For healthy families, COVID-19 lock-down is a golden opportunity to bond with your children and teenagers. SO how do you make the most of it? Read on...
Suddenly you have more time on your hands. Opportunities to travel, go out, attend events, and/or be overtaken by generally 'busy-ness' have all but vanished. This is the PERFECT time to make new memories and share family experiences that you will remember forever.
Let's get started:
The Backyard
Your humble backyard is full of possibility!!!!
Consider the following for small people:
- Create a night-time orientation course using household/garage items and torches
- Arrange a treasure hunt with a map and clues
- Create a "find it" list for little people to tick off (i.e. a yellow flower, three different bugs, a long worm, a very smooth twig etc). They can draw or photograph the items on a device for sharing with each other and you later
- At night-time: identify the stars using an astronomy app and learn more about each one
- Do balloon volleyball, (great for littlies as it moves super slowly) soccer or cricket. Use your wheelie bins as a net or goal posts. No need to keep score, it's just for fun
- They can draw chalk creatures, artwork or tracks for their cars on the driveway or fence. Naughts and crosses and rainbows are also popular
- Create a musical instrument out of household items
- Build a temporary cubby house or a tent out of a large sheet/tarp and available materials.
- Arrange a team challenge such as building a newspaper skyscraper or learning a flash-mob dance move
- Reinforce great moments: Catch them working well together and be sure to discuss the fun and discoveries later at meal times
Consider the following for bigger people:
- Golf: Set up a mini golf course around your yard using available materials and a couple of clubs or bats from any other game
- Strength circuit: Build a course with stations for push ups, skipping, lifting free weights and step ups
- Backyard ninja challenge: Create a course together - see who can complete it the fastest
- Shuttle run/beep test: Arrange using an app or YouTube video to pace you. Measure out the distance in your yard or on the footpath. Compare your progress over a week and then a month.
- Yoga, ballet, juggling etc.: Follow a app or learn some moves online
- Build: a go-kart or race your radio-controlled cars through an obstacle course
- Teach: show a younger sibling some moves on the trampoline or practice a two person lift or trick (with supervision)
- Cook: Set up a damper cooking station on your BBQ or fire pit with a parent helping
- Camp out in the yard, look at the stars and tell ghost stories
- Garden: Set up a compost area and/or small easy to manage veggie garden
- Record some funny outdoor videos to share with your friends
The House
Schedule some fun and beautiful memory building through:
- Visit online museums or online art galleries from around the world or go on virtual fun-park rides (see some of my recent Facebook posts for links)
- Learn everything you can about a different country every day. Earn points towards a reward for sharing additional learning or an interesting new fact
- Family photo-memory sessions (screen them on your TV or bring out the albums) to look back and remember some beautiful holidays or occasions. Go slowly so everyone can contribute input, stories and memories
- Play board games that you love or create new ones
- Set some challenging craft activities using available materials (i.e. craft a hat using just wrapping paper, use one newspaper sheet to build the longest single piece you can etc)
- Use acrylic paints to imitate an old classic or a beautiful new artwork from a picture
- Design and sew an outfit for the dog, cat, pony or chicken using old fabric or outgrown clothes
- Do step-by-step tutorials on dancing, pet care, piano, soccer, coding, robotics etc - anything that your children want to learn (search online for ideas, images and links including instructional video on YouTube)
- Interviews: ask each family member to interview another family member living outside their home via phone or videoconferencing (using Zoom, Skype, Houseparty etc) and then report back at the family dinner on what they've learnt (a great way to learn more about extended family members and bond with them).
-- Indoor challenges such as: navigation to find hidden items, card making, letter writing to a nearby elderly people's home, letter writing to themselves in 10 years, draw and describe your ideal home, plan your YouTube channel or world domination goal or learn a simple recipe every few days for the family to try (with supervision)
The Garage
Consider...
- Junk: Use old boxes to make an obstacle or costume
- Games: Drag out and dust off darts, ping pong, basketball, footy, cricket, soccer, bocce or croquet sets to be rediscovered and enjoyed
- Use brooms, shovels etc to make tiny (or big) hurdles for your obstacle course
- Extend your usable space. Bring out the outdoor furniture and set it up under cover as an additional play area
- Clean old bins and tubs so games and equipment can be stored in easy reach when the children are feeling bored
- Reinvent spaces: Considering clearing out the garage (and parking the car outside) so you can use it as a temporary "games room" or "exercise studio" if your yard is small
This list is definitely not exhaustive BUT may spark some fun ideas for your family to try. The goal is to create new memories, do something different, have (at home) adventures and bring a smile to everyone's faces.
Thanks for reading and feel welcome to let me know your own additional ideas and links so I can share them with others who could benefit.
Carolyn x
Counselling by Carolyn is a counselling practice located in Whittlesea, Victoria specialising in assisting men, women, children and families with emotions, thought patterns, problems, concerns, relationships and family dynamics.
During the COVID-19 social distancing period, Carolyn will be assisting clients via phone and videoconferencing. Visit www.counsellingbycarolyn.webs.com to learn more or to place a booking.
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