Amid the fear and stress of this global crisis, there are plenty of silver linings to be found, if we just look for them. While we usually find ourselves saying we ‘don’t have enough time’, suddenly our days have opened up to a whole range of possibilities. Now is an incredible opportunity for creativity, learning, playing, and investing time and energy in our community and relationships.
But keeping yourself and your ‘bubble’ entertained within four walls can be a daunting task. Especially when you can’t just nip out to the shops for crafting supplies, hardware or toys. And staying connected to those you love can be tough when you’re distanced by kilometres or oceans.
We’re all in this together. And to help your combat the isolation frustration, our team at TOP 10 Holiday Parks have pulled together a list of some of our top ideas to survive and thrive in lockdown. Our list is a combination of educational, creative, fun and downright goofy activities to complete on your own, with the kids, significant other, or anyone else in your ‘bubble’. There’re options that rely on a device and WiFi, but other traditional games to help you get back to your roots. We know there are many people out there on lock down away from home, so the activities we’ve included in our list require very little, or no equipment or supplies.
We hope this list of ours helps to bring more laughter and fun into your lockdown experience. Kia kaha, and enjoy this strange period for what it is. When this is over, and life goes back to its usual manic fast pace, we may look back on this experience as a beautiful time of togetherness, contentment and love.
Do the stuff quiz: Stuff publishes daily quizzes which you can access online for free on the Stuff website. There’s a morning and afternoon quiz for the adults, and a daily kids’ quiz for the littlies.
Write up your New Zealand travel bucket list: Lockdown might prevent us from travelling, but it won’t stop us dreaming. Time to bulk out that list and planning your next adventure. Check out the TOP 10 Blog for inspo.
Watch some of the best movies of all time: Some of us are certainly guilty of not ever having seen the ‘classics’. Here's looking at you, kid! This list ranks the best movies of all time. Happy watching!
Play a game of charades: Act it out old school, or search ‘Charades!’ in your app store and download the free app. Some of our favourite categories for kids are “Fairy Tales” or “Animal Kingdom”.
Read free books through Libby: Lockdown is a book worm’s fantasy. If you need to stock up, download the ‘Libby’ app, where you can borrow eBooks and audiobooks from your public library for free.
Immerse yourself in nature with live cams: We’ve just discovered Explore.org, the world’s largest (and free) live nature cam network. Get up close and personal in real-time with animals around the globe in their natural habits - be that the ocean, the savannah, a cliff top or nest.
Have celebrated actors read books to your kids: We’re sure your story time voice is deeeelightful. But with Storyline Online, you can access videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. All for free.
Play 20 questions: A classic game, great for older children and adult. Super easy to play – one person thinks of an object, and another person has 20 questions to guess what it is!
Listen to the ‘But Why?’ podcast. Why are some words 'bad'? Why do lions roar? Why do people dream? Why are boys boys and girls girls? Let the podcast hosts answers the tough questions in life. Download ‘But Why?’, a free podcast for curious kids.
Build a fort with blankets and pillows: Just because. Or in case you need to find a haven from your bubble-mate.
Play the Alphabet Game: Choose a theme and then take turns with letters of the alphabet and come up with things within the theme. For instance, in the theme “Animals”, you could have anteater, baboon, carp, duck, etc. Other cool themes include movies, household items or food.
Create a human mirror: Stand with a partner. One person is the leader. They perform a series of moves and their partner must follow their lead and reproduce them, like a mirror. You’ll be cracking up within secs.
Make a recycled robot: Put your recycling to good use and create robots or animals. Egg cartons make a good body for a crocodile, and robots can be crafted with boxes and containers, plus bottle tops and lids make great eyes and hats.
Shoot some hoops with sock basketball: Ball up a few pairs of socks, get a laundry basket and you’re all set. Take turns shooting to score, and if you’re up for more of a challenge, switch to a small ‘goal’ or take a step backwards and go for the long shot.
Test your knowledge of New Zealand: How well do you think you know Aotearoa? The awesome Jane at Kauri Coast TOP 10 has created the ‘Great ‘Kiwi As’ Lockdown’ quiz to test your noggin.
Take on a snack-sized adventure: The ‘What on Earth Should I do with My Kids’ website is chock-full of easy-to-plan and accessible activities, and is designed to get the whole family together for a feel-good dose of tech-free fun.
Play free online puzzles: You can find countless online puzzles on the Lovatts website. Enjoy daily crosswords, Sudoku, Word Search, Trivia Quizzes, Code Crackers and more, all for free.
Go on a bear hunt: A simple idea on the couch on a Sunday has exploded into a nation wide bear hunt. Around the country Kiwis are putting bears into their front windows to provide entertainment for kids and families while walking around their neighbourhood. Keep an eye out on your next wander and see how many you can count.
Set up an indoors scavenger hunt. Get some pegs (or cutlery, pens etc) and plant them around the place and send the kids on a hunt to find them. A prize at the end could include saying the winner gets to choose to watch their favourite movie tonight.
Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt: Parks, beaches, your backyard, or a TOP 10 are great outdoor locations for a scavenger hunt. Head outside, enjoy the fresh air, and see how many of these TOP 10 Outdoor Scavenger Hunt items you can find.
Revive the magic of talking on the phone with DialUp: Want an opportunity to discuss sci-fi writing with a stranger on a Thursday afternoon? Or talk to a random person in Wales also with a passion for home renos? The free Dialup app connects people from all over the world in a one-on-one conversation based on common interests.
Video call a friend on Zoom: There’s plenty of ways to connect with others via video chat these days. But we’re finding Zoom to be the best options because they don’t have limits on how many people can join a chat, plus… you can add funky virtual backgrounds.
Play a virtual game of Triominos: It’s like dominos, but with triangle shapes. Download the app and compete with your friends and family anywhere, any time. Search for your friends by username or otherwise play against strangers all over the world.
Make an escape (virtual of course): We can’t give you the escape you probably want, but we can recommend this virtual escape room created through Google Docs by a gamer in the US. This one is aimed at older kids and adults. Good luck.
We’re keen to know how you’ve been keeping busy during lockdown. Join the conversation on the TOP 10 Facebook page or read our weekend getaway blog for post lockdown activity.