners as it gives you prompts to learn basic commands), Khan Academy, Scratch (you can build almost anything with scratch blocks; think virtual legos), and the app Swift Playgrounds. With these resources, your child will be a coder in no time and may just find a possible career path!
3. Arts & Crafts: Once again, here is a weekly arts and crafts project that you can do as a family or give to your kids with items you have on hand in the house. This week is DIY Toilet Paper Roll Animals. I know what you’re thinking, the mention of toilet paper is a tough topic right now. However, since you have most certainly required many toilet paper rolls during the quarantine, turn it into a fun project for the kids! Instead of recycling the rolls after the TP is gone, have the kids upcycle them into all kinds of animals. Here’s what you’ll need: toilet paper rolls, paint (if you have some), markers, colored pens/pencils, and your child’s creative imagination. Once you have all materials gathered, the kids can make any animal in any way that they can think of. Use paint, markers, or pens to design and color the body of the animal on the toilet paper roll. If you have enough TP rolls, task them with making a zoo of animals! This can be an ongoing project whenever you have an empty toilet paper roll to spare. Beware, your house might just turn into a jungle!
4. Have an International Dinner Night: Is there a country you’ve always wanted to visit or learn more about as a family? Although you may not be able to travel there right now, bring the culture and cuisine into your home! Once you have all decided on a country, pick a dinner that is unique to that place and prepare it at home. This is the perfect family activity to get the kids involved in preparing a meal in the kitchen. Give each family member a task: gathering ingredients, meal prep, cooking, setting the table, and cleaning. Want to make it more realistic? Try to find clothing around the house that might be worn in that country and wear it to dinner! While you’re waiting for dinner to be served, have each family member find one fact about your chosen country to share with the rest of the family at dinner time. Not sure how to go about this? For example, if my family were to choose Italy, we might make homemade gnocchi or pizza and come dressed in the colors of the Italian flag and each share a fact. In the end, you’ll have come out of a fun International family dinner night with a belly and brain full of something new!
5. Recreate Theme Park Rides: Were you planning to take the kids to Disneyland or Universal Studios over spring break? Then this is the perfect activity for you! Bring the magic of a Disney ride home to you by recreating them with household items. This will surely get the kids’ imaginations soaring as they think of ways to create some of their favorite theme park rides. The possibilities are endless. Like water rides? Try bringing splash mountain to the backyard with a hose, slip n slide, sprinklers, and something to act as your ‘log’. Still looking for some more inspiration? Start by checking out some rides others have recreated in their homes such as the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more! Your kids will be imagineers in no time. Share with us what rides your family recreated.
6. Create a Family Photo Album: Do you have an abundance of family photos lying around in the house or in your photos library on your phone from past family vacations? Yeah, me too. Have you been wanting to create a family photo album from each of your trips but haven’t found the time? Yeah, me too. Well, look no further as this is a great project for the kids to work on with the whole family! There are many options to explore when creating a photo album. You could go the old fashioned route with hard copies of photos and make a scrapbook from a special family trip or by the year (this takes time, but the outcome is worth it). Or, you could stick to digital (as most of your photos already are), and create a digital family photo album to share! Challenge the kids to get involved and reminisce about these trips or moments. Maybe your child would like to create the digital photo album of the family to surprise you! Have them share in a slideshow on the TV afterwards for the whole family to see. This can act as another ongoing project as anyone in the family can add to the photo album at any time. Either way, the finished product will be something you cherish for years to come!