Tech-Free Things to Do When Staying at Home

They say March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Well, this March came in like a lion and somehow left like an even bigger lion. Or maybe a meat-loving elephant that can run on two feet and punch you with its front legs. In any case, it didn’t go out like a lamb, and now April is rearing its ugly head.

In all seriousness, times can be pretty tough right now. Best case scenario is that you’re bored from being inside all day. If this is where you’re at, then here are some ideas to keep you entertained (that don’t involve staring at a screen).

Bounce paper around.

This is a great game that has supplied me with hours of entertainment in all sorts of places. You scrunch up a piece of paper into a ball and sort of play hacky sack with it—whack it up and down with your hands, bounce it on your feet, play it with a friend, play it alone. Whoever says it’s not fun is just plain lying!

Juggle socks.

Nothing says laundry like sock-juggling! After you’ve matched and folded up three pairs of socks, use them to learn to juggle! You’d be surprised at what an arm workout it is. Or maybe I’m just extraordinarily weak. But in any case, it’s fun!

Make sock puppets.

The sock fun doesn’t stop with juggling—you can decorate faces onto your sock puppets or just leave them as anonymous companions. Who says you can’t have friends over?

Draw.

You can doodle anything—buildings, strange animals, geometric shapes, eyeballs. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look realistic—art is art!

Write.

It might be interesting later in life in you keep a diary of what’s going on right now—or at least it could make you feel a bit better in the present. If that’s not your thing, though, you could make up stuff instead. To get started, look up creative writing prompts online—it’s not breaking the tech-free rule if you look it up before you close this screen! You can make them as ridiculous or serious as you want.

Do a puzzle.

My first thought is jigsaw puzzles, but if you don’t have one on hand, you can also do Sudoku, Hanjie, Crossword, Jumble, and all other kinds of puzzles.

Read.

I know I have a ton of books that have been on my reading list for ages. If I weren’t so busy napping, I might use this time to get through some of them; maybe you will prove to be more intellectually impassioned!

Play with fruit.

Can you do that thing where you bounce an apple on the inside of your elbow? And did you know you could tattoo a banana by taking a toothpick and poking holes into it in the shape of a design? Or slice a strawberry so it looks like a rose? Your answers to these questions might soon become yes.

Reorganize.

Cleaning isn’t very fun, but rearranging your furniture is!

Make up knock-knock jokes.

Try coming up with ones related to each holiday. (Vampire who? Vampire of State Building!) (?!)


This change in schedule can be pretty tough on everyone. Hopefully, you’ll be able find some ways to stay sane when staying inside. Hang in there!

Kate

Kate

Class of 2020
I’m a senior here at the university, majoring in English and Math and minoring in Spanish. I’ve lived in Illinois all my life, sharing a room with my sister and many crickets. As the youngest in my family, I’m lucky enough to have my older siblings’ advice and perspective as I make my way through college!

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