50+ At-Home Activities for Quarantine

With all this extra time at home, it’s easy to feel cooped up or run out of ideas for keeping busy. We’re all going through this together, and we all need to do our part to help each other stay connected, inspired, and positive.

Getting creative with your free time is a great way to boost your own morale, but it’s also a great way to motivate and encourage others. Moods can be contagious, and during such an uncertain time, it’s important to our entire team to spread positivity (not germs!).

Entertain & Engage

Need ideas for entertaining yourself or your family? Enjoy some of the Asen team’s top recommendations. From “must watch” TV to multiplayer mobile apps and games, there’s something for everyone on this list!

Books

• Big Magic — Elizabeth Gilbert (Creative Inspiration)
• Contagious: Why Things Catch On — Jonah Berger (Marketing)
• Stories That Stick — Kindra Hall (Marketing)
• Virgil Flowers Series — John Sandford (Mystery)
• Small Great Things — Jodi Picoult (Legal Fiction)
• Alexander Hamilton — Ron Chernow (Biography)
• The Silent Patient — Alex Michaelides (Mystery / Thriller)
• Daisy Jones and the Six — Taylor Jenkins Reid (Historical Fiction) 
• Then She Was Gone — Lisa Jewell (Mystery / Thriller)
• Rules of Civility — Amor Towles (Psychological Fiction)
• Light We Lost — Jill Santopolo (Romance / Fiction)
• Razor Girl or Bad Monkey — Carl Hiaasen (Fiction / Humor / Mystery)

Bonus: Ask your friends and family to participate in a mail book (or e-book) exchange to mix things up!

TV & Movies

• Tiger King (TV, True Crime Comedy)
• Ozark (TV, Drama)
• Black Sails (Similar to GoT, but with Pirates)
• Vikings (Similar to GoT, but with Vikings)
• The Crown (TV, Historical Drama)
• Love is Blind (Reality TV)
• This is Us (TV, Family Drama)
• Frozen 2 (Movie, Animation)
• Avengers Series (Movie, Action/Adventure)
• Unorthodox (TV, Drama)
• The English Game (TV, Historical Drama)
• Uncorked (TV, Drama)
• Knives Out (Movie, Mystery/Comedy)
• Late Night (Movie, Comedy)
• Dark Waters (Movie, Drama/Thriller)

Multiplayer Mobile Apps

• Trivia Crack
• Words with Friends
• Fight List
• Golf Battle
• LoL Kart
• Colonist (Online Settlers of Catan)
• RISK

Podcasts

• Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me (NPR Weekly News Gameshow)
• Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin (Marketing)
• Hardcore History (History)
• Broken Record (Music)
• Planet Money (NPR Economics)
• My Favorite Murder (True Crime)
• Hello from the Magic Tavern (Storytelling Humor)
• The Daily (Daily News)
• Serial (True Crime)
• Dirty John (True Crime)

Other Creative Ideas

• Use Rosetta Stone or Duolingo to start learning a new language
• Use outdoor chalk to leave encouraging messages around your neighborhood
• Feng Shui your furniture for an energy boost
• Garden / plant seedlings
• Karaoke (just keep your neighbors in mind!)
• Host a webinar on a topic related to your skill set
• Host a virtual cocktail party
• Host a virtual neighborhood block party
• Learn new skills from YouTube tutorials
• Take an online course

For those with kids…

• Create your own card or board game
• Film a mock cooking segment
• Host a virtual talent show
• Have an indoor picnic or scavenger hunt
• Use stuffed animals to create an at-home zoo
• Camp in the backyard
• Bury a time capsule

Give Back to Your Community

It’s no secret that our communities are hurting right now. Going the extra mile to help others thrive during this downtime is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your community. Giving back spreads positivity, generates meaningful connections, and helps pass time more quickly. Plus, it can boost your own morale. Win, win!

Remote Volunteer Opportunities

• Lifeline
  Get trained by professionals to provide support via this national suicide hotline.
• Crisis Text Line
  Get trained by professionals to provide support via this national text hotline.
• Be The Match
  Join their free registry to become a potential donor match.
• Translators without Borders
  Break language barriers by translating medical or crisis-related text during COVID-19.
• Be My Eyes
  Download their app to provide visual assistance to blind and low-vision people.

Other Ideas for Giving Back

• Create postcards for your favorite political candidate
• Make CDC-regulated medical masks for others
• Send pet treats or toys to healthcare workers who aren’t spending extra time at home with their animals right now (thanks for the idea, Chewy!)
• Select your favorite charity and use smile.amazon.com to help them out while shopping online
• Do some Spring cleaning and collect items for donation (clothing, canned goods, blankets/toys for shelters, etc.)
• Organize an online fundraiser

Encourage a chain reaction! Share this list with your friends and colleagues to help spread positivity and inspiration. You just never know who could benefit from some fresh ideas.