As my followers and subscribers may have noticed, I have stepped away a bit from blog posts on The Collegiate Wardrobe the past couple weeks. I, like the rest of the world, am still trying to wrap my head around this bizarre and unsettling reality we live in right now. My family and I have been home and have had limited contact with family and friends for the past ten days. We are trying our best to “stay home” and to help flatten the curve of the COVID-19 spread.
As of last night, Dallas was put under a “Shelter in Place” order until April 3rd. Now that we have been ordered to stay home for at least another two weeks, my mind has gone into overdrive. How can my family stay healthy, how do I keep up with TCW, how can I create new and exciting activities for my kids, become a chef, clean my house, exercise, be a great wife, a good mother, maintain my beauty routine, be present at every moment, FaceTime our parents and friends, help others in need, worship from home, have some time to myself, etc. etc. etc.?
I really had to take a step back from all of those thoughts and realize I can’t do it all, I’ve just got to slow down, and remind myself we will be just fine.
Once I chilled out, I began the search for manipulatives, teaching tools, and fun activities for my kids. As I started linking kids games and learning tools for my followers, I thought what about us? Adults like to be entertained and have fun too! Though this may be little heavy on the little kid activities, I believe there are some fun things in here for all ages to do during this time.
Quarantine Activities For All Ages
Adult Fun
Here are some great activities for 1 to 2 players. Learn how to knit, do a jigsaw puzzle, practice modern calligraphy, exercise your brain with some trivia and brain teasers, play Mexican Train Dominos! I also went back to the early 90’s (my childhood) and figured we bring back the fun classics! Plug in that Super Nintendo, and pop in Super Mario Bros., or enhance your memory by playing Simon. Also, I think we need to bring back Words with Friends, a great way to interact with friends and family. Tip** Another great word app is Word Cookies too! Lastly, If you need a laugh, tune into Heather McMahan’s podcast, “Absolutely Not” (Parental Advisory) and laugh your way through rough times!
Outdoor Games
On our family walk the other day, Keith asked me which age group would have the hardest time in quarantine. After much deliberating, we both agreed that it’s got to be hardest on the college age group. Being on your own, enjoying the college life with friends, going to frat parties, attending baseball and basketball games, etc., and then being forced to go back home, would be a hard pill to swallow. So for all those that love outdoor games, or those college age kids that want to perfect their beer pong skills, this quarantine activity collage is for you!
I bought my husband the indoor/outdoor golf net last year and he loves it! We have it in an empty room in our home and we bought a toddler golf set too because our girls like to play as well! We also own the Lighted Bocce, which is so much fun to play on a golf course, at the beach, and in our backyard!
Family Games For Young Kids
I love to play games and I also love to win (haha, but seriously)! My husband and I are so competitive, we rarely play games together because we are sore losers. Recently, we played the card game BS, and I beat Keith maybe 6/7 games. So after that beating, he now refuses to play card games with me. A lot of these are classics and some I’ve never played before but all these games have great reviews!
Outdoor Entertainment For Kids
All these outdoor kids activities range in age level appropriateness, but for my one and three year old, water tables are always a hit. The bounce house at the top left of the image is a great buy too! Many of my friends have this, travel with it, and is great for in and outdoors! More items linked above that are not pictured!
Fine & Gross Motor Skills Activities
These are all my favorite little kid/toddler age activities! Banangrams are great for word study and word recognition. There are directions in the bag for word games for all ages too!
Lovevery (top right) is a toy brand that sends toy kits that are age appropriate toys for your growing baby! We are set up on Lovevery’s subscription box and just love it! There is a booklet on how to introduce each toy to your little one and how to play with them. I wish I had this for my firstborn, but my 3 year old gets so excited when we get these in the mail!
Follow me on Instagram for more ideas on how I am using a lot of these products above and so much more!
My “Quarantine Beauty Routine” is coming next on TCW, so stay tuned!