101 Fun Things to Do at Home During Lockdown (Free Printable List)

If you are finding yourself facing lockdown, quarantine, or self-isolation during the pandemic that the world is facing, you may be concerned not only for the health of your family and friends but also about keeping yourself and/or the kids occupied if/when/now that schools are shut down, as well as other social meeting places such as pubs, restaurants, bars, museums, cinemas, etc.

I know I am not the only one that is scared and anxious about how things are going to pan out, and to keep my mind busy I drew up a list of 101 Fun Things to Do at Home during a lockdown.

Pandemic Lockdown…

There is every chance that you might find yourself in a pandemic lockdown – either voluntarily, or enforced by your government.

That prospect is alarming.

It’s one thing having to stay inside for a day or so because the weather is really bad or if you are sick for a few days; but entirely different if you are only allowed out at specific times or to pick up groceries or medication.

To keep morale up at home I’ve created a list of things that we could do to try and keep some normalcy to the situation and have some fun too.

Some are just plain silly – like blowing bubbles, some are sensible – like washing your hands or deep cleaning your home, and then lots of things in between.

If your country is not on lockdown and you are able to get supplies in – food, water, toiletries, etc., then do so, but be mindful of others. The panic buying in the UK that we’ve seen is crazy and pretty frightening for certain members of society. Offer to help your neighbors if you are able to.

As well as basic supplies, try to get some arts and crafts supplies so that you can make things with your family.

Try and get a couple packs of playing cards, some dice, and maybe some board games, etc., to have things to play.

I’ve written the list here with some links to various crafts, recipes, and free printables on The Purple Pumpkin Blog.

Grab the FREE printable list at the end of this post (it’s surrounded by a purple box) and keep it somewhere to cross off as you do stuff.

This is one of those times that I hope you don’t cross everything off, and that we all can get back to life as we know it very soon.

101 Things to Do at Home During Pandemic Lockdown

1. Read books and magazines – pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read, or download the Kindle app onto your device and check out the huge selection of books on Amazon. There are also magazine apps where you can read digital versions of your favorite magazines. Or why not buy a magazine subscription and get your favourite magazines delivered directly to you.
2. Write a short story or start writing a novel – they say everyone has a book inside of them!
3. Write a poem or song – channel your inner poet or songwriter
4. Create an uplifting playlist on Spotify or Youtube – here is my Uplifting Playlist on Spotify
5. Meditate – there are videos on YouTube as well as guided meditation apps.
6. Learn a new skill – check out Skillshare for TONS of online courses. Or for free stuff, YouTube is a great place to look for tutorials! Use that new skill to start a side hustle! Why not use SVGs from Design Bundles to create products to sell online, or give to friends and family!
7. Create a mood board or vision board – grab some old magazines, a piece of cardboard (the side of a box will do!), some glue, and a pair of scissors and find inspirational images and quotes and stick them in place.
8. Paint or draw something – there are lots of step-by-step guides online teaching you how to draw
9. Start a Journal – whether it is a bullet journal, an art journal, or just an old fashioned diary to jot down your thoughts.
10. Plant vegetable seeds and start a food garden

11. Do a crossword puzzle
12. Play a board game – check the attic for old board games you’ve not played for years. Dust them off and play some games!
13. Declutter areas of your house
14. Bake a Cake – if you’re in the UK and struggling to get flour to make cakes, check out The Craft Company for cake mixes, cake decorations and more!

15. Make a Cocktail – or a mocktail
16. Sit in your garden/yard and breathe the fresh air
17. Empty your inbox – now is the time to do it and reach inbox zero!
18. Organise Your Photos – whether that is digital ones or processed ones, it’s a task you probably have put off because “not enough time”
19. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure
20. Organise your wardrobe – you may not be able to donate right now, but it’ll be ready for when you can

21. Do a jigsaw puzzle – either a real one or download an app and solve a digital jigsaw
22. Play a video game – have an old console? Set it up and play!
23. Binge-watch Netflix (or another streaming service!) – pick a favorite show or start something new.
24. Get up and dance like no one is watching – get your groove on! It’s good for the soul and keeps you active too.
25. Finish a DIY project you started by didn’t have time for

Handy Kid’s Crafting Supplies (on Amazon)

26. Exercise – there are lots of free workouts on YouTube – pick one to your fitness level.
27. Phone or Skype a friend/family member – you may not be able to meet in person, but you can still speak to and see each other online.
28. Play card games – classic card games like Snap, Rummy, Crazy Eights, Go Fish or even Uno. Or why not grab your old Pokemon cards!
29. Watch your DVD collection – if you still have a stack of DVDs, go through and watch them all!
30. Have a nap – sleeping is good, sleeping is healing
31. Plan a dream vacation – life will return to normal, but until then plan a dream vacation!
32. Have an indoor picnic – or even go out into your back garden/yard.
33. Experiment with your make-up – if you stick to the same neutral look, go crazy with your eyeshadow palettes and create new looks. YouTube beauty gurus will have lots of tutorials to follow.
34. Build a blanket and sofa fort
35. Scrapbook your old photographs
36. Batch cook and freeze some meals
37. Window shop online
38. Do some yoga – again, YouTube is your friend for tutorials
39. Knit or crochet something – or learn how! I taught myself to crochet using YouTube!

