The calendar is littered with canceled vacations and summer camps, shuttered pools and playgrounds, spots in our calendars meant to be spent with friends and loved ones.
The summer weeks ahead are filled with … nothing. (For some, nothing but work.) Adults, kids and adults feeling like kids, all bored. And that boredom, combined with the fear of getting sick or actually getting sick, could make for a cruel summer.
But wait. There really is still fun to be had. With a little bit of imagination, we can set ourselves free from that cage of coronavirus. We can play silly games. Connect with family and friends. And find ways to express gratitude for others, including our families and first responders.
It’s time to write down a list of activities you and your family want to do this summer. It’s an exercise that will free you from the limits of your four walls. Number your list from one to however far you get and maybe even write it down on actual paper.
This is not a homework assignment. It’s about finding the joy that still exists inside you — kids and adults alike. Get the first few ideas out. Now keep going, because that’s when the ideas get ridiculous and really fun.
Want to walk on the moon? Write it down. Want to play Quidditch with J.K. Rowling? Write it down. Want to use all those wacky kitchen devices you’ve never removed from their boxes? Time to write those ideas down.
No, you can’t actually fly to outer space right now, but you could stargaze at night and watch the scheduled SpaceX launch to the International Space Station.
My kid hasn’t figured out how to play real Quidditch but we do have Ravenclaw-like robes and the Harry Potter edition of Clue, so we can figure it out. We may try to make butterbeer too.
Learn what your kids are thinking
If you want to know what your kids are thinking these days, ask them to make their for own lists (and don’t critique them). They’ll tell you what they’re thinking in those lists. And some of their ideas will be possible.
Nothing you or your loved ones write down means we won’t still be scared or can’t get sick or that we won’t be in danger anymore.
But it can get you to figure out what’s important to you, get your kids to think about what’s still possible and fun, and connect you to the people you love (even by Zoom).
My 12 year-old’s list included cooking shrimp and grits with Meme’s recipe for dinner one night (Meme is one grandma’s name), playing Monopoly, the first “Mary Poppins” movie and a living room sleepover. Oh, and I’m supposed to put down my phone while we do all these things, she requested.
I’m all in.
Need some starter ideas for your list? Use ours. When I sat down to write this list, I stared at my screen. One hundred things? Why did I suggest 100 things? But it got fun the longer my list got.
Here are 100 fun-in-my-opinion things to do this summer collected from colleagues, friends, family and me. I hope it salvages your summer and inspires your family as we navigate this new normal.
Old-fashioned fun
2. Family movie night: Show a movie on the main television in your home (we have one TV, so this is easy). Serve popcorn and sodas and sing along to “Mary Poppins,” watch Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader duke it out in “Star Wars” or watch a modern Disney classic.
4. House or neighborhood scavenger hunt: Set up a scavenger hunt with clues at the end that involve a prize such as a favorite dessert or the winner’s choice of movie night pick.
5. Create light: Make candles from scratch with yummy smells to give as presents.
6. Face painting: Learn to face paint and practice on each other. Hold a contest over Zoom to vote for “best paint job,” “most realistic,” “best superhero” and “scariest animal.”
7. Do a puzzle: If you’re bored with your puzzles, trade with a neighbor.
9. Raise a glass to freedom: Sing straight through Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.” Not for little kids — we get it — but you can pretty much sing your way through the entire musical. Little kid substitute: “Mary Poppins,” of course.
10. Each one, pick one: Each member of the family gets to pick something from his or her personal list for the whole family to do together. One rule: No picking something you already know another relative hates. Not fun!
Let’s play outside
11. Create a splash pad: Before there were nearby pools or even living in a beach town, we’d turn on the hose in the backyard to cool down. Sometimes we’d add plastic bags on a slope to make a slip and slide.
12. Have a water balloon fight: Send your kids outside to battle it out and get soaked or join in on the fun. Fill small balloons inside or with a water hose. Make sure adults also get doused.
15. Smash the virus: Make a coronavirus piñata, fill it with candy and whack the heck out of it.
17. Map the neighborhood: Walk your neighborhood and see if your family can make a map from your house to another location. If they can’t get off your property, have them do it inside. (You’ll be surprised at what they might notice.)
