Whether it's cold and rainy or a virus has deemed you home bound, sometimes it's best to just stay inside. But if you've got little ones, we're sure you're worried about them bouncing off the walls without something to keep them occupied.. So, here are some ideas to keep both you and the kids amused for a whole weekend at home:
1: Frisbees and ball games
Tennis balls, footys, netballs, frisbees… as long as you have these, you have a game. Plus, there’s so many games to play that you probably never knew existed! For example, have you ever tried the game known as 500? Check it out here.
2: Reverse Bowling
As the name suggests, the aim of the game is to knock over the least amount of ‘pins’ you can. Grab all those water bottles you’ve got lying around and arrange them to your liking in an empty space in the house. Then, grab a ball and roll it through, trying to miss as many bottles as possible. Whoever has the most bottles standing at the end is the winner!
3: Build a maze and race ping-pong balls through it
Each player builds a maze out of books, playdough, or virtually anything you can find lying around the house. Then, grab a straw and blow a ping pong ball through the maze to make it a race! The bigger the maze, the harder the game. Plus, building it is half the fun. The kids will be entertained for hours! Check out an example here.
4: Pool jumping catch
One person’s the videographer, one’s the frisbee or ball thrower and one’s the catcher. The catcher jumps into the air and strikes their best mid-air pose while catching the frisbee or ball, with the third capturing the moment. The best clip of the day is the winner! It’s simple, but very fun. Check out an example here!
If all else fails, backyard cricket is always a winner. No need for stumps, just use your outdoor bin in true Aussie style. Either play in your backyard, or if you want to get out of the house and have a secluded park near you, even better!
5: Apple TV Trivia nights
Who doesn’t love a good trivia night? For the moment, the weekly pub quiz is out, so Apple TV trivia nights are in! Each player uses their own device (iPhone, iPad or Macbook) to answer the questions privately. Here’s a brief video to show you how it works: https://youtu.be/J891Lj3PF0k
6: Family baking lessons
Teaching the kids how to cook is a lot of fun and may pay off with breakfast-in-bed and even a meal or two. With little kids, making and decorating cakes and bunny-shaped biscuits is always great fun and takes them hours. Or, if they’re a little older, perhaps take it to the next level and show them how to cook one of their favourite meals. The mess is a small price to pay. Aprons on!
For kid-friendly baking recipes, see here.
7: Planking
I know. It sounds dumb, but it’s one of the few exercises that almost everyone can do, plus it doesn’t require any equipment. As long as you don’t mind being humiliated, it’s also a lovely opportunity for kids to humiliate their parents. The record is currently held by a US Marine who lasted more than eight hours, but I suggest you start with a minute or two. It’s amazing how quickly you improve, meaning this exercise can carry through the entire weekend and beyond. Who knows, you might even step out of isolation with rock hard abs...
8: Learning to dance
Dancing around the lounge room will only amuse for so long. Jump online and find some instructions on how to dance. Take your pick: line-dancing, ballroom, break dancing... The list goes on. Again, this is likely to be a humiliating experience for parents and equally embarrassing for kids, but entertainment is guaranteed. If you’ve got teenage kids, they might insist you learn one of the many family dances on the TikTok app, like this one.
9: Trading boardgames and puzzles
Most houses have a bunch of these lying around. If you are looking for something new or can’t stomach the idea of doing the same puzzle twice, don your protective gear and get in touch with neighbours, friends and family to see what they have in their collection.
Alternatively, if you've got the kids occupied, you can tune in to this online pub quiz.
Lovers of the almighty pub quiz unite! This Friday, Quiz Meisters are putting on ‘The Quarantine Quiz’ for the whole country to enjoy. Tune into their Facebook at 8pm for a live stream from the hosts loungeroom here and enter your answers here. Time to put that thinking cap on!
10: Plan your next family holiday
Okay, we know this one might seem a little premature… But we’re going stir crazy stuck inside all day! Maybe you can’t book, but it doesn’t hurt to start thinking and researching where you might want to go when we come out the other side of this.
Need inspiration? Check out Google’s street gallery of world attractions here. Maybe you’ll discover somewhere for the family (besides Disneyland) for your next trip.