Archive for category: Tips and Tricks

What is a quinceanera?

This article is a beginner’s guide to the Quinceanera traditions featured at coming of age parties. Quinceanera traditions can be found all over the Spanish speaking world. They are now eclipsing Sweet Sixteen as the dominant teenage birthday girl celebration in the United States. First of all, you’ve probably heard of the party name, but what does it even mean? Quinceanera is the Spanish word for a 15 year old birthday girl. In Latin American culture, the name also refers to the coming-of-age celebration that reigns in a girl’s 15th birthday party. 

This is one of the most widespread Latin American celebrations, experienced and celebrated all the way from Argentina to the United States. As we know the celebration as of today, it is a celebration that is celebrated by up to 440,000 Hispanic girls every year as they turn 15 in South, Central, and North America. It is also a tradition that dates back to the times of the ancient Aztecs.

History of the quinceanera 

Among the Aztec Indians, a girl was considered ready for marriage at the age of 15. The celebration that came to be known as the quinceanera sprang up as a result of this important age. Parents were supposed to beseech their girls to become good and outstanding wives in the future. 

In 1520, the Spanish attacked the Aztecs, invading what we now know as the modern day Mexico. They oppressed, colonized, and eventually intermixed with the Aztec people. The Spanish brought their foreign influence to the indigenous traditions that already existed among the Aztecs. These are the likely roots of the quinceanera celebrations.

Traditionally, these parties were meant for the upper-class society. This has changed as more Latin people have migrated into the United States. For these immigrants, the quinceanera is a fun and family-centric expression of their ethnic origins. The celebration is now widespread among the socio-economic classes of the USA and the Latin American region. This great event has been able to transverse boundaries and is now even celebrated in Cuba. These parties are now established as their way of celebrating the past as a girl. Furthermore, the parties serve to welcome the future as a woman. 

Quinceaneras today

The celebration has surprisingly had a rough patch with the Catholic Church. This is because the lavish air that comes with the celebration was threatening to overthrow every other celebration. The spiritual and religious aspect of this celebration is still very much honored. But, it became a problem for the church when quinceanera parties became so popular as to represent competition. The competition with religious spirit and traditional church was evident especially when quinceanera budgets rocketed beyond $25,000. Certain steps have since been taken by the church, such as blessing many quince girls at once. Another church attempt to clamp down on the competition aspect has been limiting the number of quince parties during mass.

Even these constraints have not been able to stop all the pomp and color that comes with these celebrations. quinceanera traditions, both old school and modern, are as popular as ever. 

The quinceanera industry rakes in a lot of money. The average spending today for one party runs over $15,000 per girl in the US. All this comes as a result of the quinceanera traditions involving many aspects. For example, venues are enlisted, invitations made, cakes prepared, and beverages served. Of course, the gifts for the birthday girl top the list.

Since 2007 in Mexico City, business owners and non-profit organizations have sponsored annual city wide celebrations. This allows girls of lower incomes to participate and be celebrated as well. Quinceanera inclusivity like this approach in Mexico helps reduce social inequalities, even if just for a day.

There are over a dozen fun quinceanera traditions that are worth discussing. We’ll go through all of them in no particular order so that you can get a better understanding of what they’re all about. Hopefully, you’ll have a much better understanding of this wonderful tradition by the end of the article.

The religious ceremony

The Quinceanera celebration typically begins as a mass at the Catholic Church. It is celebrated here inside the church as a mass centered on giving thanks and celebrating life. The birthday girl enters the church in a procession similar to that of a wedding. She walks in with a court of young men and women. There are usually fourteen ladies and their fourteen escorts plus the birthday girl’s parents and godparents. The girl is allowed to choose readings that she would like to read. Sometimes, she may choose to appoint a family member or members to read for her.

After the readings at mass, there is a gospel and homily performance. Next, the girl proceeds to renew the vows she made at baptism. The final step of the service is to commit herself to the Virgin Mary and most importantly, God. This is when the girl’s parents and godparents can present her with lavish gifts of all sorts.

Finally, the young lady can now make a devotion to the Virgin Mary. She does so by presenting a flower or a bouquet at the church statue where she attended her mass. The priest then has the duty of blessing the quinceanera, which is just the beginning of the real celebrations. Traditionally speaking, this is by far the most common type of religious ceremony practiced at a quinceanera, but there are also alternatives meant for non-Catholic religions.

Alternatives 

If however, the quinceanera is not Catholic, there are alternative churches where they can have ceremonies. They could also have the ceremony completely separated from the church service. In such cases, the families write their own ceremonies. They can even choose a family member to preside over the ceremony and even officiate all the blessings.

The quinceanera has a court of young people, as mentioned earlier, consisting of fourteen damas (girls) and fourteen chambelanes (boys). They will accompany her during the ceremony. Each of these pairs represent the fourteen years that she has lived as a child. The fourteen pairs also serve to represent the years that she is now ready to leave behind. 

Some girls will ask their family and friends to be the ones making up her court. Just like in weddings where all maids wear matching gowns, all the girls are expected to wear the same gowns. The men wear matching tuxedos or matching suits. Etiquette demands that it is the birthday girl’s duty to inform each member of her court of the clothing requirements.

The dance with dad

The dance with dad is one of the most interesting quinceanera traditions. Customarily, the first dance is usually for the quinceanera and her father. The song is usually chosen by the girl’s father and often has great significance to the pair or her life. According to tradition, this is a girl’s first public dance. After the song, the father hands the girl over to her escort to begin the next song.

At the same time, the maidens and their escorts enter the fray to join the dance. This dance also acts as an emphasis on the role of the father as the first man in the quinceanera’s life. Here are some of the most popular quinceanera father and daughter dance songs.

Another fun and interesting quinceanera tradition is the Mariachi band. They will serenade the girl the night before her party. The Mariachi band will usually spontaneously appear right in front of her house. Band music marks such a sweet welcome into the world of adulthood. Adulthood, after all, can be spontaneous too. Womanhood is full of responsibility and requires a budding quinceanera to act with maturity.

