Avoiding COVID-19 Cabin Fever: Fun Activities for Kids of All Ages

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Magnus Health
April 16, 2020
Blog, COVID-19
4 Minute Read

Avoiding COVID-19 Cabin Fever: Fun Activities for Kids of All Ages

For most of us, it seems like it has been ages since we have left our house and interacted with people outside of our family. It certainly has been nice to slow down a bit and to spend more time at home! And, how amazing are the teachers and staff to implement eLearning for their students in what seems like overnight? However, the COVID-19 quarantine is starting to wear on parents who are trying to work, homeschool, and entertain their kids… all at the same time!

We have seen people posting so many awesome activities for kids of all ages to stay busy and entertained during those non-eLearning hours. Avoid COVID-19 cabin fever at your house, and parents – take a few minutes for self-care! We collected our favorite activities so that everyone in your household can find something fun to do while you take a much-needed break.

There are lots of “traditional” indoor activities that kids can do by themselves or with a sibling, such as: work on puzzles, color, draw, build with Legos, do crafts, play board games, watch movies on Netflix, play video games, FaceTime friends & family, karaoke with siblings or pets, write letters to relatives, bake, or cook

Spending time outside during the quarantine is very important for physical and mental health, so kids can enjoy the outdoors by themselves or with a sibling/adult by: walking, biking, playing sports, hopscotch, or using jump-rope, hula-hoop, or chalk.

Thankfully, there is also an incredible amount of websites and apps that are both fun and educational! Even though kids should not spend the rest of their day online after eLearning, many of these sites will keep their minds sharp and will get them moving with follow-along activities: 

  • The Washington Post is offering online games that you can play by yourself or with friends: Crossword puzzles and Sudokus.
  • NEO Kids offers 10-20 minute exercise classes for children ranging from 4-12 years of age.
  • PE with Joe offers several 30-minute daily workouts that kids can perform at home.
  • Bustle.com offers a collection of Workout App trials and 24 free Livestream Workouts.
  • Story Time from Space sends children’s books to the International Space Station (ISS), where astronauts read them on video as they orbit hundreds of miles above Earth.
  • Kids can follow their favorite animals and sea creatures from numerous live webcams set up at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, San Diego Zoo, Houston Zoo, and Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
  • Kids will love to visit the surface of Mars by watching a spectacular high-resolution, 360-degree photo tour.
  • Google Arts and Culture offers links to more than 2,500 museums around the world.
  • Park rangers will take your kids on an amazing virtual tour through the American National Parks.
  • Kids who are curious about things like black holes and narwhals should check out the Brains On! podcast that uses science and history to explore fun questions about the world.
  • Mission US offers interactive games that explore American history, such as the Revolutionary War and the Great Depression.
  • Time Magazine is offering a free digital subscription to Time for Kids for elementary and middle school students, making the magazine fully accessible at home.
  • The National Wildlife Federation is offering free access to their children’s magazine Ranger Rick.
  • The Royal Ontario Museum in Canada offers children a step-by-step guide on how to write their names in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
  • Scratch is a free programming tool from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that gives students a chance to create interactive stories, games, and animations.
  • Explore painting tutorials hosted by the legendary Bob Ross.
  • Children can turn their stories into cartoons with animation, narration, and music using the Toontastic 3D app.
  • Color Our Collections offers free PDF downloads of coloring pages created from various art collections.
  • Kids can follow step by step drawing instructions while watching Cartoon Drawing Tutorials.
  • If kids are missing their friends, parents can arrange virtual playdates using Google Hangouts or Zoom.
  • Netflix Party is a movie streaming platform and virtual chat room that lets kids engage with friends and family while watching a movie as a group.

While the kids are keeping themselves busy with these fun activities, please take some time for yourself! Self-care will allow you to recharge emotionally and physically, and provide the needed energy so you can continue to offer comfort and care for your loved ones.

Please check out the collection of resources that Magnus Health has collected from our client schools to offer students and staff more ways to cope with challenges that stem from the coronavirus pandemic. Wishing you and your kids good health!