Like it or not, the coronavirus pandemic has us all stuck at home for a little while. But the silver lining in all of this is the abundance of resources and family activities that we can now access from the comforts of our living room. I have compiled a list of ways to make life easier while we are social distancing to keep you and your loved ones safe and entertained.
From educational resources to food and supplies to mental health and more, I hope you find these links and ideas helpful while you are stuck at home.
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Fun and Games for the Whole Family
Escape Room Game in a Box
Dispatch by Breakout Games allows you to have an escape room game at home. Check out this box from a hometown company that brings the mystery to your doorstep. Your whole family will love solving the clues together.
Hours of Pretend Play
Little Adventures makes dress-up clothes and gear that are comfortable and machine washable. This is a great way to support a small business and encourage independent play while you are trying to work from home. And they have free shipping!
Make a Photobook
You may have a little free time on your hands thanks to the coronavirus, so it’s a great time to create a photobook with all those digital photos on your phone. Mixbook has tons of options and is always running a nice sale on something.
Disney Fix while Stuck at Home
Many of you had to cancel vacations, including trips to Disney, because of the coronavirus. But while the parks are closed, you can still enjoy some of the fun at home. Check out these Walt Life Disney Fan Club boxes at home. Or shop all things Disney including bestselling toys, clothing, gifts and more at shopDisney.
Zulily Stay-At-Home Shop
I love Zulily for fun finds and savings on all kinds of things. But the folks over there have really shined with their Stay-At-Home Shop. You can get puzzles, games, activities, clothing, toys, kitchen necessities, home office supplies, and even live plants for gardening…all at great prices!
Arts and Crafts at Home
Crayola has tons of creative at-home activities and at-home learning for families and you can buy all the supplies you need online. They are running new sales each week.
Toys that Educate and Entertain
If you have read my developmental toys post, you know that I love Fat Brain Toys. If you are looking for something new to keep your kids entertained or for Easter basket ideas, check out my favorite online toy store.
At-Home Supports for Kids with Special Needs
Special needs kids are struggling with the lack of structure even more than their peers. The COVID-19 shutdowns not only mean the end of traditional school supports for kids with autism spectrum, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder (SPD). My daughter has SPD, low tone, and a speech/language delay, so the changes have meant a loss of schedule and therapies for her. If you are looking for some ways to make your home environment more conducive to kids with special needs, check out these resources.
Sensory Tools
Fun and Function offers sensory toys and tools for kids and adults. And they are having a sale to make it easier for parents who purchase items during this coronavirus season. See their therapist picks or shop by diagnosis here.
Autism Classroom Resources
Get at-home classroom tools, calming products, and visual supports to make temporary homeschooling easier for kids with autism or special needs from the folks at National Autism Resources. They are also offering a discount during this stressful time.
Food and Supplies While Stuck at Home
Get Home-Cooked Meals without the Grocery Trip
Meal delivery kits are a great option for getting everything you need for a delicious dinner delivered to your door. Personally, I’m a fan of EveryPlate for affordable and delicious menus. (You can read why I think EveryPlate is the best meal kit here.)
Organic, Non-GMO Baby Food
Little Spoon is committed to fresh, healthy food for your baby. Get fresh, organic baby food delivered to your door so you don’t have to worry about grocery store shortages.
Pull-Ups Alternative
Coronavirus panic buying is making it hard to find diapers, baby wipes, and Pull-Ups at some grocery stores. Peejamas offers an alternative to overnight disposable training pants to make potty training easier. These pajamas are absorbent and machine washable so you can use them over and over. Check out my Peejamas review for more info. Be sure to use promo code JGOOD15 at checkout for 15% off your Peejamas order!
Freeze-Dried Fruit Delivered to Your Door
The Rotten Fruit Box might not have the most appetizing name, but their mission is great. They work with local farmers to reduce food wasted and send delicious freeze-dried fruits to your door. Get a fruit box here.
Clean Bath and Body Products
If you have struggled to find soap and basic toiletries during the panic shopping caused by COVID-19, you’ll be relieved to find that Tubby Todd Bath Co is stocked with gentle body care products for the whole family.