The Waltz

The waltz is a well choreographed traditional dance routine that is usually performed by the quinceanera and her court. To achieve finesse with the dance, it usually takes long and tedious months of practice. However, the many months of practice are well worth it by performance time. It is every quinceanera’s dream to make her celebration perfect. Some families even choose to hire Waltz instructors to train the court for the celebrations. It all depends on the family budget.Some birthday girls consider the waltz to be very traditional and old fashioned and it is easy to find them choosing a more modern form of dance for their court. Some choose an elegant form of waltz and blend it in with another modern choreographed type of dance. Check out some of the trending and classic waltz songs being played at quinceanera celebrations right now.

The gown

This is the equivalent of a wedding dress on a bride when it comes to the quinceaneras. This dress is typically the first adult dressing that the girl will wear. The tradition started with the Duchess of Alba in Spain many years ago. These dresses are basically made to look like princess dresses because they have layers of tulle netting. Some other girls opt for gowns made of silk or taffeta. 

The most common colors at these parties are white and pink. Some girls may opt for less traditional colors, depending on the family’s level of strictness and adherence to tradition. These colors usually stay within the pastel family to represent life. It is tricky to use any other color apart from white in some parts. This is because the color white is often valued as a color that symbolizes purity and virginity. In such places, the family of the girl face criticism should they choose any other color. 

Modesty is also required when it comes to the dressing at quinceanera ceremonies. To alleviate this tradition, some of the girls wear shawls and jackets over their dresses. Later on, after the service has ended and the true party begins, they remove them to show off their dress. Finally, some girls may prefer really modestly designed dresses only.

The food

This quinceanera tradition is usually more distinct based on a range of factors. From social class, financial resources, regional culture, and taste, the food at these parties varies. With that in mind, any quinceanera celebration is not complete without a feast. Usually, it is the girl’s family who is responsible for preparing the feast. This responsibility may also fall onto the neighbors or close friends instead. 

In this day and age, and with increasing wealth, people are able to hire the services of experts. Caterers are increasingly taking on the role of food providers during such events. Mexicans usually have a variety of foods including but not limited to chicken mole, tamales, and enchiladas. More staple foods from the area also make appearances too, like beans and rice. Further south, in Chile, the party will feature more tortillas, a baked quiche of Spanish and native origin.

At quinceaneras across the Americas, you are bound to find a variety of tacos. Another common dish is picadillo, combining beef, onions, peppers, and tomatoes into a delicious mixture. Picadillo can be served as a side dish or as the filling for tamales, tacos, and other wraps. Read more about culinary quinceanera traditions here. But don’t limit yourself to the dishes that we’ve just presented. You can always opt to be creative and come up with new ones for your special girl’s birthday.

The cake and treats

Just like in a wedding, the cake at a quinceanera party is the centerpiece of the party. Much pomp and circumstance surrounds the quinceanera traditions when it comes to the cake display, presentation, and serving. Some prefer the almond meringue cake while others like the spongy one known as tres leches. Tres leches, as the Spanish name implies, is made up of three types of milk. This can also be provided by caterers in keeping with modern day requirements and desires.

More traditionally, the cake is often made within the confines of the home if the family is able. Customary treats at quinceanera parties include cookies known as bizcochitos. Candied meringues are also increasingly popular. Dessert is usually served after a number of games and lots of dancing has taken place, so everyone’s appetite is worked up. Check out some more popular dessert options at quinceaneras here. You can also search for numerous other treats and styles of cake online to get a better idea of what your quinceanera might want for her big day. Make sure to organize something to her liking. Ask her what music she likes, what cartoons or shows she enjoys most, and so forth. If you care about your quinceanera, you’ll pull all the stops to make everything right.

Changing of shoes

This is one of the more popular quinceanera traditions at the post-service party. Just like the first father and daughter dance, parents take the lead with the shoe changing tradition. During the church service, and at the beginning of the party, the birthday girl will wear flats. At a designated time during the party, one of the quinceanera’s parents will take off their girl’s shoes.

They will replace them with a pair of heels, usually her first pair of heeled shoes. The high heels are a symbol of growth and responsibility on the girl’s part. High heels also symbolize the girl stepping up in society to become an adult woman, bride, and mother. It is one of the most crucial symbols that Spanish-speaking cultures have adopted for quinceaneras all over the world, and especially in the US. Think of it the same way you’d think of a bride who puts on her dress for the first time. Except here it’s a transition from childhood to the teenage years, and into adulthood respectively.

Toast to the daughter

The toast is yet another role played by the quinceanera’s parents. Here, her parents will make a toast to her, while emphasizing her achievements and virtues. This is their chance to praise their girl for the good work she has done in her life thus far. The toast serves as a moment of pride for both the girl and her parents. It is also important for the party’s guest to get to know her just a little bit better.

It is the final step in the quinceanera celebrations where parents have a chance to endorse their young adults. As such, there is a longstanding tradition for the parents’ toasts to go quite long. Lastly, in most Latin American countries today, the drinking age is well over 15. Therefore, the parents and adult guests will be drinking alcohol. But these days, the chances are that the birthday girl and her friends are not. Also, we do not encourage underage drinking under any circumstances and do not want to insinuate anything regarding the matter.

The sponsors

In the quinceanera celebrations, as you have probably noticed, there is a lot of pomp and glory that comes with the celebrations. This means that they incur high bills in preparation for the celebration. Even rich families that throw these parties sometimes have to rely on others to help them shoulder the costs. The girl’s parents usually cover a bigger part of the bill. Traditionally, members of the family and the neighbors can help to cover the remaining expenses.

Quinceanera traditions govern that there is a collective responsibility. The party involves doing whatever it takes to make the day as special as possible for the birthday girl. Those people who agree to pay for certain aspects of these celebrations are usually called madrinas and padrinos. Madrinas and padrinos literally means godmothers and godfathers. Traditionally, the way to handle the sponsors is to ask each one of them to foot a certain bill element during the festivities. For example, some will cover the cost of the cake while the others pay for the band or DJ.

Candle lighting

Candle lighting is a quinceanera tradition that involves choosing fifteen people to carry candles. This part of the ceremony is especially emotional. It is the moment when the quinceanera honors the people she considers most vital in her life. She often selects fifteen people, including her parents, siblings, neighbors, and even friends, dedicating a candle to each of them. Some girls choose to make the fourteen people her damas, with the fifteenth being her mother.

