11 Fun Screen-Free Activities at Home


:(: Your Choice

Smart phones are great tools, but they can eat up your time(and sanity). Especially when you’re stuck at home.

Just because your phone says the world is going crazy, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your day.

Here are some screen-free activities you can do by yourself!

11 Fun Screen-Free Activities at Home

By Yourself

Practice mindfulness

Practice mindfulness

This is my favorite thing to do when stuck at home, because you don’t need anything except an open mind.

It’s simple. Before you drink your coffee or tea in the morning, pause for a moment. Take in the aroma, hold it up to the light and swirl it around. Now take a sip. Hold it in and think about the people who cultivated the beans and roasted them. Let it captivate all your senses. Enjoy every moment of the drink and you’ll never be unsatisfied.

Now practice this with everything else you do. You’ll appreciate how much you have and stop worrying about everything else.

Write a letter

Write a letter

A hand-written letter can be way more personal than an email.

Why not pick up a pen and paper and reach out to someone? You can choose anyone like grandparents, acquaintances and friends you don’t talk to enough. They’ll be thrilled to hear from you!

Picnic at home

Picnic at home
Until we can enjoy a romantic picnic like in Paris

No park? No problem!

Imagine you’re in a beautiful forest. Lay out a blanket and fill a basket with your favorite outdoor treats. As a bonus, play some nature sounds and turn on a fan. You’ll be in the great outdoors before you know it!

Or, do some forest bathing if you have access to a park.

Start an indoor garden

Start an indoor garden
Some inspiration from this nice garden cafe in Danang, Vietnam

Nothing’s more relaxing than gardening. Not only will you enjoy the process, but you’ll get some forest bathing and much needed oxygen.

Look up some easy plants to start with and have a great time! 

Know thyself

-Socrates

Get to know yourself

Get to know yourself
We can reflect on our lives like “the Thinker” at the Rodin Museum, Paris

All this extra time can be a blessing in disguise.

Why not use it to learn more about you? Make a list of activities you like doing, don’t like doing and are interested in trying. This can be a great opportunity to re-evaluate your goals in life, or just find fun things to do. You might surprise yourself.

Get organized

Get organized

Spring cleaning is alway in season, especially when you’re stuck at home. Getting organized is a great way to take control of your situation and feel better.

You can use the Marie Kondo method of keeping things that bring you joy and throwing away everything else.

Or, for the more practical types, ask yourself if you’ve used something in the last year. If the answer is “no”, toss it. You might even be able to sell or give away some of your findings at a thrift shop.

Meditate

Meditate
Meditate like this Buddhist sculpture in Tokyo, Japan

Sounds cliche, but it’s worth a try. Even 10 minutes can greatly improve your outlook on life and quiet negative voices in your head.

I like to keep it simple and turn off my phone and any other distractions. Sit comfortably while focusing on breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Clear your mind of all thoughts. That’s all there is to it!

Find a cause

Find a cause
We were very happy to feed cats visiting our place in Bodrum, Turkey

It feels good to make a difference.

Choose an outlet you have a personal connection with. From there, you can check out Charity Navigator to see how much actually goes to the intended recipients. Or, you can volunteer your time even at home by organizing canned food drives or knitting clothes for the less fortunate.

Start that journal finally

Start that journal finally
Look out the window and start a journal with something like this scenic view near Akureyri, Iceland

This one’s been on my to-do list for a few decades.

If you don’t want to spend too much time on it, you can always do a monthly or yearly summary.

Bonus points for detailing your experience surviving a pandemic. Future historians will thank you!

Bonus Tips: With Others

Scavenger hunt at home

Scavenger hunt at home
How about hunting for Champagne gummy bears?

This one’s great for families. Make a list of things to find and place them all over your space. Sprinkle in some clues to spice things up and add a time limit.

Don’t forget to have a prize ready for the winner!

Play the positivity game

Play the positivity game
Inspiring sign we saw in Bodrum, Turkey

I did this often with my partner when we were stuck at home.

Do the upward salute and take turns saying something that you’re grateful for. You can also do it by yourself in the mirror(we won’t tell). You’ll feel better immediately and appreciate what you have.

In Closing

We hope you’ll enjoy these screen-free activities.

They helped get us through some tough times this year. Feel free to share your favorite screen-free activities below!

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