By: Mariam Elhamy
Social distancing is tough, and staying at home can be boring when you’re restless, have run out of ideas and have finished all the regular chores. We’ve come up with some creative ideas that will keep you and your family entertained with minimal resources during the curfew or quarantine!
- Download free Ebooks apps and binge read as many books as you like! Here are some recommendations: Amazon Kindle, Google Play Books, Nook, Wattpad, Goodreads, Oodles Free eBooks, Kobo, Aldiko, and FBReader. You could also start your own book club with friends!
- Make DIY arts and crafts or Playdough for your kids at home! Here’s a quick video on how to make Playdough at home:
3. Puzzles and board games are a great way to spend time with your loved ones doing a fun activity. You can buy puzzles online through Souq, Jumia, Le3ba Store, Ubuy, Hedeya, and Noon.
4. Keep a Quarantine Diary. Write a diary or journal for the things you do every day and your daily thoughts and feelings. It can be a very useful memory of this experience, which is hopefully a once in a lifetime event.
5. Adult coloring books help you relax, because … art therapy! You can buy these online from Hedeya, Diwan and Souq. Some Facebook pages that also sell and deliver: Anti-Stress Coloring Books – Egypt, Color Land and Cairo Coloring Club or you can download coloring apps for free: Color Me – Coloring Book for Adults, Colorfy: Adult Coloring Book, Coloring Book for Adults, Color by Number, Recolor, Coloring Book for Me & Mandala, and ColorFil.
6. Work on your hobbies. Whether you’re into drawing, playing music, jewelry making, baking or knitting, this is the time to practicemore!
7. Watch documentaries and subscribe to informative Youtube channels. A great way to learn new things you never thought about is by watching fun documentaries on Youtube.
Fun-educational Youtube channels: Crash Course, AsapSCIENCE, CGP Grey, It’s Ok to Be Smart, TED Ed, VSauce, SciShow, Veritasium, and Epipheo. You could also check out Explained on Netflix.
Youtube Channels for documentaries: Vice, National Geographic, Real Stories, The Guardian, and Journeyman Pictures.
8. Take up indoor gardening. It’s a great way to relax and add joy to your home. You can buy an indoor gardening kit from Souq or Ubuy. You could also make your own compost at home from organic materials that you usually throw away. Here’s a quick video on how to make compost:
9. It’s always a good time for movie night. Gather around and watch your favorite classic movie with your family. Also, Netflix lets you connect with friends so that you can binge watch TV shows and movies together.
10. Exercise! Don’t make excuses and workout at home, there are hundreds of workouts out there that you could do right from your bedroom or living room!
11. Cook! Another way to de-stress is to make everyone at home a nice meal to share together. We have hundreds of recipes you could try at home. Just click here. 
12. Meditate, stretch and lengthen your muscles. Refresh your blood flow and restart your mind by doing yoga, stretching or meditating to clear anxiety. You can download the free apps: Calm, InsightTimer, Aura, Sattva, Ensō, Inscape, Smiling Mind, Simple Habit, Ten Percent Happier, Stop, and Breathe & Think. Find more free yoga apps here
13. Check out some online dance classes or any kind of classes you like and dance along! 
14. Video call your friends and family. Social distancing doesn’t mean that you have to cut all ties, keep your connections. 
15. Spa day at home, time to unwind! Pamper yourself with face masks, hair masks, body scrubs and a bubble bath. You deserve it.
16. Declutter time, get rid of anything you don’t need! Clean out your closet, your fridge, or your pantry. You’ll probably find a lot of things that you don’t need/use anymore.
17. Get some quality sleep. This is probably your best chance to get a good 8 to 9-hour sleep and it’s time to log that beauty sleep before Ramadan.