The DJ or master of ceremony usually calls up each of the fifteen members one by one. Oftentimes they play a special song for them while she presents each of them with a candle. In the process of the candle presentation, she will give a speech. Her speech reflects how each of those individuals helped her to achieve maturity and why they are special to her. In some quinceanera parties, however, it can be a bit different.

Sometimes the fifteen people the quinceanera chooses are the ones who will talk about her instead. It all comes down to persona preferences at the end of the day. Some children might be shyer than others, so they can choose beforehand which ones of them get to speak and which ones can remain quiet throughout the ceremony.

Marking of the firsts

So far, we have seen the quinceanera as a platform for which girls emerge as adults. It is during the celebration that she has her first public dance. Further yet, quinceanera traditions hold that she wears her first pair of heels to symbolize her maturity. Many times, it is also after the first quinceanera that a girl is officially allowed to date. Traditionally, this celebration was meant to introduce the girl to the public as eligible for marriage. 

Nowadays, fifteen is rightfully considered far too young to marry. Instead, after the quinceanera, they are generally allowed to interact more with the opposite sex through dating. This was also the first time a girl was allowed to wear make-up such as lipstick traditionally. All of these allowances represent bids to mark her entry into adulthood. Today, however, you find that by age fifteen most girls already use makeup by the time of their party. It all depends on what part of the world we’re talking about. In some countries, certain things that Americans consider taboo are completely acceptable, while things that Americans consider acceptable are completely taboo somewhere else.

The crowning of the quinceanera

Traditionally, the parents of the quinceanera buy her a tiara and scepter as gifts for her special day. These items symbolize the girl’s coming of age, maturity, and responsibility. The girl’s mother usually presents the crown passing on the torch from one generation of womanhood to another. The tiara or crown replaces a more casual headpiece that the girl wears at the outset of the party. It is at this time that the quinceanera receives her scepter. This is always a moment of pride for both the parents and the girl. The end of the quinceanera brings confirmation and hope to parents that their daughter. It’s the perfect symbol of stepping into maturity. Alongside the changing of shoes, this gesture makes the quinceanera feels like a true princess and a lady that’s ready for the next steps in her mature life.

Gift reception

Another major aspect of quinceanera traditions is, of course, giving gifts to the birthday girl. Quinceanera gifts often symbolize adulthood and maturity. So, quinceanera gifts are usually more in line with gifts given to grownups than kids. This is where the gift of ‘the last doll’ comes in. The last doll custom probably originated from Mexico in the 19th century. Others think it came from Puerto Rico in the same era. Essentially, the birthday girl usually receives a porcelain doll dressed like the quinceanera. Some families choose to have ribbons with the girl’s name and the date pinned onto the doll. They will pass the ribbons out to guests as they leave the party as a keepsake. The girl gets to keep the doll. She keeps it as a memory to mark the moment that she crossed the threshold from girlhood to womanhood.

Other gifts during the quinceanera may include a bible, a medal, or a cross, or even a rosary. People usually give this type of religious gifts at the church or directly after the service. It is quite common for there to be two rounds of giving gifts, both the religious and the more informal.

The birthday girl’s grandparents will often give her fifteen roses during the mass. Rose petals represent sweetness while the stems of the roses represent her strength. Quinceanera parents can also choose to give the birthday girl a tiara and a scepter too. Some cultures use a birthstone and bracelet as the traditional way of representing coming of age and femininity.

Celebrating life and tradition

While a quinceanera celebration can come across as overly extravagant and very expensive, it is chock full of tradition. These quinceanera traditions are an important part of individuality just as they are celebrations of Latin American and Mestizo culture. Traditionally, Latin American societies tend to place more responsibilities on the girl once the ceremony is over. She is now more deeply immersed in family household duties. 

The girl, now a woman, is expected to cater to family needs when she can. She can volunteer in more adult ways demanding more responsibility. And, fairly soon, she will be eligible for marriage in the community’s eyes. After this, tradition holds that the young adult will live a dedicated life full of morality and devotion.

Kids don’t have to face the same high and strict expectations. But for adults, such actions lead to a more wholesome life. The quinceanera is a form of giving thanks to God for enriching the lives of young people. Further, the mass and celebration also thanks God for guiding them into and through adulthood, along with life’s challenges. 

The fact that the first stop of the quinceanera is a church says a lot about this ceremony. Ultimately, organized religion and spirituality form the roots of quinceaneras. This continues to be important in sustaining values. Vows, at least as intended, maintain uprightness and purity into adult life. In many quinceanera held by religious families, the new fifteen year old will make vows to God before the congregation. This is an opportunity for the girl to showcase her personal values as well as her own goals for the path ahead. 

Conclusion

Quinceaneras are binding events for family, friends and neighbors, coming together to celebrate their girl. Many of these same people also come together well beforehand to jointly plan the celebration. Quinceanera traditions promote cohesion and unity through the planning process.  Just as in other collectivist societies, everyone involved in the quinceanera is responsible for a small contribution. This communal approach is often the only way that such big and successful parties can be put together. 

Because of the cost and resources involved, family income is a huge determinant in what the party will look like. Richer families certainly tend to hold bigger and better parties than those less privileged families due to money and resources. That is why some cities, like the Mexican capital, took interventionist measures to spread the joy of quinceaneras to everyone. For the most part, NGOs and sponsors representing the economic elite have made these large contributions.

The quinceanera traditions that we’ve showcased here are important parts of culture, but they’re also really fun. These parties are a lifetime highlight for Latin American women and their close friends and families. In conclusion, they are also a great opportunity to share incredible local foods and show off some great dance skills.

What are your favorite quinceanera traditions or stories from your experiences at these Latin parties? Do you have a favorite quinceanera dish recipe you’d like to share? Looking for gift ideas to bring to a quinceanera? Please leave your thoughts on our comments section.

While we stay at home during the pandemic, we need to keep the kids entertained, ourselves sane, and everybody happy. Today, we have a fun list of 75 fun things to do with kids during the lockdown. We separated this guide in 2 parts – games and activities (some with a powerful educational and skill-development component) you can do indoors in your apartment or city home and outdoor adventures, games, and activities for the lucky ones who happen to also own a yard with their house.

