101+ Ideas To Keep Your Kids Busy During Coronavirus Closures

March 24, 2020 | Tara Haelle


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Ideas for kids staying at home during the Coronavirus closures.

“Not going to lie, 2 more weeks of spring break is terrifying. My kids are already stir crazy!” That’s a text message I woke up to a few days ago, when our school district announced on the last day of spring break that school would be cancelled for two more weeks. It was from a co-Cub Scout leader as several of us discussed whether to hold our next planned meeting.

As someone who already works from home and has broken up four dozen fights between my elementary-aged sons this past week, I get it. The next few weeks won’t be easy for any of us. For those of us, like me, who are pathologically extraverted, avoiding other people in real life sounds like torture. But even for the biggest introverts among us, having the kids home for several weeks with no camps, open rec centers, no museums, no parks… well, let’s say all of us will be building character.

Since even the most creative among us eventually run dry on ideas, I’ve pulled together a crowd-sourced list of things you can do with your kids (or things you can tell them to do while you hide in your home office or the bathroom). If I’ve missed anything, send me an email at COVIDtips@tarahaelle.net and I’ll add it to the list.

Some of these require supplies that you may have on hand or can order online. Others don’t require any supplies. Some are outdoors (but stay 6-10 feet from other people) and others are indoors. Some require supervision, and others you can keep your children occupied while you work. Many of the activities involve using smartphone apps or the Internet, but they are tied to a specific activity since this post assumes you’re looking for ideas besides YouTube, video games and gaming apps. Most of this is directed toward children, but adults may enjoy some of these ideas too.

To read all of the 101+ ideas, head to the article published in  Forbes.