10 Fun Ways To Get Out of the House (When You Have To Stay Home)

You’d be surprised how many adventures you can create with a little imagination.

Being stuck at home can start to feel pretty stifling, especially if you’re used to exploring new destinations with your kids. However, you can find creative ways to explore.

My husband and I always searched for different places to take our son and would do frequent weekend getaways, even if they were only 30 minutes away, so our son could discover new sights. Museums and libraries were always on the top 10 list, as were zoos and interesting parks.

After being at home for a couple of weeks, and after my son asked me if I thought the animals at the zoo missed him, we decided that just because we need to stay at home, doesn’t mean we can’t go on some adventures.

After all, there are still green spaces that are open, as long as you respect social distancing, and we still have a backyard, front yard, and our whole neighborhood to explore. It might not be the same as going to the children’s museum or the aquarium or a quick jaunt out of town, but it still opens up possibilities to create a sense of “going somewhere.”

Therefore, we decided to get a little creative, if for anything, to give our son a sense that we were still able to go places and to help keep all of us somewhat sane. (If you’re looking for ways to spend some quality time at home as a couple, check out these creative at-home date night ideas! 

Here are 10 ways that we came up with to do something that didn’t include being inside of our house. There are a few classics that you probably have already tried, but maybe you’ll find a few here that you haven’t thought of yet. If anything, sharing these special adventures with your children will most certainly create some fabulous memories during this surreal and crazy time! (Make sure to share your own ideas in the comments!) 

• Backyard Camping — This can be as involved (or not) as you want to get, but why not imagine you’re on a family camping trip and pitch a tent in the backyard? We spent the whole day either in our backyard shed or outside. We only used our house for the bathroom. We even packed our things in the morning as if we were actually going on a little vacation. You can set up a fire pit and roast marshmallows or make s’mores, fire up the grill, stargaze, lounge in a hammock, whatever works for you. We had a blast!

• Have Wagon, Will Travel — We love to be outside on a beautiful day, so we grabbed the wagon and threw in a picnic lunch, blankets, balls, small toy traffic cones (we do everything with these things, from setting up obstacle courses, goals, finish lines, you name it), and a few other odds and ends, and made a day of it. We played crazy games that we invented, tossed the ball back and forth, enjoyed the view, and ate our lunch; all while reaping the benefits of a walk. Obviously, you don’t need to go to a lake to do this, you can walk to an open field or empty lot, or any other nearby location that lends itself to running around.

• Nature Shopping — At a certain point, my son decided he wanted to walk and push his shopping cart around our neighborhood. We were quite a sight. We had already done a scavenger hunt or two, so I thought, why not a nature shopping trip? My son gets a shopping list and we can “shop” for certain items on our walk. If you have an older child, you could even get more of a teachable moment and play money into the mix so he can “check out” his items.

• Follow the Clues — Speaking of scavenger hunts, my son is also obsessed with looking for clues. There doesn’t even need to be anything to find, he’ll still look for clues. I guess he’s always hoping he’ll discover the next big thing…or just an extra pack of fruit snacks. We did a treasure hunt in the backyard, complete with a pirate treasure map; it was a blast. Then my husband and son set off on a walk to hunt for trucks as I stayed behind to leave clues in the house to a secret prize (a brownie). The twist was, I had to go catch up with them once I finished, so they left behind clues for me so I could discover which way they went.

• Porch Picnics — Even though we might not be able to get close to our loved ones, we can still visit! We had quite a few “porch picnics” at Mimi and Paw-Paw’s house. At first, my son was confused as to why we could only see grandma and grandpa through a glass door, but he got used to it (which is kind of sad to think about in a way). Eventually, we progressed to socially distanced visits on the back patio so that we had a little more space to spread out. (They have a small front porch).

• Find a Field — If you don’t have a field within walking distance, find one that you can drive to. Bring snacks, balls, a kite, anything that you and your children like to do together, and let loose for a couple of hours. Have races, lay in the grass and look for shapes in the clouds, see who can throw a ball the farthest; the possibilities are endless, and you will at least be somewhere other than your house.

• Go for a Drive — This one might sound silly, but I was amazed at how much more relaxed I was after just taking my son for a 20-minute drive. We looked for certain trucks and cars, we sang along to his favorite tunes, and I got out of the house. I started finding myself taking a long way home whenever we did have to go somewhere…until my son started chanting that he had to go potty.

• Virtual Tours — You may or may not have already done a few of these, but several museums, zoos, aquariums, and similar places are doing virtual tours that include live webcams of some of the animals. It’s a great way to visit these places and go on a field trip of sorts with your kids, plus they provide some great teaching moments. Here are a few that we tried: San Diego Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Georgia Aquarium. For older kids, check out The Escape Game for some fun (and free) interactive field trips…my husband and I did the one at the Smithsonian. You can explore the museum while solving puzzles to make your way through.

• Art al Fresco — Take your art outside, and I don’t just mean sidewalk chalk, although that is amazingly fun. If your child has an easel, set it up outside for a painting or drawing session, make foaming sidewalk chalk for a little twist on the classic, paint flower pots and rocks for the garden, or make sand sculptures in a sandbox. Be creative and see what blooms!

• Walk a New Neighborhood — I know, you’ve already walked in your neighborhood a lot, but sometimes, seeing the same things over and over can get a little boring. Change it up a bit and head to a different neighborhood, if able, for your walk. For example, after one of our porch picnics at grandma’s house, we decided to walk my parent’s neighborhood that day instead. It’s just a little change in scenery, but it can make a big difference.

Sure, some of these are probably things you may have tried, but maybe not, or maybe they give you a different spin on things. Of course, something you might have already tried might be completely new to someone else, so I decided to include them all!

Now, what I would LOVE to know is what are some of the things YOU have done with your kids to get out of the house when you have to stay home? Share in the comments! 👇😄

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