20 Quick Isolation Tips to Make Being at Home Together More Pleasant!

20 Quick Isolation Tips to Make Being at Home Together More Pleasant!

If we’re going to be quarantined and working from home, let’s make the best out of it!!
Uncertainty is something I’ve learned coping techniques for as an adoptive momma and I also work from home with a toddler, and while it’s not easy, it is doable. 
And I feel like that is a good way to characterize the situation we’re in. It’s not easy, it’s not pretty, but we’re taking it one day at a time and making it work.
Letting go of our unrealistic expectations and instead searching for things to be grateful for instead of grumpy about. Leaning into time spent with loved ones, in person and virtually. These isolation tips will hopefully help you feel more confident about tackling the time together at home.

20 Isolation Tips for you and your family

1) It’s OK to feel how you feel! But looking for joy is a mental necessity.

We all are going to feel and experience this in different ways and that’s ok! Make sure you are giving yourself and others grace. My suggestion here would be to look for joy where you can find it. There are joy challenges all over Instagram right now. Kristina Kuzmac has some great fun videos for parents and also a great tip- let each other whine, then say “yeah but?” and point out the positives afterwards.

2) Have regular conversations about what is and is not working. (But also say thank you more than necessary!)

Open and honest discussion with each other is the only way to not get on each other’s last nerve from day one! It’s also so important to be grateful for what the people in your house bring to the equation too! They don’t want to be cooped up more than you do, and they want to be appreciated too. 

3) Utilize time blocks and taking turns.

You don’t have to have a minute by minute schedule, but a short and flexible schedule will help you mentally feel more in control and help the time pass. (ex: after breakfast we’re all going to do an hour of work, then we get some play time, at 10:30 we have a snack and at 11 we do a couple of chores before lunch. Etc…) Patience is the name of the game here. Some school will get dropped, some work will get dropped, but try your best to take turns and help each other out. If your kids are coming from classrooms and you are coming from working in an office- you are both used to structured days, bringing a little of that in helps.

4) Utilize video messaging!

My favorite app to use right now is the Marco Polo app (& this is not in any way an ad for them!) It’s like video texting, snapchat without the whistles and you can re-watch them. We’re talking to our families every day through that app, facetiming, and more. It feels like you’ve had more human interaction when you video than when you text! You can read books to each other, teach each other, and hang out through video messaging.

5) Play together!

Play is stress relieving, and it’s educational! You can make your own or buy play doh or kinetic sand. Legos are great for all ages too! We have a post up about 25 board games that are fun to play together. You could even make your own March madness at home by making a board game bracket with your family.

6) Get Creative

Figure out how to make it work. Sit on the couch and then move to the desk. Say yes to things you usually would not say yes to & don’t be afraid of messes- you’ve got time to clean it up! Raid that craft drawer or cabinet, the junk drawers. Being flexible in times like this is healthy and an amazing skill to teach our kids. 

 

7) Utilize the Magic Closet

This is the best teacher/mom trick I have y’all. Keep things in the closet and rotate them in and out. It’s that simple. Having a toy or game out of sight and mind for a little while makes it ten times more interesting when you bring it out again. I promise it works. It’s why kids suddenly love a toy they haven’t played with in forever that you decide it’s time to donate.

8) Read together!

This is a great time to read a book, or start a book series all together! Lots of authors are reading their books online or allowing their books to be read online. We have an audiobook suggestion post here and have a lot of books reviewed on our blog with discussion questions for you.

9) Watch together!

Block out the week together, everyone gets to pick a movie for movie night, have everyone pick a show that they think everyone else should watch. Do this with your extended family and friends too! Your small group. Watch something and then chat about it over text, fb, or video chat. We have a ton of awesome streaming suggestions for you with discussion guides on our blog!

10) Also, give each other space!

Being together so much is new for everyone. Each person still needs their own space, possibly more than usual. All the isolation tips in the world won’t replace that nice alone time just reading a book or chilling out. Everyone needs a little down time, even those energized toddlers.

11) Cook, bake, or make food together once a day.

The kitchen is solidly my husband’s domain. I’m a horrible cook and usually we don’t work well in the kitchen together, but we’re learning how to work together in the kitchen again. And it’s been surprisingly fun! You can even maked a chopped tv show type game with the stuff you have in your pantry. Re-stocking is happening continually. If you can afford groceries, it’s another thing to be super grateful for and to use for your benefit.