18. Hike the park: Time to find your nearest state or national park or national forest to get outside (with proper social distancing) to take a walk or hike.
19. Let’s have a picnic: Picnic or grill in the backyard or in your local park. Grill meat or veggie hot dogs or bring sandwiches or takeout if that sounds overwhelming. Bring a Frisbee or soccer ball and play.
20. Outdoor game day: You can invest in a croquet set, ping-pong set up or basketball hoop.
Food and drink
21. Cooking challenge: Create a cooking challenge for your family, where you create a short list of ingredients that must be used in the meal. Think cheese and bread for the younger kids or novices, and more advanced ingredients for the older/more experienced cooks.
22. Random birthday cake night: It doesn’t have to be anyone’s birthday to bake a cake and top it with buttercream frosting to eat and share with neighbors.
23. Pantry challenge: Pick an ingredient out of the pantry or refrigerator and cook from it. You can look at cookbooks for recipes or check online for guidance. Today’s challenge — or perhaps opportunity — could be that random eggplant from our vegetable delivery bag or the lentils a friend gave me when she moved out of town.
24. Ice cream social: Create an ice cream bar with options for sundaes, ice cream sandwiches and more.
28. Bake for a neighbor: My favorite neighbors are stress baking and walking baked goods over (masked, of course). Then I share them with my other neighbors. And scones go with tea. See how it all works?
29. Historic recipe hunt: Call a relative and ask her to walk you through a longtime family recipe. Then make it. If she claims you have to have a certain ingredient or the recipe won’t work, ask for another recipe.
Learn something new
31. Make music: There has never been a better time to pick up a new instrument. Some are easier (and less expensive) than others, like the ukulele, and a wealth of online videos and tutorials make it feel approachable and less intimidating.
35. Play video games: Go online with your kids or kid-like friends and learn the video games and apps they love and play with them. It could be Toca Boca, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda or whatever else is hip to the kids these days.
36. Use that equipment: Is there kitchen equipment in your hallway closet or attic that you’ve never used? It’s time to get out that pasta or Popsicle maker, spiralizer or AeroPress coffee maker (that’s on me) and learn how to use it.
37. Hire an intern: Have your child “intern” at your home office. At CNN, my child can pitch and write stories, take photos, write headlines and participate in many video conference calls. She can also fetch coffee and make lunch.
39. Composting is good for the Earth: Learn how to compost and do it. It’s good for the Earth and your garden, and vermicomposting is really interesting, because worms.
Do for others
41. Phone a relative: So many grandparents are missing their favorite little people, so why not call a relative who misses your kids and maybe misses you?
42. Thank-you notes: Write end-of-year thank-you cards to your teachers and other school staff, aftercare workers.
43. “Get well soon” cards: Let’s add “we miss you” or “get well soon” cards to send to anyone you miss or who you know isn’t well. Real mail is lovely to receive.
44. Hand out snack bags: Gather shelf-stable snacks, bottles of water, socks and wipes into bags to hand out to people who need them. You can spot people from more than 6 feet away, wave, leave bags for them and walk away so they can safely pick them up.
45. Food donations: Make and contribute food to severely depleted food pantries.
46. Walk a dog: Become a volunteer dog walker for your less mobile or elderly neighbors, or the local shelters. Cat socializers are needed for local shelters that may be short-staffed or low on volunteers.
48. Signs of thanks: Make signs for your lawn that thank anyone your family is grateful for.
49. Chalk messages of hope: Lots of people are walking outside these days, and your kids can cheer them up with hopeful messages.
50. Lemonade stand: Set up a socially distant lemonade stand and give the proceeds to a hospital. People can place their order from 6 feet away, pay using an app or drop cash into a bucket. The kids should wear masks and gloves as they pour the lemonade, place it on the table and step back to their original spot.
Read or write something interesting
51. Pick a book: Everyone in the family can pick a book they’ve never read and read it. Then everyone can come back to the family book club to report what they liked about the book (and eat cookies together).
52. Family reading time: Read one chapter from a classic book out loud every night and ask everyone to listen. Some books and poetry were meant to be heard, not only read to oneself. Think Shakespeare’s monologues or Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches.
53. Book/movie combo: Read the book, then watch the movie, then discuss the differences. (“Harry Potter,” “Clueless”http://rss.cnn.com/”Emma,” etc.)
