Keeping it safe by staying at home may seem like a block to connection and contribution, but it can also provide a wonderful opportunity to build unity, compassion and caring within our families and communities. These 75 ideas are a fun way to shift your perspective from an “I can’t” mindset of isolation to a “We can do this” sense of togetherness. Enjoy!

  1. Stay home to flatten the curve.
  2. Play reporter: Interview family members, asking questions about things they did when they were your age.
  3. Help the whole family with a sock-matching party. Make sock puppets out of the rejects.
  4. Make an “We Saved the Day” comic book using photos, newspapers, magazines, scissors and glue to show how your family has been keeping it safe during the coronavirus precautions.
  5. Share a hug: Stretch out your arms against a long piece of paper. (Tape together smaller pieces if needed.) Trace around your arms and hands. Cut along the traced lines and color in. Deliver your hug to a friend or neighbor.
  6. Write or draw the things you’re grateful for and post it on your bathroom mirror.
  7. Video chat with someone.
  8. Paint rocks and leave them on neighbors’ porches.
  9. Go “COVID-19 Caroling” through the neighborhood as a family.
  10. Record a thank you celebration, post it on social media and tag your local hospital (tag #IheartCD, too).
  11. Host a “Gratefulness Challenge” at dinner to see how many gratitudes you can list for the day. Repeat every few days to see if you can beat your previous score.
  12. Trace each family member’s hand. Draw or write the ways their hands are helpful on each person’s handprint.
  13. Make and mail cards. For each card meant for a loved one, make one to send to a hospital or assisted living center.
  14. Write a list of silly questions or conversation starters and read through them during meals.
  15. Ask someone in your house, “What can I do help you right now?” and then do it.
  16. Have a Porch Picnic with neighbors—play party music, picnic and talk (loudly) with each other from your porches.
  17. Time each family member washing their hands. Did they wash for 20 seconds? Come up with a family song to hit the 20-second mark.
  18. Hold a family-wide car cleanup event.
  19. Go through old photos together and tell the stories that go with the images.
  20. Make a “Wish Well” wall. Put up sticky notes and wish well for those you miss, emergency personnel, etc.
  21. Do a random act of kindness.
  22. Plant seeds and watch them grow. Share the resulting flowers, fruits or veggies.
  23. If your hospital is accepting mask donations, sew and donate surgical masks.
  24. Design a board game and play it together.
  25. Record and share a music video with an original “Wish Well” song (remember to tag #IheartCD).
  26. Write a progressive story with friends via email, text or messaging. Have one person write a few sentences and then invite another person to write a few sentences.
  27. Donate to a food pantry.
  28. Do an I Love You Ritual.
  29. Bring cheer to those out walking by decorating your front door.
  30. Donate extra hand sanitizer or disinfectant to a hospital or assisted living center.
  31. Make up a connecting ritual that uses eye contact, touch, presence and playfulness.
  32. Go through your toys and clothes, and set aside items to donate to help others.
  33. Order food or buy supplies from a small business.
  34. Start a family diary and write about your memories together.
  35. Go through old books and swap with friends (give them a spray with disinfectant and/or set aside for two weeks before reading).
  36. Use chalk to make sidewalk art and write inspiring messages for neighbors.
  37. Tell a progressive story together. One person says a few sentences and then passes to the next person to add to the story.
  38. Keep yourself and those around you safe with proper hand washing. Link hand washing  visual.
  39. Foster an animal from a local shelter.
  40. Pick up garbage next time you take a walk (use a grabber or other tool).
  41. Record your family doing an I Love You Ritual and share it on social media (remember to tag #IheartCD).
  42. Make tissue paper flowers and deliver them to a nursing home.
  43. Is an adult going to the store? Older children can call neighbors to see if they need any essentials, write up the list and then use the receipt to total up what each person owes.
  44. Make and deliver dinner for a neighbor, friend or family member.
  45. Send your teacher an encouraging email.
  46. Make a list of things you love about a family member and leave it on their pillowcase.
  47. Using a world map, invite each family member to pick a state or country. Throughout the day, “wish well” for the people from that place.
  48. Donate to a charitable cause.
  49. Put out a dish of stale bread, cereal or crackers for the birds to munch on.
  50. Everyone search the sky together to find animals and other shapes in the clouds.
  51. Have a traveling snack break in each room. While in each room, talk about a favorite memory that happened there.
  52. Sit out front and wave at cars driving by.
  53. Spin through your phone contacts and pick a random person to connect with.
  54. If you play an instrument, hold a driveway or doorstep concert for a friend.
  55. Adults can donate blood (by appointment only 1-800-RED-CROSS).
  56. Buy a gift card to a local restaurant or business.
  57. Commit to “parking” your cell phones during meals and other family times
  58. Send pizza (or other food delivery) to a friend, family member or neighbor who might need extra help or be struggling financially.
  59. If you video chat with an elderly relative, see if his/her friends can join, too.
  60. Make encouraging signs and post them in your front windows.
  61. When you go out for essentials, thank those who are working.
  62. Send a text with an encouraging message (older kids) or a lot of fun emojis (younger kids).
  63. Leave a thank you note or drawing on your door for couriers and delivery people.
  64. Do you have a green thumb? Divide and repot healthy plants, and then gift them to your neighbors.
  65. Hold a “Kindness Challenge” by challenging family members to do a certain number of acts of kindness that day. See if you can go even higher the next day.
  66. Make a list of family activities you love, cut them into strips and place them in a bowl. Take turns blindly choosing one of the strips to act out in “Family Favorites Charades.”
  67. Make a family collage together using photos, newspapers, magazines, scissors, craft supplies and glue.
  68. Hold a costume-themed dinner using only your imagination and household items (no store-bought costumes).
  69. Post a happy sign in your yard for your neighbors to see.
  70. Start a Kindness Recorder ritual.
  71. Bring out the fancy linens and special occasion dishes, and dress up for dinner.
  72. Make a care package and send it.
  73. Take a family road trip in your driveway! Pack road trip snacks, roll down the windows, turn up the tunes, eat your snacks and dance in your seat.
  74. Are your spring flowers blooming? Cut a bouquet and share with a neighbor.
  75. Remember to be kind to yourself. Breathe deeply. Tell yourself, “I’m safe. I can handle this. We will get through this together.”