Families all over the U.S. are struggling to figure out this whole new world of the coronavirus pandemic, with parents attempting to work from home while watching their kids and overseeing online school, even teaching kids how to use digital conferencing tools like Zoom! Others are putting their own health at stake as front line workers in healthcare, grocery stores, pharmacies, and other necessary businesses that are keeping our society running despite everything.

Our hearts go out to all of the COVID-19 patients and their families, as well as the heroes who are still out in public doing their jobs. At Skate World Deer Park, we can’t wait until it’s safe to reopen and welcome you all back for some skating fun and friendship. Until then, check out these indoor activities that we hope will keep you and your kids entertained. 

Things to Do Indoors with Kids During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Online Field Trips

If there’s one saving grace to social distancing and quarantining, it’s the internet. These days there are tons of fantastic resources to help your child learn at home, from virtual museum tours to science activities. You can even watch performances from theaters like Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and the Center for Puppetry Arts. While not quite as exciting as our in-person STEM field trips, these online experiences will make you feel like you’re traveling the world, right from your kitchen table. 

Arts and Crafts

Speaking of puppets, why not get creative with an at-home craft project? The Center for Puppetry Arts has a whole series of videos showing you and your child how to make different kinds of puppets from various odds and ends that you probably already have at home! Other creative indoor activities to do with kids include: 

• Building a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish mobile (Craftiments)
• Getting musical with upcycled lid banjos (The Craft Train)
• Making tissue box monsters (The Best Ideas for Kids)

Games

Since playgrounds are closed down and kids are not able to play with friends and neighbors like they usually would, it’s more important than ever to keep them active. Fortunately there are tons of indoor games you can teach them to get some energy out and stave off boredom. 

• Tape off some squares on the floor with painters tape and let them play beanbag toss or hopscotch. 
• Use empty two liter soda bottles and a nerf ball to create a “bowling alley” right in your hallway. 
• Teach them the pre-internet childhood classic “the floor is lava.” This will no doubt provide plenty of entertainment for you, as well—just remember to set some ground rules for the safety of your kids (and your belongings). 

Recipes

Another challenge of staying home due to coronavirus is feeding your family so many meals, not to mention doing all of the dishes that come along with them! If your kids are old enough, why not enlist them as your sous chefs? There are lots of dishes kids can help with or even make by themselves. If you have teens, give them some important life experience by teaching them simple recipes, then make dinner their responsibility one night a week. They’ll learn how to feed themselves something other than ramen when they go off to college, and you get a night off from cooking!