Dr. Raul Poulsen, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with the University of Miami Health System, suggests making a family schedule that all household members have input on and easy access to. Looking for ideas as to what to put on that schedule? Look no further.
Online school work
Homework
Your professional work
Housework/chores for every member of the household, who is capable of helping
Physical activity
- exercise at home
- play physically active games
- yardwork
- go running or biking
Family mealtime
Creative side projects
- record a podcast
- build something
- make digital or analog art
- grow plants or vegetables
- hypothesize and test an experiment
- scrapbook
- interview someone you know
- write a poem or a song
- create a dance routine
Productive projects
- edit and organize your digital photos
- clean out the car
- organize the garage, junk drawer, kids' closet, or home office
- sort and store paperwork or mail
- make a donation pile
Practice time
- musical instruments
- art
- sports
- foreign language
- other extracurricular activities
Being outside (while maintaining physical distancing)
- go for a walk
- lay on a blanket in the yard
- biking
- hiking
- fishing
- other outdoor activities
Consuming current event information by
(Limit this time to avoid triggering anxiety and fear.)
- watching/reading the news
- social media
- other current events programming
Socializing while maintaining physical distancing.
- texting
- app messaging
- video chatting
- talking on the phone
- online group gaming
Reading time
No screens time
Family fun time
- an opportunity to create unifying activities
- game night
- karaoke
- movie night
- baking
- experimenting
- create something together
Family quiet time
- reading
- meditating (try a meditation app or YouTube video designed for children)
- journaling
- yoga
- build or create something together
Time just for you
Don't use it to scroll social media, respond to work emails, or mindlessly shop online.
- go for a walk
- listen to a podcast
- meditate
- read for pleasure
- listen to music
- tinker around on an instrument
- journal
Return to this list when the kids complain they're bored and have nothing to do.