17 Stimulating Activities During the Corona Crisis

Right now, we are stuck at home and at risk of being bored. Someone said, "Boredom is usually the thing that happens, right before you do something truly creative."

• Create stories and make them into books, with Story Factory or Khan Academy
• Creating Photobooks with Mixbook
• Singing together. Here are some free, printable songs lyrics:
  • Camp songs
  • More printable camp songs
• Cook together. Here are a couple of cooking and baking recipes, but the internet is full of them:
  • Delish
  • Taste.com
• Learn a new language, Free Language learning apps:
  • Duolingo
  • Hello Talk
  • Babbel
• Making cards and sending them to loved ones
• Painting together. Watercolour channels:
  • Paint with me
  • How to watercolour
  • Search “watercolour for beginners” in youtube
• Making a diary. You can write, draw and paint in a diary. It can be an individual or home/group diary. Ideas on diary entries can be found by searching “creative diary”
• Visit a museum online!
• Search your online library catalogue. You can pick up books to read or listen to free audio books.
• Shopping together. Make a list together for grocery shopping and help them order items
• Learn how to play guitar
• Virtual Travel around the world. Pick a country for each week and listen to the music of that country, talk about the culture, cook food and tell stories about that country.
• Make decorations and decorate the house for special celebrations. (St Patrick's day, Anzac day, Easter, Christmas). There are many ideas about how to make seasonal decorations online.
• Learn and practice mindfulness meditation
  • Coronavirus anxiety: Tara Brach on how to use mindfulness in a pandemic - Vox
  • Creating a Home Retreat: Finding Freedom Wherever You Are - Jack Kornfield
• Tuned In Music therapy online. This organisation offers free pre-recorded facebook sessions
• For animal-lovers, Taronga TV is up and running
  • Animal live-cams
  • Latest keeper chat
  • Latest shows and feeds
  • From our Wildlife Hospital

Some of these activities may match your abilities, likes and interests. Maybe none of them. Maybe this list makes your boredom worse! If that's the case, I hope the boredom sparks your own creativity, and you develop a unique set of stimulating activities for you. 

Let us know!

Poli Gavria.

Behaviour Support Specialist

Poli believes in the natural improvement of people's behaviour when their lives become more meaningful, creative and socially connected.