100 things to do when quarantined with kids

Along with the widespread news of COVID-19 and the health and political implications surrounding the disease, the media is now widely speaking to how families might survive each other during lockdowns, school closures, and remote working conditions. 

Survive each other? 

Come on, parents! We admit to laughing at the wealth of circulating COVID-19 memes about losing our minds. We’ve had our fair share of virtual meeting bloopers with family photo bombs—or rather, video bombs. But let’s choose to turn our focus from the struggles of quarantine to a focus on enjoying each other, giving thanks for quality family time (even if it’s forced), using this as an opportunity to truly connect with our children and spouses.

We live in a time when society tells us to work harder, do more, and be more than we can ever possibly be. But what if these moments—these chaotic, uncertain, messy moments—are a gift? 

What if these moments of school closures, encouraged self-containment, and remote working conditions allow us extra time to pray diligently for the health and well-being of people around the world, for the uncertainty of the economy, and for the leaders and scientists working tirelessly to provide a cure for COVID-19?

What if we chose to use these moments to teach our children the invaluable lessons of time management, how to work diligently, and what it is we actually do all day for our jobs?

And when we have a spare moment, what if we put on our parental party pants and decided to seize the day? 

Here is our list of 100 family friendly activities to do during your COVID-19 quarantine. 

May the Lord bless this time with the ones you love most. 

Play hard, laugh often, and dance those cabin fever blues away.

Daily Prayer Schedule

1. Work through a daily devotional each morning. 
2. Choose a worship song and Bible story form Minno Kids online.
3. Select a time each day to pray for those affected by COVID-19. Our family and friends pray each night at 8:00 p.m.
4. Spend time each night, right before bed or during bath time, working through a daily prayer list.
5. Implement a daily gratitude breakfast. While eating your morning meal, ask your child to list five things for which they are grateful.
6. Pray with your child before he or she goes to sleep.
7. For older children, encourage use of a prayer journal to work through celebrations, hopes, gratitude, as well as anxieties, fears, and uncertainty.

The Great Outdoors

1. Go on a family hike.
2. Play hide-and-go seek.
3. Play tag.
4. Create an outdoor obstacle course.
5. Play frisbee.
6. Play catch.
7. Teach your child a new sport: golf, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc.
8. Dig in the dirt.
9. Create your own water table. Think: a big bucket, measuring cups, plastic cups, and mixing bowls!
10. If you are feeling like a really cool parent, have a shaving-cream war. (Please make sure to wear goggles or some other form of protective eye gear!)
11. Have a bubble party.
12. Play in the sprinklers.
13. Have a race.
14. Race play cars down the driveway.
15. Pick a bouquet of flowers.
16. Color with sidewalk chalk.
17. Put on a relay race.

Arts & Crafts

1. Color cardboard boxes.
2. Use tape to create letters.
3. Stick post-it notes to the ground or wall to teach colors or create a game of memory.
4. Practice tracing your hands, feet, and anything else that might fit on a piece of paper.
5. Write a letter to grandma or grandpa and put it in the mail.
6. Create a time capsule and bury it in the ground. Here are some ideas.
7. Print, assemble, and color this mini book of creation.
8. Turn a cardboard box into a car. 
9. Use stickers to create letters.
10. Paint with Q-tips and cotton balls.
11. Create sponge stamps.

Easter Activities 

1. Create an Easter sensory bin.
2. Do a fizzy Easter science experiment.
3. Drip painting Easter egg art.
4. Watercolor surprise Easter egg art.
5. Create an Easter egg rainbow.
6. Mess-free Easter egg painting.
7. Work through a Christ-centered Easter activity printable.
8. Create Resurrection Eggs with this free printable.

Let’s get messy

1. Body paint station: washable paints plus some cool toddler tunes equals a win every single time.
2. Use food coloring or color tabs and create a color-themed bath.
3. Mix food coloring with shaving cream in varying mixing bowls, then mix the different colored shaving creams to teach about primary and secondary colors.
4. Make bread from scratch—knead it, let it rise, bake! Talk to your kids about the symbolism of leavened and unleavened bread.
5. Create a toy bathing station with water, soap, and sponges!
6. Create a pinecone bird feeder.
7. Engage in a splatter the paint arts and crafts activity. (Unless you are very, very brave, this one is for outdoors.)

In the Kitchen

1. Try these resurrection cookies.
2. Have a dishwashing party.
3. Cut vegetables for snacks with kid-friendly knives.
4. Bake muffins or another favorite treat.
5. Create a tupperware tower. 
6. Use plastic water bottles and a small ball for a game of bowling in the kitchen.
7. Use fruits like apples, pears, zucchini, and squash to make stamps. You can even use ketchup or BBQ sauce to make it an edible craft.
8. Cook a recipe from another country and use it as a talking point about the origin of the recipe and the culture that surrounds it. (Tip: you can make buttermilk by mixing milk and lemon juice or white vinegar.)
9. Make your own edible Play-Doh.
10. Make fruit kabobs and a yogurt dipping snack.
11. Make yogurt in your instant pot.
12. Make elderberry syrup in your instant pot. (Hint: we omit all of the extras and just use the elderberries, water, and honey or maple syrup.)
13. Make healthy fruit gummies.

Indoor Extravaganza

1. Host a family fashion show.
2. Put on a dance party!
3. Family movie night.
4. Play charades.
5. Make a blanket fort.
6. Create a toy parade.
7. Host a kid’s yoga class.
8. Have a lego-building contest.
9. Clean out your toy bins and select items to donate.
10. Read a book.
11. Play a board game.
12. Create an indoor treasure hunt.
13. Rearrange the furniture in a room. Find toddler room layout ideas here.
14. Commission your children to help you declutter.
15. Clean out your closet and dress your kids in hats, scarves, belts, and shoes as you go.
16. Organize the playroom.
17. Create a pom-pom tube ramp.
18. Help your children memorize your phone number with this fun activity.
19. Create a cut-and-glue station.

When Work Must Be Done

1. Commission your children to help. Explain your task and invite them to listen in on your method of completion.
2. Allow your children to take a virtual tour of a zoo or aquarium.
3. If you have littles—let them be KIDS. Give them free reign with a snack to make as big of a mess as they would like. What else are vacuums for? And you score 30 minutes of quiet time.
4. Keep a schedule. Nap times and/or planned rest times are life when working remotely.
5. Set up a Play-Doh station next to your desk or computer. Include cookie cutters, child-safe scissors, the whole shebang.
6. Turn on an educational TV show or family-friendly movie.
7. For older children: turn on an audiobook or family-friendly podcast.
8. Let your children FaceTime a loved one.

Online Scholastic Resources

1. Scholastic is offering free online curriculum broken down by grade level.
2. Print off and work through curriculum on 123homeschool4me.
3. Conquer typing with a free trial from accessibyte.com.
4. Find craft ideas and alphabet worksheets on the All Kids Network online resource.
5. Practice K-12 math skills with Ascend Math.
6. Have an Alexa smart speaker? Learn about notable historical figures through Bamboo Leaning. Just say, “Alex, open Bamboo Luminaries.”
7. Want to add math to your child’s routine? Bedtime Math provides resources for children ages two through elementary school.
8. Brainpop and Brainpop Jr. are platforms targeted at enhancing children’s creative play.
9. Practice proofreading with daily exercises from Classroom Cereal.
10. Create and adhere to a daily schedule like this one by Khan Academy, varying by age and grade. (This one is also great!)