40. Customise an item of your clothing – always fancied yourself as a contestant on Project Runway? Customise an old item of clothing that you decluttered from an earlier item on this list!
41. Read books out loud – reading stories isn’t just for kids at bedtime – take it in turns as a family to read a chapter or a paragraph (depending on the book)
42. Turn your video clips into home movies – there are free apps for your phone/tablet that you could try
43. Dress up in your nicest outfit and have a dinner date at home – so you can’t get out to a restaurant because they’re all shut down at the moment, so set up that date indoors instead.
44. Set up a family scavenger hunt

45. Play a musical instrument – maybe you learned to play one in school and still have the instrument in your attic? Or maybe you bought a guitar and said you would learn how to play it? Now’s the time!
46. Have a sing-a-long – singing is good for the soul!
47. Play with Lego – everyone has some Lego in their house somewhere!
48. Take photographs – learn how to use your camera, or get creative with your phone camera. There are tons of opportunities for photography inside your home.
49. Have an at-home spa day – those toiletries you were given for Christmas but not used yet? Open them up and treat-yo-self!
50. Make Soup – soup is easy, quick, and cheap to make

51. Play Charades
52. Construct something from toilet roll tubes
53. Origami
54. Do some coloring – I’ve got lots of free printable coloring sheets for you to download.
55. Make a magazine – my sister and I used to do this when we were kids, it was so much fun!
56. Make cupcakes
57. Face painting
58. Make homemade pizza
59. Do some cross stitch or embroidery
60. Play Poker or Blackjack
61. Film a “Cooking Show” while making dinner – why not try out a recipe box like Mindful Chef (who are open as usual and still accepting new [UK] customers during the pandemic) No commitments, no contract, cancel anytime. For every meal Mindful Chef sell, they donate a school meal to a child living in poverty.

62. Play balloon volleyball
63. Take a bubble bath
64. Go through a list of must-watch movies
65. Go through a list of must-read books
66. Take stock of your kitchen pantry/fridge/freezer
67. Deep clean your house/room
68. Write down your goals and what you will do to achieve them
69. Rearrange a room

70. Experiment with different hairstyles
71. Create an Amazon Wish List – Amazon are limiting their product delivery at the moment, but create a Wish List for when things go back to normal!
72. Help a neighbor (if you are allowed to leave your property and/or it is safe to do so)
73. Walk indoors
74. Invent a board game
75. Learn a new language – I’ve been learning Spanish with Duolingo

76. Read a blog – I’ve got tons of posts you’ve probably never read, so The Purple Pumpkin Blog is a good place to start!
77. Listen to a podcast
78. Go on a Wikipedia trail following a subject you enjoy
79. Make a time capsule – what will you put in there? You could open in 1 year from now, 5 years, 10 years, or leave it for future generations!
80. Start a blog
81. Play Solitaire With real playing cards
82. Play Yahtzee
83. Draw a Mandala – or color one in! Grab my free printable mandalas to color
84. Download a Free Printable Paper Craft – there are 100+ Free Printables on The Purple Pumpkin Blog!
85. Write a letter or email to someone – or even to your future self
86. Bake cookies
87. Plan a dream dinner party – who will you invite, what will you eat?
88. Have a fashion show – go through your wardrobe and put together some fun outfits or have a theme that you all have to work towards!
89. Paint rocks
90. Listen to an audiobook – check out Audible in your country

91. Karaoke – you can find lyric videos on YouTube
92. Explore Google Earth – much of the world might be locked down for travel, but you can still explore the world virtually
93. Plan a dream road trip – where will you go, what will you see, what will be on your song list?
94. Play “Never Have I Ever”
95. Take a trip down Memory Lane – tell your kids about your childhood, or speak to an older family member (by phone if needs be)
96. Do some crafts – there are 100+ crafts on The Purple Pumpkin Blog to have a go at!
97. Play pencil and paper games – such as Tic-Tac-Toe, Hangman, Etc.,
98. Blow Bubbles
99. Stretch
100. Play Marbles
101. WASH YOUR HANDS! – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

The free printable(s) is (are) a PDF and can be opened with Adobe Reader which is free to use. Printables designed and created by The Purple Pumpkin Blog and its Designers are for PERSONAL USE ONLY and NOT FOR RESALE under any circumstances. Please read full Terms and Conditions. You are welcome to print these free printables at a print shop if you don’t have a printer at home, however, some print shops may not print licensed characters. Colours may vary slightly on printing due to different screen and printer settings. You may share this free printable blog post on social media, including Pinterest; as well as share it on your blog/website with a link back to this blog post. Please DO NOT share the PDF on social media or on your blog/website. If you use any of my printables it would be awesome to know about it! Post a picture on the social media platform that you hang out on, and follow me: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest! Use the hashtag #TPPBprintables so I can find you! I hope you enjoy these free printables!

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