Trying Creative Activities
Teach yourself how to play a musical instrument. Search around your home for an old keyboard, guitar, or another musical instrument that no one’s played in a while. Even if you don’t have any instruments lying around the house, you can still sign up for online music theory classes, which give you some background on how to read sheet music. If you’re feeling especially inspired, you can try writing your own song using your newfound music theory knowledge! Websites like Berkeley College of Music can go a long way in helping you learn about music theory. They also have free sample lessons on their website: https://online.berklee.edu/free-music-course-resources.
Bake some delicious treats. Search online for different recipes or dig out those long forgotten recipe books, whether it’s cookies, cake, bread, muffins, or something else. Look for recipes that need ingredients that you already have in the cupboard or pantry, like flour and water. Don’t worry—you may need to try out a few different recipes before you get the hang of it! Some recipes are more intensive than others. If your recipe calls for yeast, you may need to let your dough sit for a little while.
Try your hand at origami. Find some scrap paper lying around your home, or order some special origami paper online. Search for different projects online so you can create beautiful flowers and animals out of paper.
Teach yourself how to sew. Search around your home for an unused sewing machine, or find a needle and thread that you can work with. Look up tutorials for simple projects, like sewing a blanket or pillowcase, then slowly graduate to more advanced projects, like shirts, pants, and dresses. If you really get the hang of sewing, you may want to continue after the coronavirus lockdown ends! If you’re really committed to learning how to sew, you may want to buy a sewing machine online. Embroidery is also a fun, relaxing activity that involves needle and thread.
Draw or paint to pass the time. Find some scrap paper or an old sketchbook and start drawing your favorite animal, fictional character, or something else you like a lot. Dig out some acrylic, watercolor, or oil paints to add a splash of color to your work of art. Keep practicing each day so you can improve your art skills! There are a lot of drawing tutorials available on YouTube. If you prefer digital art, use programs like ProCreate, Paint Tool SAI, Adobe Photoshop, or Clip Studio Paint. Painting, pastels, watercolors, and other art mediums are also great hobbies to consider.
Learn to knit. Check around your home to see if you have any yarn or knitting needles lying around, or you can buy some online. Start with a simple project, like a scarf or a pot holder. If you’re looking for a challenge, try making a pair of socks or a hat instead. Watch YouTube tutorials to get a step-by-step look through the knitting process.
Take up writing. From journalling or writing letters to short stories and poems, writing can be a great creative way to pass the time.
Pursuing Outdoor Hobbies
Take up gardening so you can get some fresh air. Find an open section of your yard that you can repurpose into a flower bed or vegetable patch. Visit a home improvement store or shop online to pick up the different seeds and fertilizer that you need, then you can get planting! Take some time each day to tend to your garden so you can enjoy some much-needed time in the sun. Rose of Sharon and Russian sage are great options if you live in a really hot, dry area. Coneflower and peony are better choices for cold areas, while irises and forget-me-nots are best for wet climates. Flowers like geraniums and bee balm can grow just about anywhere. Certain fruits and vegetables are more likely to grow in specific climates. For instance, kale and broccoli are more likely to grow in cool, mountainous areas while pineapple, melons, and peppers are more likely to grow in warmer climates. Herbs can give quick, easy results for the inpatient gardener and can be useful in the kitchen. Try parsley, chives, coriander or any other herbs you like.
Do some bird-watching. Pick up a pair of binoculars and a notebook and head to an open outdoor ara. Keep an eye for different birds, and take note of any that you spot in the trees or sky. If you really get into birdwatching, consider buying a birding guide that helps you identify different types of birds. Always stand at least 6 ft (1.8 m) from others when you’re spending time outside.
Get outside and take some pictures. Grab your phone camera or a more advanced camera and head outside. Take some pictures of anything that seems interesting, whether it’s nature or something as simple as cars driving by. With enough practice, you can start along your journey to becoming a seasoned photographer. Some fancier cameras have an auto-focus feature, which can come in handy if you’re shooting a lot of pictures outside. Don’t take pictures of anyone unless you have their express permission. Once you’ve taken a few pictures, try editing them with a free software like GIMP.
Taking up a Digital Pastime
Enroll in online courses with digital learning programs. Search online for websites like UDemy, OpenCulture, EdX, Coursera, or something similar. Search for classes that really strike your interest, whether they’re related to a hobby or something purely educational. Chip away at different classes while you’re stuck at home—it may be a great way to pass the time! Some online sites charge a registration or subscription fee for joining. Sites like Khan Academy, Stanford Online, and Codeacademy all offer free classes that you can sign up for.
