Is your family practicing social distances because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Are their schools closed for a few weeks? With so much uncertainty about how long this will be an issue many of us are wondering what are we going to do so we don’t go completely stir-crazy? Especially with teens, this can be tough. Just how many hours of video games can they (and do we want them to) play?
B and I worked on this list together. We’d love to hear your ideas too so we can keep adding to this list because at this point we don’t know how long the recommended social distancing will stay in place.
Huge list of things to do with teenagers at home during Coronavirus quarantine
- bake something every day
- bake cupcakes or small cakes and have everyone decorate their own. Give a prize for the best one! Want to learn more decorating skills, watch a few YouTube videos
- teach your kids to cook their favorite dishes
- try a new recipe, or learn a new skill. How about learning to make sushi?
- put together a huge puzzle
- play board games. This is the perfect time for games like Monopoly that can take a long time to play.
- learn a new card game. A classic game of bridge or Vegas games like poker.
- 80s movie marathon
- binge-watch an 80s TV series like Friends or Seinfeld
- watch ALL the Star Wars movies
- move furniture around in their room for a new look
- backyard sports – football, badminton, frisbee
- make vision boards
- have each person write their travel bucket list thinking ahead for when travel is safer
- Did you cancel spring break or summer travel plans? Bring the trip home. We were supposed to go to Paris and London. Binge-watch European movies, eat croissants, macaroons and fish & chips (grocery pickup and delivery service is a great way to stock the house and limit interactions)
- have your kids teach you how to play their favorite video games
- make family TikTok videos
- help your kids start a blog, podcast or youtube channel
- learn some new dance moves using YouTube and TikTok
- learn a new skill using an online class
- teach your teens some important life skills – how to change a tire, how to clean a kitchen from top to bottom, simple home repairs, etc.
- art education. Many museums offer virtual tours online
- let your teens do your hair and makeup
- use this time to purge and simplify your home. Go through old toys and closets to find items to donate or resell online.
- take inventory of everyone’s closet and shop online for clothes that they need. Don’t forget about shopping preloved sites like Poshmark or eBay.
- Online shop for gifts for upcoming birthdays and holidays. Focus on small businesses because they need your help during this time. Restaurant gift cards are a great choice and helps the local restaurants who may be struggling during this unusual time.
- wash the family cars. Blast some music and have fun with it
- facetime family and friends
- Family Nerf blaster shootout. Set out targets and test your skills.
- family dance party
- Do a family photo shoot. Take turns showing off your best model poses.
- learn to juggle
- have a cup stacking competition
- spa day with manis, pedis and face masks (the boys too!)
- have a situp and pushup challenge daily. Bonus, by the end of the break, everyone will be in better shape.
- have a swimming pool but its still too cold? Dare everyone to do a Polar Bear Plunge
- Start researching and documenting your family ancestry
- Make breakfast for dinner
- Eat dessert before dinner
- Ping pong, darts, cornhole, or pool tournament. Have a table in the basement that you haven’t use in a while, dust it off, and start playing.
- Hold a family book club
- paint rocks with designs or inspirational messages to hide around town at a later date. Many towns have Facebook groups for people to post when they find one of these special rocks (For Arizona there’s Maricopa Rocks and Arizona Rocks).
- Design t-shirts to sell online. There are lots of sites where you can upload your designs for on-demand printing when they sell. Artistic skills or witty quotes make for fun shirts.
- learn to solve the Rubix cube
- had a tower of cards building competition
- Make a family album coffee table book
- scrapbook your last family vacation
- Create chalk art on your sidewalk – not only is this fun but a great way to bring joy to your neighborhood
- Have each person make a bucket list of 100 items to do in your lifetime
- learn to bake bread
- If your kids haven’t started thinking about post high school life this is the perfect time to start brainstorming and research. Have them make lists of careers that interest them. Make a list of potential colleges and take virtual tours.
- Have a virtual game night with other families
- Do an online escape room – there are a few free ones you can find by searching online.
- Pinterest Challenge – pick a recipe or craft from Pinterest and see if you Nailed It! or it’s a Pinterest Fail
- Tie-Dye T-shirts
- craft
- learn to knit
- order takeout from your favorite locally-owned restaurants. Have a competition each week, and the winner gets to pick the restaurant. We’ve been competing using the fitness trackers on our Apple Watches – whoever gets the most steps each day gets a point and the highest points for the week is the winner. Some weeks we switch it up with ways to earn bonus points.
- have a paper airplane competition. Fastest, longest time in air, most accurate
A few ideas on my list involve leaving the house. Go to places that aren’t crowded, that you can keep your distance, and are not touching surfaces touched by others (like playgrounds). Pack food or order take out. Make sure everyone uses the bathroom before you leave the house. Pack some Chlorox wipes in case you do need to make some stops like getting gas or picking up groceries to go.
- go fishing
- go for a bike ride
- go for a hike
- go kayaking or canoeing.
- have a camper, go camping.
- Pack a lunch and go for a picnic (find an empty park or field to minimize interaction with others)
- train for a 5k
- go rockhounding
Need more ideas?
The 10 BEST 80s Movies to Watch with Your Teens
Classic Family Movie Night with Tweens and Teens
50+ Things for Teens to Do This Summer
70 Things to do with your Teenage Son
7 Ways for Teens to Hangout Virtually
7 Ways to Bring Joy To Your Neighborhood During Coronavirus Quarantine
Save this post to Pinterest to save for later. Don’t forget to check back because we keep adding to this list.
Love this whole list! Thanks for the ideas
I enjoy this website – its so usefull and helpfull.