So much time at home. Honestly I am loving it! I am a Visionary by nature and so I love coming up with ideas. Wanted to share with you some of the ideas I have come up with to do during our quarantine that don’t involve a screen.
1. Hot cocoa time. Sounds simple right? Hot cocoa time is powerful! It’s a great reset and I like to use it especially with someone who is having a bad attitude. Who doesn’t have their frown turn upside down with a cup of hot chocolate? 🙂 I like to have all the good stuff in it too! I buy whipped cream when it’s buy one get one free at Safeway and all sorts of sprinkles at Dollar Tree. Then we make the hot cocoa with whipped cream and sprinkle it on top and sit down and talk about our favorite things!
2. Get outside! It doesn’t have to be extravagant. We have a sled that we fill with water and the kids play in that for hours and we also have been doing egg hunts quite regularly. The big kids love hiding them and the littles love finding them 🙂
3. Read! Read out loud to the kids. Have a big kid read to the little kids. Have each child go to their own space with two books and read. I love taking advantage of meal time and reading. This is the book that I am currently reading to the kids from at breakfast, lunch and dinner and we are all learning so much on how we can serve the Lord better!
4. Get artistic! Amazon has not run out of craft supplies 🙂 we love to paint in this house and do any sort of craft with the understanding that we will have a big clean-up party after 🙂
Rhea loves watercolor and even runs her own business!
5. Music! Sing! We are working as a family on memorizing two hymns and two contemporary worship songs. All this time at home should be filled with lots of praises!
6. Legos! Fun toys. We have a rule in our house: no toys with batteries. Batteries basically take the place of your child’s brain in allowing them to be imaginative and creative! Be sure to pick out one toy at a time. This helps with mess. So you can say “Legos and duplos for now.” And then have them play with toy cars or blocks later.
7. Work on the house! Most importantly involve your kids! There is so much to do around the house isn’t there? Involve them and help them to take ownership of the home with you.
8. Play games! Dust off all those board games and get busy 🙂 we have been playing many, many many games and it’s such a great way to build character and learn and fellowship with each other.
9. Look for things you can do for others! So many lonely people out there. Draw some pictures, paint some cards, pick some pretty flowers from your yard and put them in a mason jar. Drop them off at the neighbors or a friend’s house. Make someone smile with things made by your children’s hands!
10. Learn together! There is so much fun stuff out there to learn isn’t there? Johnny and I have been learning a lot about George Washington Carver. A neat Christian man that was also a slave and that God used tremendously!
11. Cook/bake! Let your kids in the kitchen! Ricky made us all Belgian waffles this morning. I know there is a shortage of flours so we have been having to be better at planning but you can also substitute oats for half your flour in your recipes… usually. We also buy cake mixes and make cake cookies. All you do is get a box of cake mix and blend in 1/4 cup oil and two eggs.
12. Spend more time in the word of God together! Write it out together. Read it out loud together. Act it out together. Listen to it together.
13. Cuddle! Children naturally love affection and their dopamine goes up in their brain when we hug them and touch them 🙂 stick close together on the couch, hold hands when you go for a walk and give random hugs and kisses.
14. Don’t forget to smile. Find a good joke site and share jokes at the dinner table. Dance around the house to Seeds Family Worship. Run around outside with your kids. Look for things that make them smile and you will smile too!
15. Relax together. In a busy, busy world this time away is a blessing. But we can even get overly busy even at home. Sit in a swing with them in your backyard. Lay on a blanket outside and look up at the clouds or stars. Sit in the living room and enjoy each other’s company. Learn to be still together.
More pics below from our family quarantined time.
Enjoy this time friends!
Love, Katie
P.S. Looking for some good reading material FOR YOURSELF?? Be sure to check out my husband’s Amazon best seller!
Awesome, thank you for sharing as well as the ideas! Beautiful family! God bless
Thank you!
We often say that Screen time breeds naughtiness in our house…I’m going to have to think about the batteries and toys. I printed off your list of free-time ideas and have it posted on our wall for all of us to refer to.
That’s great!