12) Being grateful for and wary of the internet.

Post about things you’re thankful for and hacks that are working for you. Be aware of how much time you’re spending on social media absorbing scary information. And remember that your posts and comments reach far beyond what you think they do. I am having to count the minutes I’m on right now to avoid overloading. But there is also a lot of positive stuff that is being posted that I am really thankful for! If you have steady access to the internet, it’s something to be extremely grateful for right now.

13) Exercise together & start some new healthy habits.

This is a great time for most of us to start a new healthy habit. Breathing in your nose, drinking enough water, moving for thirty minutes a day are all examples. This is not an ad either but we love Cosmic Kids Yoga videos and PE with Joe. My 2 year old loves doing them with us. I also really enjoy Yoga with Adriene videos for myself. Yoga and meditating on scripture help me keep my anxiety in control when things are stressful.

14) Get outside at least once a day

If it is possible for you to do this, to go for a walk or spend some time on your balcony, or even just throw a window open. Getting that vitamin D is important! However you’re able to do it. Breathing in fresh air helps us mentally and physically. If you can go on a walk, try a prayer walk or gratitude walk.

15) Clean & tackle projects together.

Tackle some of those projects you’ve been waiting to work on if you already have the supplies. Go through the junk drawers, get some real spring cleaning done. Keep a give away box by the door while you’re going through stuff.

16) Keep supporting the business you love

Churches still need your tithes, gyms need your memberships, that little restaurant you love on the corner could use you getting some gift cards to use later.

When we loose income we have to take a look at our budget and try to figure out what’s going to stay and what needs to go. Try to be conscious of the little businesses if you can. And check out Rachel Cruz’s social media for more helpful financial tips, especially if you -like me- have just lost all your spring income.

17) Do some big good with small online donations

The impact of this will be immediately felt, but any disaster also creates long term impact. More people will be homeless, more kids will end up needing foster care, non profits will still be hurting from the economic impact. Little donations now, and continued ones if you are able, can make a huge difference. Just five dollars can help your local food pantry feed a family.

18) The show must go on

I’m so sad about the things that have already been cancelled or that we are going to miss. My kiddos birthday is one of those things. What was cancelled for you? How can you celebrate it now and prepare to celebrate it later as well?? I’ve seen families’ put on talent shows, make pretend cruises, and put together window shamrock hunts in their neighborhood. It’s a great way to be inventive with celebrating each other.

19) Pray together and reach out to each other if you can

Praying together is a great habit to get into if you aren’t already doing it together. My toddler is regularly praying for butter and sugar right now and we will always talk about how hilarious that is. Also- I’ve heard about churches praying for the needs of their community and the pandemic in general on the 8’s. 8 am and 8 pm and that’s something I intend to try to do myself.

20) Take it one day at a time! 

I’m focusing on what I can with what I have. Giving each other so much grace. Working on letting go of unrealistic expectations and finding joy where I can. Remembering that play and being read to are amazing learning opportunities. Things will be bumpy, but the kids education will be fine. This is living history. I’ll also be the first to admit that while we are working on projects, my house may very well be messier at the end of this than it is now. No judgement, we’re all doing the best we can.

Bonus Isolation Tip

whenever we are losing our minds as teachers and can’t take a single more question or whine, we utilize brain and dance breaks. When I taught in private school I’d always say “I need some Jesus right now friends- dance break!!” Also remember to stretch your jaw and roll your shoulders throughout the day to help release stress.

Remember Kindergarten y’all. New things aren’t easy, challenges can end up becoming successes (hello tying my own shoe excitement!). Friends are worth keeping (video and text!). Keep looking for joy and wonder (hello butterfly video). Wash your hands before everything. Most importantly- be kind.  Remember that you’re loved and so are the people living with you! 

What to check out next:

We’ve got more isolation tips for you in the form of movie and book reviews with discussion questions!! Here’s a great place to start- 7 shows to watch together , 50+ streaming suggestions and 5 Fantasy show on Netflix! Or 10 recycling activities from home and 25 craft activities with only 5 supplies.

Down The Hobbit Hole Blog and these Isolation Tips post uses affiliate links, we only link products we think you’ll like and you are never charged extra for them. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We also use cookies to gather analytics and present advertisements. This allows us to keep writing discussion questions and telling ridiculous dad jokes. Find our other reviews with discussion questions here. Our posts about faith here. And our posts about family stuff here.