We understand that during this time of restrictions and confusion you may not feel in the mood to play, but hear us out: many of these fun things to do in lockdown apply to adults as well. They are family-oriented activities requiring just a handful of supplies and you can turn many of them into new hobbies or out-of-the-box fun ideas to do on future rainy days. So let’s get started, shall we?

Indoor Fun Things to Do with Kids: Games and Activities to Spend the Lockdown (and Future Rainy Days)

As a parent, you probably know by now that this entire crisis with the pandemic and social isolation takes a huge toll on our physical and mental health. Adults have to deal with their own anxiety and depression issues while they have to keep an eye on their kids not to spiral out of control. On this list of indoor fun things to do with kids while in isolation at home you will find activities that are beneficial for children and adults alike, for the mind, spirit, and body. They help pass the time pleasurably, teach everybody something new, develop skills, and allow you to create an environment of safety, control, emotional health, bonding, and self-discovery. So let’s get down to having fun!

1. Board Games

One of the easiest and most versatile forms of couple or group entertainment of our times, board games address all people of all ages and interests. If you reserved a few Saturdays a month for board game nights with your friends, you know how fun things can be. Select the best and funnest board games to play in the family. Play competitive ones or collaborative ones. Go into complex strategies if you have to keep up the pace with your older kids (who probably play these games better than you) or select age-specific games to allow the little ones to shine.

2. Play Games to Enhance Literacy Skills

When was the last time you played Scrabble? How is your vocabulary these days? If you want to keep your kids entertained while improving their literacy skills, we recommend you reserve an evening or a weekend for Scrabble, Super Sleuth, or Boggle. We also recommend Dixit – it may not tap into word creation per se, but it does prompt the use of words in connection to image processing. Such games boost kids’ storytelling skills, jog their memory, and foster the use of imagination.

3. Play Games to Enhance Math Skills

Ah, Math, and helping kids with their homework… Well, if you want to make Math fun for them (and for you), an assorted platter of Equate, Tri-Facta, or Math War may turn the daunting Math into something fun, relatable, and enjoyable. You can take advantage of this entire situation to polish your own calculus skills and help kids understand things in a smoother, funnier way. After all, learning through play is the best way of learning!

4. Puzzle Games

In the same vein of playing and developing cognitive skills, patience, and many other abilities, puzzle games are the best way to spend this social isolation period in an entertaining and educational manner. Puzzles go great for any age and interests. One of the best fun things to do with kids in lockdown, solving puzzles, and putting up together beautiful images is a family activity that can continue after this crisis is over.

5. Card Games

We are not talking about poker here, but about some of the best card games to play with children and family members. You can play all the good old-fashioned classic card games like Slapjack or Crazy Eights. Better yet, you can take things up a notch and consider trading card games like Magic the Gathering. Sure, Explosive Kittens is a party game for teenagers and adults, but you can order online any card game that everybody wants to try.

6. Lego

You saw this coming, didn’t you? If grownups are playing with their elaborate and expensive Lego sets, why wouldn’t kids? The kids in your home already have a few Lego sets and hundreds of pieces (you mostly step on), so setting up a “Lego session” for the entire family to enjoy should be a breeze. As fun things to do with kids in lockdown go, “picking the Legos off the floor and putting them back in their box” is also an educational activity.

7. Playdoh

Play-Doh is an all time favorite, especially for younger kids who are into arts and crafts. The creative potential is endless and you can always order more supplies to pass the isolation time with flying colors!

8. Make Some Slime at Home!

Some of the best science experiments for kids to perform at home include fun putty and making slime. You have countless options to make slime at home. The basic ingredients for slime or fun putty are glue, borax, water, a bowl, and a mixing tool. Food coloring and glitter also help 🙂

9. Pen and Paper Role Playing Games

All you need is a good storyteller and the basic books, rules, and sheets of pen and paper RPGs. Download all the materials online if you don’t have the means to buy books and beginner kits. You can try some Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and make a story long and intricate enough to keep the entire family entertained for weeks if not months. The longer the campaign, the better the quests, the thicker the plot, the most developed characters you will enjoy. There are many such RPG games requiring pens and papers, and you should try a few to engage the entire family in a magical atmosphere where everybody is a hero. The campaigns can continue long after this crisis is over, too.

10. Cosplay Contest

A druid, an elf, and a superhero enter in a living room… Speaking of role playing games, don’t hold back! If you are going to spend a few weeks saving princesses, learning wisdom from witches, and battling monsters, you should immerse in the atmosphere completely. So dress up like the characters you play every time you start a new session with the Dungeon Master. If you are all into Comic Con, geek stuff, and superhero action movies, nobody can stop you from improvising costumes with items you already have in the house and organize a veritable costume contest. Enact favorite scenes from comics, TV shows, or movies, have the other family members play along (or act as “cosplay jury”) and turn dress-up into an act of art!

11. Painting

Think watercolors, crayons, painting by numbers, contouring, color splashing, the works. It may be messy, but it is also fun and educational. If you have small kids that love drawing or using colors, make room in the kitchen and let them play to their strengths.

12. Pebble Art

If you want to up your ante or the kids’ levels of entertainment and skills, paint on pebbles or rocks you brought in the house last time you went shopping. Make sure the pebbles/rocks are clean (for safety, wash them in the bathroom and make sure you remove all dirt, debris, or mold). Choose river stones with flat smooth surfaces if you can and let the little ones paint faces, butterflies, flowers, etc. Organize an art exhibit once they finish their projects and put the best pieces on display for everybody to see.

13. Face Painting

As a parent, we are sure you are more than happy to learn face painting to entertain the kids and help them with their “method acting” skills for the next role-playing game or costume party. Alternatively, you can help the kids learn how to face paint each other and have a bunch of superheroes, animals, fairies, and other magical creatures roaming around the house and making an adorable mess. These are the moments all of you will cherish in the future when you look back and reminisce about the fun things you did during the 2020 pandemic.

14. Theater Play

If your kids are into role-playing and dream of becoming stage superstars at the school annual play, offer them the chance to impress you. School is closed and it is not likely you will take them to the theater or to the movies any time soon. Allow them to select a story and stage a play for you. This will keep them busy with the decors, rehearse their parts, adjust the screenplay, fight, make up, and even send you official invites to the premiere. Theater play in the living room with their parents and siblings as the enthusiastic public can help the little ones overcome stage fright, own their personalities, discover new abilities, and, who knows, make some career plans! The older ones can even learn how to sew their own costumes and use the face painting skills to become their characters.

