It is a very confusing and trying time for all of us, as the unease of not knowing what’s next continues to set in. Most of us are social distancing in our homes and have been for several weeks. Whether you live alone, have young children at home, or have college students who have returned home early, finding a new normal no matter your circumstances can be difficult. With the technology today, we have many options to binge watch our favorite shows or movies, but now more than ever, being active and engaged can also be a big stress release.

Having graduated from the University of Maine at Machias with a degree in Recreation Management, this is one of those times I appreciate the knowledge I gained from some of my classes. One class in particular was called “New Games,” and the point was to take an old game and adapt it to make it a bit different. Whether it’s a game of kickball using a beachball or a game of charades using your child’s vocabulary words, being creative and playing together as a family can help take our minds off of the daily reminder that we are, in fact, stuck at home.

The following are some ideas for games, apps and activities that I have compiled in hopes of bringing families together in fun. Some of these ideas can be used to incorporate learning into the fun as well!

1. Pictionary or Charades: Does your child have a list of vocabulary words they have to memorize? Do they have a History quiz coming up? Create a stack of words, phrases or historical figures/references and make it a fun family game. You can separate into age appropriate groups.

2. Taboo: This is another great game where you can use your children’s lessons as a means of making a game. In Taboo, your partner must communicate a concept or word without using a specific list of words. For example, if the word is “flower,” taboo words could be petal, stem, smell, and pretty.

3. Chalk: Getting out the chalk now that it’s spring can be fun. You can take math class outside or draw up a hopscotch or 4-square. Another idea is to make a bean bag game. Draw a small circle (big enough to throw a bean bag into) and mark it 50 points. Continue drawing a circle around the smaller and so on marking the next 40 points until your last circle is 10 points. You can use bean bags or small stones to try to get as many points as you can.

4. Homemade Games: If you are feeling stuck inside, here a few fun things you can do. First, you can make an indoor “tennis” game simply by making rackets from paper plates and popsicle sticks and using a balloon for the ball. Second, you can make use of those leftover “foam peanuts” from your Christmas packages for a relay/counting game. Using chopsticks or something similar, put the peanuts in the middle of the table, each person tries to pick up the peanuts and put them in a dish, with the most peanuts winning. Finally, you can create an indoor or outdoor bowling alley using water bottles. Inside, you can use empty bottles and a nerf type ball; outside you can fill the water bottles (for fun you can add food coloring).

5. Cornhole: This is a fun, competitive game for adults as well as children. It can be played inside (in a big enough room), outside, or on a porch. Have the kids keep score to incorporate math.

6. Board/Card Games: At our house, we started playing Rummy before the pandemic began. It is a great addition and subtraction game. After polling family and friends, here are a few other (some classic) games for you to consider: Dominos, Spades, Skip-Bo, Uno, Cribbage, LRC (Left, Right, Center), Phase 10, or you could have a game of WAR. Digging in the board game cupboard, I have many memories of playing Connect Four and Trouble with our boys. A few other favorites are the old school games like Monopoly, Risk, Clue, Scrabble (great for spelling), Yahtzee, and there’s nothing like a good family game of Twister. Some can also be found in the app store if you don’t have the board game at home.