2020 was a year full of lockdowns and despondency. The governments’ measures to control the spread of COVID-19 made everyone live a contained life, bereft of the things which used to be part of our daily routine. The curtailment, however, gave rise to discoveries, as we found new ways to spend our days, ensuring our mental health doesn’t take a toll.
Provided newer strains of the virus are being identified globally, it is still unsafe, despite the successfully ongoing vaccination, to fully return to pre-pandemic times. That being so, if you are wondering how you can keep things exciting for your family, consider the following activities to add to your pandemic routine.
Do Yoga
One of the best and the least demanding things you can do with your family is to practice Yoga and learn the various types of Asanas (poses). Each asana has a specific offering to improve your body posture, helping reduce weight and enhance metabolism and digestion. Even though you do weight training or extensive cardio, you can always cut slack for a relaxing Yoga session with your family.
Play Board Games
For all the benefits and handiness, board games continue to be the more desirable option amongst smartphones and consoles for having fun with a gathering. There are various games to choose from, with many of them being excellent brain stimulators and highly suitable for combating the isolation-ridden times and injecting confidence and social skills. And even more for lessening the high screen time for both the kids and the adults.
Learn a New Language
Getting to learn a new language is another fantastic way to keep your brain healthy and growing. There are various cognitive advantages of learning a second language (or more) that comprise enhanced focus and analytical skills. Many apps (Memrise, Duolingo, LinguaLift, etc.) employ a gaming structure to help you understand the languages quickly and engagingly, which you can do collectively with your family.
Invest Time in Reading
Finding comfort in books is one of the best ways to groom yourself. The pandemic era, so far, has seen a significant surge in the number of readers, and there is an excellent reason for that. By concentrating on the words you read and getting lost in a narrative, you broaden your imagination and knowledge while amending your writing ability and boosting your sleep. You can begin reading anything that excites you and advise others to do the same.
Challenge Each Other in Art and Craft
Another effective stress buster is to involve yourself in art and craft activities. Drawing, colouring, scrapbooking are therapeutic, creativity-enhancing activities that foster positive health. You can partake with your kids for DIY activities or challenge one another for making the best pen holder or paper ice-cream cones for maintaining a cheery atmosphere in your family.
Do Gardening
All of us have enjoyed playing in the soil. Gardening is a great recreational activity that you should adopt. Though primarily associated with the elderly, it is educational for all ages. It accommodates fundamental math skills for the children, such as measurements and addition/subtraction, while imparting you precious knowledge of nature. And it is nourishing as a physical activity done in the open, allowing you to savor some sunlight.
Organize Movie Nights
Planning a movie night is one of the typical ways to detox and gel along with your family. You can propose exciting ideas, such as doing cosplay if a genre happens to be of mutual interest. Or make chits, asking everyone to write down the film they want to see and choose randomly. Setting up the room ambience and making the favourite snacks is always a cherry on top!
Gain Kitchen Literacy
Knowing the art of cooking is always a great add-on to your skillset; for many, cooking acts as a hindrance to living an independent life. The current pandemic is an excellent time to learn or teach others some easy-to-cook dishes. While the knowledge helps identify healthy foods, making palatable dishes is an incredible morale booster. And it’s the least you can do to help the chef of your house when he/she is tired or sick.
Make Interesting Vlogs
Though the digital creators (YouTubers, TikTokers, SnapChatters, and all those who exist and remain) were the first to adopt this trend, the everyday folks followed in numbers. The Internet has seen millions of quarantine vlogs of people managing to keep the viewers and themselves collectively entertained by sharing essential and trivial information from their daily, home isolated routine. This habit has been helpful for many in keeping negativity and boredom at bay. You should not necessarily send your recordings to the Internet but do it for your and your family’s own merriment (while simultaneously honing your videography and video editing skills).