15. Hide-and-Seek

Adults are these serious beings, forever preoccupied with serious matters. Well, if this pandemic and social isolation situation taught us anything, it taught us to truly value the time we have now, remember the inner child we left behind so long ago, and seize the opportunity of letting go. There is no better way to pay tribute to childhood than a serious game of Hide-and-Seek in the apartment. Kids will love it and you will have the chance to remember those incredible times when life was about fun and play.

16. Charades

When was the last time you played Charades with your adult friends? Well, it is time to polish your skills and engage the young kids or your teenage children in a competitive game of Charades to spend a pleasurable evening or Saturday afternoon in the family. Charades, just like Mafia, make some of the best campfire games for adults (and society games in general), but you can adapt them to younger ages as well.

17. Build an Indoor Fort / Teepee

Building an indoor fort is the most pleasurable and fun things to do in lockdown. An activity that engages the entire family, the fort, or indoor teepee will become a home inside the home that can host a wide range of activities. We will discuss them in a few moments.

• Consider bed sheets, the couch, chairs, hiking poles, the tent sticks, pillows, blankets, and anything else you can find in the house.
• Embellish the fort with Christmas lights and gather the houseplants around the teepee for a more exotic, jungle look.
• Add pillows and blankets inside, a lamp that does not generate too much heat, a tray for drinks and snacks, and so on.
• Building the fort is a fun activity in and out of itself, but is also a useful one, as the new “construction” can generate plenty of new ideas about what to do indoors during the lockdown.

18. Daily Story Time

Before this entire lockdown situation, many parents complained they did not have the time or the energy to read to their children. You can now make up for lost time reading a few pages or even a few chapters to the little ones. Use the above-mentioned fort or indoor tent you just built for a magical atmosphere of comfort and coziness.

19. The Bookathon for Older Kids

Few people – kids and teens included – have any more excuses not to read books. Sure, video games and the Internet come with their fair share of educational and entertainment value, but now it is time to go back to the old-fashioned timeless book. Either they enjoy paper books or ebooks, as long as they read everything is just fine. So plan a reading marathon for the older ones. By no means tap into school books.

Allow your children to expand their literary tastes beyond the realm of the curriculum. Talk to them about the books they would like to read, make a plan, and keep the score. A novel a week is easily doable. At the end of each challenge, take the time to discuss that particular book. Compare opinions, and invite other family members to your improvised weekly book club. Use the indoor fort as an incentive. There is nothing like reading a good novel in a teepee far from the maddening living room 🙂

20. Camp Inside the House

You already have a tent, so why don’t you step up your game and turn a weekend day into a camping day in the living room? It would go better outdoors, it is true, and if you have a back yard and a patch of green lawn, take advantage of it in full. However, you can create your camping site in a small apartment as well if you get creative with the decor. Prepare some finger foods and add the soundtrack (you can find on YouTube hours and hours of streams murmuring, nature sounds, or birds chirping). There are plenty of indoor activities to do with the kids, but indoor camping is pretty crazy, perfect to shake the daily routine!

21. Living Room Picnic

If organizing a camping day in the living room seems to be a bit too complicated, turn things down a notch and organize a picnic. Since now we all enjoy family time together and gather together for Sunday lunch or dinner, why not going out of the box for once? Organizing a picnic in the living room is very easy and allows you to trigger your kids’ imagination and interior design skills.

You know you can make an educational and fun moment out of anything, right?

Place a duvet or a mattress on the floor, cover it with some blankets (green if you have, to mimic the green pastures of the picnic park), and add pillows for comfort. Finger foods, grilled chicken, lemonade, and other picnic-oriented dishes, light nature music in the background, and you have the perfect Sunday with the family!

22. Cook with the Kids

Cooking is a crucial independent life skill we should teach all our children from the youngest of ages. Do not make it a daunting educational moment, but a fun one. Cooking for the sheer pleasure of it is amazing. Just as it having a few helping hands around to help you with peeling vegetables, mixing in a bowl, or reading the steps of a recipe for you. It is messy, but it is fun, memorable, and very useful.

23. Bake a Cake with the Kids

Since you will be making their favorite cake, why not engage them in the process? It is going to get messier and messier as time goes by, but it will be the best cake or pie anyone of you have ever tasted. And, if you are planning a picnic in the living room, you cannot skip desert!

24. Decorate Some Cupcakes

This activity requires some planning from your part, but you can get the kids involved with no problems. Do you know those tons of videos on how to decorate cupcakes in the craziest, most adorable ways possible? Pick a few and test them in your own kitchen. Your helpful and skilled sous-chefs can mix the colors in the frostings or be responsible for sprinkling the cupcake decorations over the freshly baked goodies. This activity is as messy as painting in the kitchen, but the results will be gorgeous, delicious, and memorable.

25. Organize a Movie Night

Of course, everybody watches movies and TV shows today, but offering your kids (and yourself) a true cinema experience in the comfort of your living room is another thing. Now that you cooked and baked and decorated cupcakes, all you need to do is pop some corn, bring a tray of refreshments, and pick a movie everybody wants to see!

26. Organize a Drive-In Cinema Experience

Parents can sit on the couch. However, the kid can come to the drive-in cinema in the latest model of cardboard car you can build together. All you need is a large cardboard box, scissors, tape, and markers. Cut out the box to resemble a car, draw handles, decorate it, tape it together, and have the little one experience a joyful way of watching a movie. Did we mention that building the car together plays into the kid’s imagination and craft skills? Take the opportunity to teach a lesson about cars in general if you have a penchant for them!

27. Magic Carpet Ride

One of the most loved means of indoor transportation for little children is on daddy’s back or on daddy’s shoulders. However, how about mommy and daddy putting the kids on a carpet and dragging the carpet around the house? Consider this some sort of sleigh ride on the floor with a speck of Aladin’s magic and a welcomed indoor physical activity for adults. According to some of the parents we know, this is one of the best and fun things to do with kids – lockdown or not.

