In these unprecedented and almost surreal times, the one constant right now is constant closeness. While we social distance, we’re similarly thrown into a constant closeness with kids, pets, and spouses or partners not used to the new normal at all. So how do we cope? Ahead are some creative ideas on coping in a COVID World. Enjoy!
Idea One
MEMORY LANE
– Get out the old photo albums, videos, and homemade crafts you’ve kept and take a walk down memory lane together.
– Start conversations with the kids about memories they have and ask them to start the sentence with “I remember when…” (you’ll be surprised what they remember, and about who, and you’ll no doubt be entertained)!
– Have each family member draw a picture (realizing not everyone of us are artists, do the best you / they can) of one of their favourite memories and have the rest try to guess what it is or when it was from.
Idea Two
LAUGHTER
– Regardless of the age of your kids, you family members, or even pets, EVERYONE farts. So if you’re not too turned off by this premise, serve up a good ‘ol night of chilli or, instead of avoiding gassy foods, embrace them! Ideas here. Once you give it a few hours, have a family farting contest! Why not!? There are copious quantities of literature, videos, on the subject of farts. What better time than now, while in quarantine, to fart it up! Type in ‘books about farts’ into Google and you’ll see what I mean.
– Lately, Tik Tok seems to be all the rage, so why not download the app and load up your first attempt at family fun with Tik Tok. We have two teenaged daughters so this is an easy one for us as they show us the way. My daughter and I even have one trending! Check out ‘Parent’s Ultimate Guide to Tik Tok‘ and have some FUN with it!
– Speak Out Game = If you don’t have it at home, order it online! We’ve played this many times with our girls, friends, and family and it really doesn’t matter what age you are, it’s BOUND to give you all a good belly laugh. (That said, you’ll want to be sure to properly sanitize the mouth pieces before, and after use)! Check it out here.
Idea Three
DRESS UP
– Take out the kids Halloween costumes and host an inside Halloween party! You could draw them a map or give them clues to various places around the house where a ‘candy station’ would be . When they arrive at the candy station, they must pose for a picture (you’ll want to capture this memory) and say ‘Trick or Treat’ and actually DO a trick (or something funny) for a treat! As the proceed through the house you can get creative with the names of the rooms. Our family, just last night, renamed our upstairs, main floor, and downstairs to ‘Uptown’, ‘Midtown’, and ‘Downtown’. When we’re all on different levels and scattered throughout the day, when we come back together we ask about what they were doing in ‘Uptown’ or what they did ‘Downtown’ today?
– Host ‘themed dinner’ nights and have everyone dress up as one another or if they’re a boy, dress like a girl, or whatever creative alternate ego they might want. Our girls have been doing ‘Summer Theme’ (we all wore summer clothes, hats, sunglasses, turned up the fireplace an furnace etc..). We also did a ‘Favourite Colour Night’ where everyone dressed accordingly. I was in green, my husband in orange, my 19 year old in red, and my 16 year old in blue. Take pictures and enjoy!
There are SO many ways to keep positive and have a LOT of fun throughout this time, so don’t sweat the small stuff. Leave the house dirty, let the dishes pile up a bit, put your headphones on when the kids are fighting, use some mindfulness exercises but above all, take a walk down MEMORY LANE, LAUGH, AND DRESS UP! These are just a few ways we’re coping through COVID-19 and managing the constant closeness while we socially distance. In fact, it’s bringing us even closer together as a family and I personally LOVE it.
Carrie White (Swain) House Blogger for HFK