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

If you are facing lockdown, quarantine, or self-isolation, and looking for some fun activities, here are 101 Things to Do at Home during lockdown.

It feels like the start of the pandemic was a long, long time ago, but we’re not officially out of it yet, and you may still find yourself stuck at home.

I hope this lockdown list of ideas helps you.

Pandemic Lockdown…

I wrote this post right at the beginning of the quarantine, and have chosen to keep my initial thoughts in to provide a memory of thoughts at the time (italicized below).

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.

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 – food, water, toiletries, etc., then do so, but please 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.

A couple packs of playing cards, some dice, and maybe some board games, etc., to have things to play would also be handy.

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.

• My lockdown list has 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.

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. The one I use is called Calm.
6. Learn a new skill – check out Skillshare for tons of online courses. For free learning, YouTube is a great place to look for tutorials! Why not use that new skill to start a side hustle? You could 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. You can make digital mood boards too using apps like Canva.
8. Paint or draw something – there are lots of step-by-step guides online teaching you how to draw. Search for Bob Ross’ Joy of Painting on YouTube.
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 – tomatoes, zucchini, salad leaves, and pumpkins are all very easy to grow!

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! Or why not play an escape room at home – just grab this printable kit! They’re fun for the whole family!
13. Declutter areas of your house – be mindful that if you aren’t able to donate, or take it to the dump, that you have somewhere for that clutter to actually go!
14. Bake a Cake – if you’re in the UK and struggling to get the flour to make cakes, check out The Craft Company for cake mixes, cake decorations, and more!

15. Make a Cocktail – or a non alcoholic cocktail (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 of “not enough time”.
19. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure.
20. Organise your wardrobe – you may not be able to donate old clothing right now, but it’ll be ready 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.

26. Exercise – there are lots of free workouts on YouTube – pick one for 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, and 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 have 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 – and other cardboard items.
53. Origami – you’ll find plenty of origami patterns online.
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 (which is 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.
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! Here is my very first post!
77. Listen to a podcast.
78. Go on a Wikipedia trail following a subject you enjoy – you can of course use other websites on your five into the rabbit hole!
79. Make a time capsule – what will you put in there? You could open it 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 or online!
82. Play Yahtzee.
83. Draw a Mandala – or color one in! Grab my free printable mandalas to color, or buy my Mandala Coloring Book for Adults on Amazon.
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, and 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.

Download Free Printable Lockdown List

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