28. Create Your Family Tree

You can spend a few afternoons during the lockdown creating your family tree. Print a sheet, add some family photos, discover connections, reminisce, and even teach kids a few things about genetics. A trip down the memory lane is a comforting exercise for adults as well. Gather materials and take the opportunity to call some family members you haven’t spoken to in a while to ask for information. Your kids will love this activity, as it will reveal more about who they are. If you have some fun or exciting family stories to tell, this is the right time!

29. Create a Family Album

In the tech-savvy world, we live in we almost forgot we, the adults, still have tons of printed photos in albums, envelopes, and boxes. Many of the kids today, used to smartphones and computers, have little knowledge of what classic photography was. Take an afternoon or more to put together a family album, talk about the people in the photos, reminisce about the moments captured by the camera, and bring the family closer by sharing memories.

30. Teach Kids Photography

If you know your way with a camera – digital or otherwise – one of the best and most fun things to do in lockdown is to teach them everything you know about photography. Since children nowadays are all in favor of hi-tech, start taking photos with your phones and work your way up to DSLR settings, point of view, light, distances, focus, and more. As they grow older, your children will appreciate you for teaching them a useful and timeless skill.

31. Treasure Hunt

Write the clues on pieces of paper, hide them in the house in various places (and an apartment is a perfect place for such an activity), and send the kids from one room to the next in the search for the great prize. A good indoor treasure hunt should end with the discovery of an exciting “treasure”, be it a fresh cake for everybody to share or a new game for the whole family to play.

32. Scavenger Hunt

Naturally, the best scavenger hunts take place outdoors, but we have a few scavenger hunt ideas you can adapt to the indoor environment as well. Such activities are fantastic ways to shake off boredom, ignite kids’ imagination and cognitive skills, and even challenge you to become creative.

33. Listen to Some Fun and Educational Podcast Together

Online and homeschooling these days have their advantages and downsides. However, education is crucial at all times. One of the best ways to engage children in a learning session in a fun, relaxed, and playful method is to listen together to a bunch of educational podcasts. Many come with teaching resources, downloadable material, and attractive presentations adapted to all kids’ ages and interests. Here is a list of podcasts for children to inspire you, but remember that you will find dozens of such ideas online. Just pick the best topics for your children and enrich your knowledge together!

34. Visit Online Museums

In all honesty, we have to admit this year’s holiday plans kinda went down the drain. This does not mean you cannot still have some fun and immerse in culture and discovery from the comfort of your own couch. During the COVID-19 pandemic, famous museums in the world offer free virtual tours of their collections. It is an amazing opportunity for children and adults alike, as seeing the Louvre or the Hermitage with your own eyes or other great museums of the world is costly. You can spoil yourself and the kids with virtual tours of places you might have never dreamed of visiting in person.

35. Visit Other Interesting Sites Online

The truth is nothing beats the experience of visiting a national park, a museum, an amusement park, or a haunted house in person, but we have to adapt to the current situation. Here is a list of fun and free places to see online during the pandemic. Take this opportunity to make notes on places and things you might want to visit during your future vacations. After all, this pandemic is not going to last forever.

36. Make Invisible Ink

Yet another fun science experiment for kids to do at home, making invisible ink is fascinating even for adults. If you get things right, save a batch of ink for the next activity on this list of fun things to do during the lockdown!

37. Organize a Mystery Solving Party

Consider this a hybrid between a treasure hunt and a theme party. Everybody loves a solid whodunit mystery, so take your time and check out this guide on how to throw a detective-themed party. Adapt it to your situation and spend a few hours solving clues, discovering and interrogating suspects, investigate, laugh, have fun, and solve the crime! The invisible ink you already made comes in handy here.

38. Organize a DIY Music Concert

If one or some of your family members plays an instrument, you are all set. However, if you want to have some fun together (trying not to terribly disturb your neighbors), organize a music concert with “home” instruments you can find in the kitchen, such as spoons, pans, pots, lids, and more. You might want to wear some earplugs and make sure your neighbors do not complain (if you live in an apartment). If you live in a house, unleash the rock stars in your kids and put on a concert for the ages!

39. Build a Robot

You can start building a robot out of cardboard boxes and other items in the house, or you can take things up a notch and help the kids build one with Arduino boards and robot-building kits. The ones coming with technological backup will most likely move around the house for the enjoyment of the entire family.

40. Watch Online Tutorials and Take Free Lessons

Are your children showing interest in a certain topic or skill? Do they have drawing skills or writing skills or anything like that? Good, because you can watch tutorials together. For instance, Illustrator offers free drawing lessons for kids stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Others offer online piano lessons, cooking lessons for children, financial education for kids, and more. You can take advantage of some of these classes as well!

41. Make Your Family’s Comic Book

It is one thing reading a comic book and quite another creating one! If one family member draws well and another is a natural-born storyteller, you can all engage in the creation of your family’s comic book. Daily adventures, mom and dad superheroes, your faithful furry pet companion (that now can finally speak), your favorite comic book villain and you have plenty of work on your plate!

42. Create Your Family’s Newspaper / Magazine

Is the creation of a comic book a bit too complicated? Challenge the children to put up the weekly family magazine. It can include drawings and photo collages, interviews with the parents and grandparents, the recipe of the week, the latest news, a top of last week’s favorite activities, suggestions of new activities for the next days, and more. It is a creative, educational, and quite challenging activity for children who show an interest in storytelling, journalism, and visual arts. Keep these magazines, as they will put a smile on your face and some tears in your eyes when you all grow older.

43. Learn Magic

Speaking of fun things to do with kids during the lockdown, there is no such thing as the proper way to learn magic. From card tricks to quirky attention diversion tricks, you and your kids can become true wizards and witches in the comfort of your homes. You can learn magic yourself just to entertain the kids while you are all stuck at home, or you can all learn something and practice together. We don’t recommend you replicate some of David Copperfield’s or Houdini’s more dangerous acts, but living room magic will make the little ones feel at Hogwarts.

44. House of Cards Contests

You play cards and you learn magic tricks with cards, so why wouldn’t you organize from time to time a house of cards contest? The one family member building the tallest and most complex house of cards that do not fall wins a prize!

