COVID-19-related quarantine measures are crucial for public health, but they can make it difficult to get enough time outdoors. Spending too much time inside can lead to a variety of physical and mental health problems including weight gain, depression, and anxiety.
Self-quarantining may keep us confined to our houses, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get outside because fortunately, being in quarantine doesn’t mean you have to spend all day inside. While many public outdoor places are still closed for the time being, you it is your time to get creative. Your lawn, porch, driveway or backyard are great places to unwind and hangout with the family. Also check out cordless rotary tools here that can allow you to make DIYs outside!
At home and outside, there are many activities that can keep the family active and learning. Trying new things keeps the mind active and will help everyone in the house avoid boredom. In fact, you can perform many familiar activities without putting you or your family at risk. In this article, we’ll cover some fun activities and safety guidelines to help you get outside with your family while social distancing.
1. Outdoor Activities
It can be confusing for a child to go from seeing their friends regularly to spending most of their time with their families stuck indoors. This situation puts the burden on parents to find new ways to keep their kids occupied without putting them at risk.
Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to engage children while social distancing. Depending on the child’s age, you could create chalk art or play classic games such as hopscotch and four-square. You could use this time to get some fresh air and go on a walk together or bike ride around the neighborhood. This is also an opportunity to teach them schoolyard games that you used to play as a child.
This is also the perfect time to bring out old toys, games, and outdoor equipment that wasn’t part of your regular routine. Keep in mind that anything you don’t use may be of more use to another family—if you don’t want to use it during quarantine, you probably won’t bring it out of the closet again in the future.
2. Gardening Activities
You could even involve them in the garden! Planting a garden with your kids is an easy, fun, and engaging activity that will keep your children and you busy and active. Gardening requires one to take care of something, which kids enjoy doing. Watering, weeding, trimming and more are all ways in which you need to take care of your garden. Give your everyone a job of their own by delegating these tasks to your children. Your job will be to supervise them! Having a project like gardening to do together is a great way to bond outside as a family.
The pandemic does not stop the grass from going and it is definitely not an excuse to keep your lawn unkempt. Mowing the lawn may not be as glitzy or glamorous as some other outdoor games, but hey, someone’s gotta do it. Get your children involved with taking care of the lawn. If your child is old enough, you can push the cordless lawn mower with them or show them how to trim the hedges.
3. Physical Activities
Even when you’re quarantined, it’s important to stay active. Exercise and physical activities provide both mental and physical health benefits. Although your favorite gym or activity center is closed, there are still things to do to prevent you from putting your well-being on hold. Take this as an opportunity to enjoy activities that get the whole family moving.
Being cooped up in your household makes this just the right time to implement physical activities in your daily schedule. Get yourself moving by going on a walk, run or bike right with your entire family. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even find a nearby hiking trail and go on a family hike. If you don’t know where to begin, try starting with some outdoor games such as frisbee or a jump rope competition between you and your kids. With a jump rope, you can get your cardio in from the comfort of your own driveway, so it’s a win-win for everyone!
4. Winter Activities
The cold weather makes it challenging in the winter to encourage your kids and yourself to spend time outside. But there are still ways to enjoy your leisure time outside with your family.
The second the snow hits the ground you’ll be more likely to get your kids to get fresh air and spend time outside. Snowball fights are a great motivator. You can split your family up into two teams, build a wall of snow for each team to hide behind, and make a few small snowmen on top. Each team takes turns hurling snowballs to knock down the other’s snowmen. But watch out, because if you get hit by someone on the other team, you have to join their side. The group that hits all their opponent’s snowmen first wins.
If you aren’t in the mood to get hit by snowballs, try having a snowball throwing contest. Use colored water to make a target by creating a big and bright circle in the snow. Then keep score as the kids try to hit the target with snowballs.
Other more obvious activities you can do in the snow include sledding, skiing, building a snowman and playing tic tac snow. So get creative with your family and come up with games you can play once the snowfalls.
Minimizing the Risk of Infection
As you’ve likely heard, staying six feet apart from anyone who doesn’t live in your household is the simplest way to reduce your risk of contracting or transmitting coronavirus. This can be tough when you’re managing young children, so look for open areas where you’ll have plenty of space.
Even if masks aren’t mandatory, it’s still worth wearing them whenever you spend time in public. While they may not completely eliminate the possibility of communicating COVID-19, they’ll go a long way toward keeping you and your family safe.
Coronavirus can be active on surfaces for hours or even days, so you should avoid playgrounds even if there isn’t anyone around. Swings, slides, and other common equipment could easily transmit COVID-19.
Social distancing poses unique challenges for kids and adults alike, and it’s more important than ever to stay active with your family. These tips will help you find new ways to pass the time with your kids while minimizing your risk of infection.