Clothes for Kids While Stuck at Home
Do your kids have the audacity to keep growing while on quarantine? If yours need new clothes, my favorite online site is Children’s Place because of the great sales on quality kids’ clothes and accessories. Did you know they are now selling Gymboree clothes as well? Get your child’s spring wardrobe delivered to your door here.
Feminine Hygiene Products
If you’ve been contemplating a switch from tampons or pads to a menstrual cup or disc, a home quarantine is the perfect time to try! I love the FLEX disc and you can save $5 on any FLEX products here.
Native Deodorant
I made the switch to aluminum-free deodorant and won’t look back! My favorite is Native deodorant in the coconut and vanilla scent. Get a free travel size Native deodorant of your own with the purchase of anything from their website here. The website is cheaper than Walmart and it means one less trip out!
Take Care of Your Physical and Mental Health while Stuck at Home
Couples Therapy at Home
All this time together is a great opportunity to work on your relationship with your spouse or partner, especially if you are on the verge of driving one another crazy! CoupleWise promises to improve any relationship in 10 days with personalized online tools to build communication, conflict resolution, and more. Get a free 10-day trial of CoupleWise here. My husband and I tried them out and can attest that it’s a great program! (Read my CoupleWise review here.)
Prescription Glasses While Stuck at Home
Maybe you are like me and your non-essential doctor, dentist, and ophthalmology appointments have been canceled. The good news is that with the Warby Parker Home Try-On program, you can get new prescription glasses from home. They can even renew the prescription for your lenses! Plus, they now have Scout for contacts, giving you multiple options. If you’ve read my Warby Parker review, you know I love them!
Exercise at Home for FREE
My family has an Openfit membership (they used to be Gixo) that lets us do both live and on-demand workouts at home. My favorite is the Xtend Barre and my husband likes the strength classes. They have yoga, pilates, Tough Mudder, nutrition, and more with top trainers. And they are offering 30 free days of workouts for my family and friends. Just enter promo code FRIENDSFAM for access.
Free Educational Activities and Resources While Stuck at Home
Below are some of my favorite free resources for parents to help their kids learn at home. I’ll add to the list as I discover more, so check back frequently!
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- Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems provided by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have been a favorite of our family each day on this break.
- My son loves the daily Home Safari Facebook Lives from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
- Green Kids Crafts has a Facebook group for families with daily activities, ideas, and inspiration are shared to keep your kids entertained at home. They also have science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) boxes that can be shipped to your kids with premade activities for learning and fun.
- Crayola offers thousands of free lesson plans in every content area for grades K-12. These are great for us temporary homeschool parents (and for all teachers once school resumes!).
- Amazon is offering a free one-month trial of FreeTime Unlimited with books, apps, videos, and more that kids love. Both of my kids enjoy this on their Fire Kids tablets.
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- Let your kids learn about Disney animation with this free Imagineering in a Box course.
- NASA has free STEM activities for kids of all ages on their website.
- Kennedy Space Center is doing science lessons via Facebook live.
- Take virtual field trips to sites and museums around the globe.
- The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (one of our personal favorite places to visit) is doing science projects from home plus more fun activities on their Facebook page.
- Mrs. Speecie P has free activities with materials you probably have at home to support play, language, and motor skills.
- Visit these 12 famous museums from around the world while at home.
- Amazon Audible Stories are free for kids to stream while school is out for learning, entertainment, and fun.
What other resources are you loving during this unexpected time at home? Share your favorite coronavirus bright spots in the comments below!
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Escape room at home!!! whattttt! Definitely looking into that!!!
I know! People are so creative! Stay safe!
Oh my! These are some great ideas! I know that I’m slowly starting to go a little stir crazy.
This is such a GREAT list! I love native deodorant too 🙂
It is the best! Thanks for reading!
My niece has Autism so I’ve spent a lot of my time searching for sensory activities and resources for her 🙂 It’s definitely become a focus for me, going forward with my blog. These are all great silver linings!
Oh, these are brilliant ideas for while we’re at home with kids! We’ll be doing the NASA one, for sure. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing these great ideas! I have never heard of the Escape board game, but I will definitely check it out.
Thank you for some great ideas to do with my three-year-old while we’re stuck at home