Learn a new language with a mobile app. Download an app like Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, or Tiny Cards. Set aside at least 15 minutes of your day to chip away at learning a new language, whether you’re focusing on dialogue, vocabulary, or listening skills. Apps like Duolingo are completely free to use, and offer a wide variety of languages.
Study your ancestry online. Enroll on an ancestry site, which gives you access to a lot of different documents possibly connected to your family history. Use these resources to trace your family tree back, and see if you can learn something new about yourself and your heritage! Sites like Ancestry.com are a great place to start.
Chill out with a single or multiplayer video game. Think about what types of games you like to play, whether it’s fighting, rhythm, sandbox, or something in between. Opt for multiplayer games if you’d like to spend time with friends, or kick back and relax by yourself with a sandbox game. For instance, if you like multiplayer fighting games, you can play games League of Legends, Overwatch, Teamfight Tactics, CS:GO, or something similar. If you like creative, sandbox games, try out a game like The Sims or Animal Crossing.
Create a digital scrapbook of all your best memories. Search online for a website that offers a lot of virtual scrapbooking resources. Upload your pictures to your computer or tablet, then download different designs and templates to use with your photos. You can store your pages on your computer, or print them out to make a physical scrapbook. You can also use an app like Pinterest to create a digital board of your favorite pictures.
Learn to code while you’re stuck at home. Use some free online resources to teach yourself the basics on different coding programs. Work at your own pace to learn how to code—depending on how much you teach yourself, you may be able to put coding on your professional resume! Sites like FreeCodeCamp, Codecademy, and Codewars are great places to start.
Keeping Your Mind Busy
Read some new books. Search around your home for any books or novels that you haven’t had the time to read. If you don’t have a lot of reading material lying around, download some ebooks that you can read on your phone or tablet. You can never go wrong with some classic titles, like The Odyssey by Homer, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Sites like Project Gutenberg offer a lot of free book titles to choose from.
Dive into a fun puzzle or strategy game. Download some logic or sudoku puzzles online, or try out a game of online chess. Start with easy puzzles and matches before working your way up to bigger challenges. You can also try an old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle to pass the time! If you have a chessboard lying around at home, consider playing with a family member.
Journal your thoughts. Find an old notebook that you can repurpose as a journal. Jot down your thoughts and feelings while you’re stuck in quarantine, or write down any creative ideas you have. When everything is back to normal, you can look at your journal and remind yourself that you got through a tough time. If you aren’t into journaling, you can also try out creative writing. Jot down any creative ideas you have and turn them into a fun, short story to share with friends. If you like writing fan fiction, consider posting your works on free sites like Archive of Our Own or Wattpad.
Staying Active During the Lockdown
Work out with fun exercise videos so you can stay in shape. Browse the web for an aerobic, strength-training, or other exercise videos that target your current fitness needs. Take a few minutes of your day to work out with the video. You’ll likely feel a lot more motivated and productive once you’re done! If you have a hula hoop lying around, try looking up some workout videos that involve hula hooping! This is a great activity to do by yourself. As a general guideline, try to get 150 minutes of exercise each week.
Teach yourself a new dance move. Explore different dance genres online, whether it’s tap, jazz, hip-hop, or some other fun variety. Look online for videos on YouTube that can help guide you in the right direction and help you perfect your form. If you don’t mind paying a subscription fee, sign up with a digital dance studio for more official lessons and tutorials. For instance, Dancio lets you rent classes for up to 48 hours for $3.99. Other groups, like Steezy, offer monthly or yearly subscriptions.
Play a sport in your backyard to keep yourself active. Search around your home for a soccer ball, football, or other piece of sports equipment. Burn some energy in your yard by kicking around the soccer ball, or by playing catch with a family member. You may be able to hone some skills, even if you can’t play a full-length game or match. For instance, you can challenge yourself by juggling a soccer ball with your knees. See how many times you can juggle the ball without dropping it! If you have a spare baseball and some mitts lying around, you can practice throwing and catching the ball outside.
Take up yoga or meditation so you can stay grounded. Set aside some time each day to stretch, relax, and take some deep breaths. Look on YouTube for yoga tutorials or meditation exercises you can practice. You can always invite a family member to join you as you endeavor on a path of mindfulness! Some older video games like Wii Fit offer guided yoga tutorials.
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