Covid-19: Family activities to do at home

It’s not easy to have some quality family time when you can’t leave your house: between work and remote work, balancing family life and school duties, and with all the uncertainty of nowadays, finding good family activities is a real challenge.

Fortunately, many institutions are trying to turn this around by making their resources available for families currently in social isolation or social distancing. There’s a myriad of family activities to do at home to choose from: start your day at the Louvre, in Paris, and have lunch in Machu Picchu; Budapest is great for classical music and the evening is dedicated to the magical world of Harry Potter. Still sceptical? Then check these ideas out:

Museums

Hundreds of museums worldwide are closed right now. However, they open their virtual doors to anyone who misses strolling through an art museum. Virtual museum tours are not only fun, but also educational family activities to do at home. Get the family together and go explore the Louvre, in Paris, the British Museum, in London, maybe even Salvador Dalí Museum and you definitely do not want to miss the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. But this is not all. Ever fancied visiting the Vatican Museums, in Rome? It’s just a click away! And so is the Bogotá Museum of Gold.

Be a tourist from your sofa

You don’t need to wait for the end of the quarantine to be a tourist again. And no one in the family will get tired of walking or sunburnt, that’s for sure. Get the family together and visit the beautiful Sistine Chapel in Rome, take a jump to Machu Picchu, and spend an afternoon at the Windsor Castle. You can also marvel at the luxury of the Versailles Castle, or enjoy the breathtaking views of the Prague Castle. Don’t miss the blue and gold on the Catherine Palace’s façade, in St. Petersburg, and be sure to pay a visit to the Acropolis, in Greece. Expect absolutely no queues!

Theatre, Dance and Classical Music

If your favourite family activities include theatre, dance, or classical music, you’re in for a treat.

• National Theatre at Home

  London’s National Theatre is streaming free plays every Thursday.

• Bolshoi Theatre

  Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre is streaming its “Golden Collection” that include the Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker ballets, by Tchaikovsky. You can watch it via their YouTube channel.

• Quarantine Soirées

  The Budapest Festival Orchestra brings magnificent classical concerts into your home, with its Quarantine Soirées programme. You can find daily livestreams in the official website.

• Berliner Philharmoniker

  The “virtual hall” at the Berliner Philharmoniker gives viewers access to more than 600 concerts.

Arts and Culture

Explore Google Arts and Culture, a Google initiative dedicated to – you got it:- Arts and Culture, where you can find content from more than 2000 museums and other family activities to do at home. Among them, don’t miss a fantastic visit to the world of Harry Potter.

Educational Activities

• NASA’s Tours

  NASA offers numerous virtual tours to their facilities, but also to outer space. Who said that visiting the Hubble Telescope or exploring a remote exoplanet weren’t fun family activities to do at home? A detailed list on NASA’s webpage.

• Coronavirus Guide for Kids

  The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a downloadable guide for children about the coronavirus and Covid-19. While it’s important to keep children informed, it is also necessary to be aware of their fears and feelings towards the pandemic. This guide has a section for children to write what they fear and feel during this time.

Sustainability Online

Although many cities are in lockdown, there’s no truce in the fight for a more sustainable world, and for a healthier planet. So, we suggest you some family activities to do at home that revolve around the topic of sustainability – and they’re kid friendly!

• Documentary Time: Our Planet

  Who hasn’t heard about the iconic documentary series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, that takes us on a magical journey through our beautiful planet? This series, that was once only available on Netflix, is now available on YouTube for free.

• WWF’s Wild Classroom

  The World Wildlife Fund, WWF, dedicates a part of its website to a “Wild Classroom”, with several educational resources and activities for children and students in isolation.

Physical Exercise

Exercising is very important to help keep a sound mind during these hard times. At the same time, the elderly need, now more than ever, to keep active and healthy. Family activities to do at home that include exercising and physical activity are a fun way to make everyone move a little – from toddler to grandma.

The UK’s NHS has a webpage dedicated to physical exercise with short videos and instructions. From Cardio to Yoga, you can find dozens of videos that the whole family can follow. There is also a page dedicated to seniors, with sitting exercises. Don’t scroll past the “One You” page, where you can find exercise ideas as well videos with stretches and other physical activities to do at home.