It can be a very difficult time to have family quality bonding sessions during quarantine, especially when everyone tends to be glued to their phones nowadays. It’s okay though! You can admit it. Most of us do this. But let’s be honest - being on the phone all the time can be boring and sometimes even lonely. You might be wondering what you and your family can do together that will be fun. We can help you! Here are 5 different ways you and your family can have a blast without the use of technology.
Board Games/ Card Games Try pulling out Monopoly or The Game of Life from the closet! They might have been sitting there, collecting dust bunnies, but they are classic games that will give you ample opportunity to bond with your family. Yes, they are very long games, so if that isn't your cup of tea, try the classic Uno, a fun, quick, and easy card game that both adults and children can enjoy!
Go On a Picnic/ Make Dinner Plans Yes, COVID ruined all the family outings for now, and we’re left stuck at home. It’s really challenging to find activities when you’re quarantined. However, we can fix that! Who said you can’t have a picnic outside in your backyard? Yes, it might not be ideal, but for those who feel more secure in the comfort of their home, give it a try. If not a picnic, you can plan a home dinner date! For those who are willing to venture out, we suggest going to a park or the beach! Both are very relaxing places.
No matter what scenery you decide on, appoint each family member a different task in order to achieve this goal. Let your daughter be in charge of the food. Let your son pick the activities and games. Let your husband set up the location. We believe this family participation will make things a bit more exciting.
Paint Like Picasso Go to your nearest art supply store. Get enough canvases, paintbrushes, and paint for each family member. If you have toddlers, you can get the Crayola Washable Paint as a substitute for actual paint. Let everyone write down their painting ideas on small strips of paper, then place these strips into a hat or bowl and let each member pick a random painting idea. Hopefully, you all get an idea that wasn’t originally yours and now, you paint! To make things more entertaining, if someone cannot figure out what their pick actually means, they are not allowed to research it. This is a great way to get everyone to show their creativity with their own interpretation of their picks. It doesn’t matter if you know how to paint or not. What matters is you all enjoy yourselves!
Try New Food or Cuisine Whether you prefer to do this at home or order from a restaurant, you all can try something new! If you decide to cook at home, make everyone participate. Don’t just let Mom do all the cooking (we all know she is usually the one who already does this everyday)! Let Dad cook the main course and let the kids be in charge of dessert. You might all be too focused on your own tasks, so don't forget to socialize and have fun with it! Play some music while you cook and dance the night away! Whether it’s a hit or miss, you all worked together to create an amazing dinner! Refrain from using your phone because you’re with your family! You should be talking to them! Ask them how their day was and start from there. Hopefully you all enjoyed the food, but nonetheless, you all had great quality time together!
The Classic Movie Night Having a night in might do the job. You all can relax while watching a new movie or even re-watch one of the family’s favorites! You can even make a huge fort with cushions and pillows and watch from in there. It's a great way to get everyone to be creative! You can also transform the room into a home movie theater! Grab some extra pillows and blankets, make some popcorn, and most importantly, make the room extra dark and crank up your sound system! At least you all aren’t on your phones and instead, are enjoying a movie together! Even though no one talks throughout the movie, just by being close to each other away from social media or video games is pretty relaxing, especially with family. After the movie is over, don’t get up and go back to your phones. What you should do is talk to your family members about how you liked or disliked the movie and why!
Conclusion There are so many more activities out there for you and your family to try! These five are just the start to this beautiful journey. We should really try to limit our smartphone usage because every time we choose to be glued to our phones and other devices, we lose time with our family. Life is short, so let’s put our phones down and replace them with family bonding time.
We hope you and your family are doing okay during this crazy time. Stay safe, Purflor Family!