We’re soon going to be halfway through our lockdown and for most of us this may still seem so new. Staying indoors 24X7 is far from what any of us are used to. For those of you with kids, it’s easy to run out of ideas of things to do during the holidays at home. But whether it’s for you or your young ones, there really is no dearth of things to do and we’ve decided to compile a list to help you out.
What can’t be done in reality, can be done virtually
We live in the age of the Internet. One of the first things people did at the beginning of the lockdown was to host virtual weekend parties through online video-conferencing, share Netflix lists, and talk endlessly over the phone.
While isolation is difficult to deal with, virtual interaction is not the only thing you can do online.
Make your time online productive instead
Here are a couple of ways to spend your free time productively online:
Learn a new skill online
For many of us, getting 3 weeks at home can be a blessing in disguise, for we suddenly have the free time we need to learn things we’ve been putting off. There are a range of online e-learning and distance courses online.
You can choose from a wide range of MOOCs available online. Here are a couple of platforms you can check out: Coursera, Udemy, Khan Academy (for your kids), EDx. You could learn a new language with online courses or Duolingo. You could even learn to play an instrument with online tutorials on YouTube.
Catch up on reading
If you don’t have a lot of books on your shelves, there’s an infinite number of them available for free or at a small fee online. You can also download the free Kindle app, Google Books, or other e-readers to read books from your phone, tablet, or even your desktop computer.
With the lockdown taking place the world over, a lot of e-books, audio books are even available for free. You can check out the Gutenberg Project or the Open Library, with over a million free e-books to read. So really, you couldn’t possibly run out of things to do at home these holidays!
Audible by Amazon, has made an incredible collection of audiobook stories for children, including titles across six different languages, available for free! The same goes with Amar Chitra Katha, offering access to all classics for free.
Take a tour of the world
You don’t have to leave home to travel! Museums and galleries have closed their doors, but you can still take a peek inside. Through the Google Arts and Culture platform, you can visit selected exhibitions of museums such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, or Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The Louvre in Paris also hosts free virtual tours! So, it’s time to travel!
Don’t forget to go offline
It’s easy to get wrapped up with things online. But we should also give ourselves the time to be mindful while we go through these stressful and anxiety-inducing times. Here’s a couple of ideas of things you can do at home offline.
> Try meditating as you wake.
> Clean out that pantry and try a recipe you’ve put off for a while.
> Get down to that spring cleaning, make it a family thing!
> Try some DIY home decor. Check out our blog for ideas.
> Stay physically active! It has massive benefits for your health and wellbeing and is much needed in this time of stress. Try yoga or other indoor workout routines.
> Bring out the inner artist. Pick up that pen, brush, apron, gardening tool, and create. Create anything just for the sake of it.
Finally, stay calm. And stay happy. These are testing times but we will get through it together. If you have any other ideas of things to do in the holidays at home, don’t forget to share them with our other readers in the comments below.