55. Write a book: Write the book you’ve always wanted to read, about your family together. It can be short! Then have a book reading/signing.
56. Your kid’s story: Have your kids write and illustrate a book about the day they were born. (They can interview you or not).
60. Baby books: Read your children a short book from their toddler time to remind them (and you) of how adorable they were as little ones. Our favorites include “My Little Polar Bear” by Claudia Rueda, “And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson and Pete Parnell, and “The Book with No Pictures” by B.J. Novak.
Style, art and architecture
64. Mini-Marie Kondo: Help your child reorganize her room, combining these ideas of new paint, decluttering and organizing to give her a room for the next stage in her life. (It may not be the time to give up teddy bears.)
67. Plan a photo shoot: Choose a theme, select a location and get creative with props and costumes. Use a film camera or disposable camera to limit the number of shots and to work in an element of surprise with how they will turn out.
68. Paint with your family: Arrange a family painting session, with supplies, snacks and a good playlist, and choose a painting to replicate. Learn about one another’s artistic tastes and explore your chosen artistic style.
Connect as a family
71. Would You Rather? Wrangle your extended family to virtually participate in a game that starts conversations in fun, interesting and maybe shocking ways. Choose any theme (and look for inspiration online).
76. Question a day: If the grandparents live far away, try connecting them with your kids with a question a day. Ours have been simple: What’s your favorite ice cream? Stuffed animal? Why do we love koalas so much?
77. Family meetings: Hold weekly family meetings to check in and see how everyone’s doing. Make it a safe space so people can share their concerns, and don’t feel you have to fix everything on the spot. It’s just a good place to start communicating.
78. Clean the house together: Think your kids don’t appreciate you? They will after they’ve cleaned the bathroom a few times. (Ask me how I know.)
Nighttime fun
81. Camp out in your backyard: That travel is limited this summer doesn’t mean you can’t mimic experiences at home. Pitch a tent in the backyard for a few nights. You could even have a campfire in your backyard if your city and state allow it.
82. Fort night: Build a fort in the living room and let the kids sleep there after they’ve crashed on popcorn and sugar.
83. Pillow fight: Clear all the breakables and sharp edges and have a massive pillow fight. Perhaps after building a fort.
84. Have a s’mores night outside: Chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows are a perfect combination, and you don’t need a fire pit to set a marshmallow on fire.
85. Nighttime tag: Play flashlight tag in the backyard or in the neighborhood. If the other side’s flashlight “gets” you, you’re out. (That’s social distance tag.)
86. Capture the flag at night: Play a few nighttime rounds of capture the flag with your family or “quaranteam.” Two teams have a flag or other object, and the objective is to steal the other team’s flag and bring it back to their side. The game is always fun, but the darkness makes it all the more thrilling.
87. Go to the drive-in: If you have a drive-in in your town, head there. What’s old is cool again.
88. Glow-in-the-dark treasure hunt: Try a nighttime treasure hunt with glow-in-the-dark items.
Grown-up fun
93. Wine and cheese: Should you be quarantined with a partner, have a wine or beer and cheese date with your beloved on your patio/front porch/back porch balcony/kitchen table, and remember it’s “for better or for worse.” You can try to make it for better.
94. Hold hands: It’s sweet.
95. R-rated: Watch movies that are not for children. It’s fine to fall asleep, though. We’re tired.
96. Eat a late dinner: Fine, it’s second dinner, and eat all the things your kids hate. All of them.
97. Treat your sweetie: Do something nice that makes your spouse happy — make a favorite dessert, take a walk, make a schedule, find a favorite wine, load the dishwasher (whatever’s your love language).
99. Really talk: Talk about the pandemic and how it’s affecting you. Talk about your hopes and dreams and fears. Listen to what others have to say. Connect and keep that base strong to support you and your family.
100. Smooch: Need I say more?
CNN’s David Allan, Faye Chiu, Stephy Chung, Katie Hunt, Sandee LaMotte, Kristen Rogers, Ashley Strickland, Natalia V. Osipova, Verlin Henderson, Lizzie Jury, Margaret Dawson, Kim Bui, Deanna Engel, Molly Berry and the unofficial CNN/WarnerMedia working-from-home parents group all contributed to this story.
