Family Bonding Ideas During Quarantine

As we do our part in flattening the curve during the stay-at-home order, it may not always be easy to remain positive, but taking this time to slow down and reconnect with family has its silver lining.

The time gained during quarantine has given us all the opportunity to connect—and in new ways! Many people are taking the extra time to do things that bring families and quarantine partners together, in ways that seemed unimaginable just a few weeks ago. Here are some fun ways people are bonding while stuck at home—both together and apart!

-Cooking/Baking “How To” Videos: With restaurants being closed and having extra time on our hands, many people are finding themselves filling time with cooking and baking. Make a “How-to” video with one of your favorite recipes (or one you’re trying for the first time!) and share it with friends and family. This is a great way to get kids involved in the cooking process and help you stay connected while sharing delicious ideas!

-Quarantine Olympics: Some very creative families have managed to fill their time by inventing fun “quarantine games.” These games are often very simple household tasks or items with a competitive twist. For example, one family from North Carolina went viral with their “toilet paper dodge ball” and “ice cube challenge.”

-Write a Poem/Song: Another fun way to exert some creative energy and connect virtually with loves ones is to write a song or a poem about your personal experience in quarantine. Establish this plan a few days before your next family Zoom call or virtual happy hour with friends, and this will give you a fun way to laugh about and discuss your time in quarantine!

-Make a Tik-Tok: The video-based social media trend has blown up during quarantine—and for good reason! Making a Tik-Tok video with your quarantine buddies helps you fill your time in a somewhat creative and fun way, and you can share those laughs with the loved ones you can’t see.

-Facetime Quarantine Sessions by Abbey Moore: A Grand Rapids-based photographer is offering a novel way to capture this interesting time in our lives. During a 30-minute FaceTime session, she will snap photos of you and those you are quarantining with. Abbey books sessions out one week in advance and accepts donations for her time!

Book your session at Abbeymoore.net/journal

-Extravagant Themed Dinners: One of the best parts about dining out is the experience of it. In an attempt to get a feel for this, try and recreate a themed dinner with your quarantine mates. One family got really creative and did a Hibachi style meal and a Hooters-themed dinner as well! Don’t be afraid to have fun with this and really play the part.

-Family Workouts: It can be difficult to keep moving while in quarantine without access to gyms and with less than favorable weather. Thankfully there are many virtual programs to help us keep active, relieve some stress, and refocus from the comfort of our homes. Apps like Peloton are offering free trial periods, and have several kid-friendly workout programs. This is a great way to stay active with your kids while in quarantine!

Hopefully, as life goes back to normal, we can come away with one positive way to change our lives and a new perspective on what is most important to us. Even if that means having one family dinner a week, this time has served as a reminder to what really matters and to slow down and reconnect.