45. Grow a Plant from Seed

Whoever has a green thumb in your family should lead the way when it comes to fun things to do during lockdown inside the house. Look for plants you can grow from seeds of fruits or vegetables you already have in the house. One of the easiest plants to grow is beans – all it takes is a bean, some gauze, and a cup of water.

However, for more elaborate balcony-gardening projects, you can grow a lemon tree from the seeds of a lemon you have in the fridge. Teaching children about growing plants and caring for them is important and useful. If you want to mix fun with utility, start growing herbs and spices. From chili peppers to parsley, thyme, or basil, you can grow almost all scented herbs you use in your kitchen, on a windowsill, or on the balcony. Take the game up a notch and recycle some items in the house to turn them into plant pots! How about turning an old pair of boots into a pot for plants?

46. Play the Recycle/Upcycle Game

While school teaches our children a lot of useful things, the formal academic environment misses out on teaching them some life notions and abilities. They become the parents’ responsibility. How to live sustainable lives is a lesson we can teach at home as fun games and activities to do during the lockdown and beyond. Teaching kids to recycle and upcycle regular household items is one of the most useful skills they will benefit from in the future. So for this particular life lesson and game you need broken or old objects, items that might surely end up in the trash bin, and stuff around the house you want to repurpose. It is a healthy and lucrative exercise for children and adults alike.

47. Learn Napkin Folding

As arts and crafts go, folding napkins in more ways than the traditional triangle one is a skill for the ages, especially for those family members who take cooking, plating, and fine dining seriously. There are countless online tutorials teaching you how to turn the common napkin into a work of art, so use them and learn something new!

48. Teach Kids How to Knit

If you know how to knit, try teaching your kids too! It may not be a life or survival skill, but it is fun and useful nonetheless. More than learning how to make a sweater or a winter scarf, knitting teaches people patience and understanding patterns. It is a calming activity that keeps the mind focused but relaxed. It also develops fine motor skills and attention to detail. You could all learn how to knit and challenge yourselves to make something wearable by the end of the social isolation period!

49. Teach Kids How to Sow

Now this is a skill that people need for their adult independent lives! You can start easy, teaching kids how to sow buttons and make knots and stitches, fix a seam, or patch a hole. If you have a sowing machine in the house, you can make the lessons more complex, teaching boys and girls how to fix zippers, upcycle old clothes into new ones, and even make clothes to wear.

50. Home Yoga for Kids

Kids have a lot of energy and being stuck in the house does not help at all. Just as it doesn’t help adults physically and mentally. Why don’t you try some yoga lessons in the living room together with the children? Yoga helps everybody understand mindfulness, relax, stretch a little, and unwind. It works great for kids as it instills both discipline and relaxation in a non-invasive manner. Physical activity is of utmost importance while in lockdown and Yoga is not a pretentious one. All you need is a mat and some videos. Achieving physical and psychological balance these days is crucial to make it through the pandemic without anxiety, depression, frustrations, or anger.

Outdoor Fun Things to Do with Kids: Games and Activities to Spend the Lockdown (and Future Sunny Days)

The lucky ones owning a back yard have a bit more freedom than those of us who are stuck in apartments in crowded cities. A patch of lawn and a hedge are enough to spend some free time enjoying the warm weather and breathing in some fresh air daily. For those living in matchbox studios, working from home on the house porch would be enough to declare ourselves happy, but those who already do this need other ideas on fun things to do during the lockdown.

Obviously, having lunch/dinner outside every other day, playing with the pets, and organizing a picnic from time to time in the back yard are among the easiest projects to implement these days. So let’s put our creative caps on and see other entertaining activities we can do outside with the kids without leaving the premises and preserving social distancing!

51. Outdoor Sports and Games

Don’t think about building a tennis court on your front lawn. However, consider physical activities, games, and sports along the lines of circle games and group games that require a bit of running and physical effort. The exercise is beneficial to all family members. You can engage in competitions or collaboration games, split into teams, and have some fun outside while you move your bodies and clear your heads.

52. Fairy-Garden Scavenger Hunt

This is a two-parter activity, starting with a backyard scavenger hunt. This time, challenge the kids to find items they can use for a fairy garden: pebbles, plants, flowers, decorations, scraps, etc. Make this collaborative game or a team effort. Building a fairy garden is a fun way to spend an afternoon outside with the family, so make sure everyone has something to do.

53. Build a Fairy Garden

Fairy gardens are the best way to engage kids of all ages in gardening and sustainability – especially because we encourage you to build them from scraps, upcycled and recycled household and garden items, and objects you do not use. Fairy gardens, in all truth, work best for very young children. The older ones can start their own flower or vegetable garden in a corner of the yard if they have a soft spot for growing things with their own hands.

54. Build a Bird Feeder

Did you see that pandemic viral picture of a picnic table built for a squirrel? Yes, the quarantine showed people have no limits when it comes to creativity. However, if working in wood for squirrels does not appeal to you, how about building some bird feeders for the feathered friends visiting your property? It is a good educational and skill-developing activity for kids, not to mention a fun one for the entire family!

55. Lawn Twister

You can play Twister in the living room, but it is more fun to do it on the lawn! Check out this guide on other lawn games to play in your yard during the lockdown and after! Start by painting the “Twister board” directly on the lawn with a grass-friendly spray that washes away next time you water the turf and have a full afternoon of twisting and laughing!

56. Potato Sack Race

Mixing physical activities with competition and prizes? Yes, please! This is one of the most challenging outdoor and lawn games and activities for kids and all you need are some sacks we are sure you have around in the garden shed.

58. Obstacle Course Race

Keeping the entire family moving outside, consuming excess energy, relieve anxiety and frustrations, and getting as much fresh air as you can is an easy achievement if you consider mixing in some obstacle course race ideas with potato sack competitions and other lawn games. Here are some obstacle course ideas for adults, but you can easily adapt them to your kids as well!

59. Hopscotch on the Porch or Driveway

For a second, we thought of including hopscotch as an indoor activity, but your neighbors downstairs would not agree with us or with you. So we moved hopscotch into the category of the outdoor fun things to do in lockdown. A piece of chalk and the pavement in front or in the back of your house should solve this issue. However, if you don’t want to let the kids play on the driveway, paint the hopscotch on the porch with a washable paint or “draw” the lines with a roll of tape. You can also use an eco-friendly spray paint for the lawn. Anyway, hopscotch is a fun childhood game that keeps kids entertained for hours. If you were good at it back in your day, enter the game yourself and show them how it’s done!

