Note: This resource has been translated into Chinese by the International team at MGH. The full translation can be accessed here.
疫情2020：宅在家的食物、娱乐、沟通指引
En Español: Pandemia 2020: Nuestra guía de comida, diversión y conversación para quedarnos en casa
As families everywhere find themselves following stay-at-home advice to help slow the coronavirus pandemic, the need for fresh activity ideas grows. Kids may be engaged in online learning through their schools, parents may still be working (whether at home or on-site), and there are always board games and the usual activities to keep people busy. But there’s a good chance that we’re all going to be staying home for quite a while. And we’d like families to use this time, as much as they can, to enjoy each other’s company. Getting a little closer to our loved ones might be one of the only silver linings of a very stressful and scary situation. So we’re sharing our best ideas here for keeping busy during the pandemic: Our Stuck-At-Home Guide to Food, Fun and Conversation.
Food
Although many of us have more time on our hands for cooking right now, that doesn’t mean anyone is making a five-course meal. Pandemic food is ideally easy and heavy on pantry staples. Of course, we’d like it to be nourishing, too; staying healthy is more important than ever. So here are some recipes and tips you might be able to use while you’re waiting for the grocery shelves to re-stock:
- Make use of dried or canned beans and legumes
- Let pasta and whole grains be the star of the dish
- Make the “Good-Enough” dinner with what’s on hand
Of course, if you do have some time on your hands and want to spend a little time cooking with young helpers, a few kid-friendly kitchen projects could be handy. Let kids help keep the family fed with these easy recipes.
- Kid-Friendly Kitchen Projects:
Fun
Keeping everyone entertained during a long stay-home period could be a big challenge. Here are some ideas that could work for a variety of ages and stages.
- Food and Kitchen Activities
- For Young Kids (Preschool through mid-elementary):
- For Older Kids and Tweens:
- For Teens and the Young at Heart:
- Games that Promote Learning
- For Young Kids (Preschool through mid-elementary):
- For Older Kids and Tweens:
- For Teens and the Young at Heart:
- Whole-Family Bonding Activities:
And if you’re feeling really cooped up and missing friends or family members, some long-distance activities can help. This is one time when technology can really bring people together!
- Activities to Connect with Long-Distance Loved Ones:
- Cook-Along Challenge
- Virtual Dinner Party: Each person in the family takes turns inviting a loved one to join dinnertime via Skype, Facetime, Hangouts, etc. Share conversation starters and games while you eat!
- Good games to play via Skype, Facetime or Hangouts:
Conversation
One of the biggest conversation challenges families have is getting past “How was your day…?” “Fine.” Now, with people spending most (or all) of their time together indoors, that’s one question nobody will need to ask. What can you talk about instead? Here are some suggestions to get you started.
- Learn More About Each Other and Your Family History
- Print our Interview placemats
- Have a family photo caption contest
- Share family recipes and history with these conversation starters:
- Be ready to handle kids’ questions and emotions
- Use these tips and ideas from our friends at the MGH Clay Center to help guide you
- Start a Conversation Jar
- Get printable cut-apart conversation starters to get things going
- Include some blank slips so family members can add their own ideas
- Get more inspiration and hundreds of conversation starters on our Conversation page
- Use Technology as a Starting Point
- Have family members share one image from social media and share a fact or question about it to start a conversation
- Share one headline or news article from the day that everyone can talk about
- Take advantage of one of the many online cultural opportunities that are available right now, like virtual museum tours or concerts, and enjoy a shared online experience that will spark conversation
- Spend Some Time Thinking of Ways to Help Others
- Try our interactive family giving tree to inspire new ideas
- Use these conversation starters to help remind your family that there’s still a world outside your doorstep, even when you’re stuck at home!
Do you have other food, fun and conversation ideas that are helping your family through the coronavirus pandemic? Share them with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #stuckathomefun!