60. Make a Volcano!

You could, in theory, make a volcano in the bathroom sink or bathtub, but you would not like the messiness. So learn how to make a DIY volcano as a home science experiment for kids of all ages. The older ones interested in science and chemistry in particular will have a field day with this! The back yard or the house porch is ideal for this fun and educational activity!

61. Pinata Party in the Garden

A Pinata party in the garden is a family project with all the trimmings, especially if you build the pinata yourselves. You can use cardboard, paper mâché, colored tissues, a clay pot, and more. Fill it with treats and toys, put on some fun music (on a decent volume as you don’t want to disturb the neighbors), have a snack, and hit that pinata for a fun garden party you will all remember!

62. Bird Watching

What you need for this relaxed and educational back yard activity with the kids is a blanket and the best pair of binoculars for bird watching and nature observations. If you want to turn this game into an educational moment, take some notebooks and pens, write down all the birds you see, make a sheet for each of them, take their photo if you can, and learn some biology between two laughs.

63. Flying Drones

As long as you do not disturb your neighbors and you do not invade anyone’s privacy, you and the kids can play with the drone and have a unique view on things around the house or neighborhood. Some drones for beginners have excellent flying potential, but if you have one with field-of-view camera and first-person view transmission, make sure you don’t break any laws!

64. Backyard Mini-Golf

If you have a mini-golf set in the house or you are willing to build a mini-golf course from scratch in the back yard, now it’s the perfect time! Since there are golf sets to install in corporate offices, we are sure you can handle things when it comes to your own lawn. All you need to do is polish your special, secret golf skills, tricks, and hacks and give your kids a good run for their money!

65. Camp Around the Fire

As we said, it is not likely we will go on vacations any time soon, but this does not mean we cannot welcome the spirit of vacation on our porch or patio! If you have an outdoor fireplace you are all set! Spend an evening outside by the fire, even make some marshmallows, sing some songs, gaze at the stars, tell scary stories, tell jokes, laugh, and warm up your hearts!

66. Astronomy and Star Gazing

Using a telescope for kids – as we just mentioned star gazing above – is the best way to teach them science, open their minds about the universe and challenge them to discover the mysteries of the sky. You can use the telescope from a city apartment, sure, but having a back yard for your astronomical observations and scientific debates is ten times better. There is not enough engaging science taught in school, so fix this problem by introducing the kids to one of the greatest questions of all times: what is out there?

67. Microscope Studies

If the kids in your family are science buffs, a microscope and a table in the back yard is all they need. Some kids started looking at the intricate microscopical construction of a leaf and ended up one of the brilliant doctors we praise today. Just like some love to look at the greatness above us and wonder about the outer space, others love to look at the tiniest building blocks of our existence and find answers there. Nevertheless, performing microscope studies on plants and insects they find in the yard with the help of a powerful microscope for kids may be the best gift you can offer your children during this pandemic.

68. Lawn Scrabble

Playing Scrabble in the house is one thing, but cutting carboard or wood pieces, writing letters on them with thick markers, and turning the lawn into a giant Scrabble board is quite another! The rules are the same. The hardest part is to create the actual board, but we do recommend a tablecloth. Such a DIY project can keep you busy for days. When everything is into place, keep the conversation going on your patio!

69. Ring Toss Game

This classic carnival game goes great in your back yard. You need some bottles, a crate, and some rings. Parents turn the game into a quick fun Math lesson as they encourage the kids to keep their own scores.

70. DIY Outdoor Chess/Checkers Table

You don’t need a pandemic to practice your chess or checkers strategies. However, since we are in lockdown and we already discussed it is important to recycle and upcycle old items, let’s see how you can turn a game of chess into a fun outdoor activity with the kids.

• Find an old outdoor table you want to turn into a chessboard;
• Fix it, paint it, and polish it nicely;
• Paint the chessboard directly on the surface of the table;
• Set the table on the porch as an invitation for all players to take their chances against you or the most skilled member of the family.

We all know you can’t play a mean game of chess or checkers without the proper set. In fact, it is one of those fun things to do with kids outside with or without a lockdown. Refurbishing an entire table to meet your competitive needs is an outdoor activity that mixes craft with family fun. It is also a lucrative endeavor, as you will have this chess table for the years to come!

71. Yard Yahtzee

Yahtzee is one of those fun things to do with kids that are timeless. All you need is a plastic bucket you can find anywhere around the house. Use a Sharpie to make dots on wooden cubes and keep the score for everyone to see! A giant lawn Yahtzee game works perfectly during the lockdown and way after!

72. Recycle Bottle Bowling

Do you have some plastic water bottles around? A tennis ball lying around somewhere? The you are all set! You don’t need to craft a bowling set in wood or other materials when you can reuse plastic or even glass bottles. The tennis ball is not quite a bowling ball, but hey, outdoor games for the lockdown should be challenging, shouldn’t they?

73. Giant Lawn Jenga

Speaking od recycling and reusing, what do you do exactly with those unused wood pallets you keep? How about taking a saw and some wood polish and turn them into Jenga blocks? Just make sue they all have exactly the same dimensions! If you want a clearer picture of how to make Jenga blocks of wood scraps, check out the video below!

74. The Kubb Lawn Game

Remember your own childhood with this all time classic lawn game! You can make the Kubb pieces on your own if you have the patience and the skills or you can order them online. Few kids nowadays know how to play Kubb, so this is where you come in! Did you forget yourself? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

75. Play With Water

Summer is coming and water games are the surefire way to tame the heat that is upon us. Water games can take a variety of forms, from a good old fashioned water pistol fight to installing an inflatable pool in the back yard. Check out this guide on the best water games to play at the beach or in your garden and beat the scorching sun! Put some ideas aside for those sunny days after the crisis is over too!

Bottom Line

This was our list of fun things to do with kids in lockdown! We are sure you already tried some, so feel free to tell us which are your favorite activities for indoor and outdoor entertainment. Also, complete our list with your own ideas and ask us for more guides and suggestions! Stay home, stay safe, and live life to the fullest!