42 Fun Things You Can Do At Home (Psst: A Lot of Them are Free!)

Finding yourself stuck at home can be kind of fun in the beginning, but over an extended period of time, it’s easy to feel disconnected, and get lazy, unmotivated, and even bored. But here’s an idea: Instead of thinking that you’re trapped inside, consider this an opportunity to try all the creative and interesting things you’ve always put on the backburner. You can learn a new language or skill, connect with loved ones near and far, and in general, get some quality “you” time. To help get you started, here are 42 suggestions of fun things to do at home when bored.

1. Keep a Daily Schedule: Whether you’re working from home or schooling your kids, setting a schedule will help keep everything–and everyone–on track. 
2. Start a journal: It will help you process and identify your feelings–and it will even be a sort of personal historical record for you to look back on one day!
3. Do online or streaming workouts: Staying physically active will help you maintain a sense of normalcy–and boost your mood. Through Instagram, YouTube, apps, and streaming services, there are all sorts of ways to work on your fitness at home! 
4. Organize your food: No, really! Sorting your food by expiration dates ensures nothing (or almost nothing) gets wasted.
5. Organize everything, actually: Marie Kondo, this is your moment! Clean out your closet, your junk drawer, your shelves, and purge them of anything that doesn’t “spark joy!”

   

6. Re-read your favorite book series–or tackle one you’ve been putting off: Harry Potter, anyone? Game of Thrones? 
7. Try a new recipe: Use that new Instapot/air fryer you haven’t opened yet. Test out your baking skills or mix up a fun cocktail!
8. Update your decor: Rearrange the furniture, touch up chipped paint (if you have extra color), swap pictures or change out frames–you get the idea!
9. Play around with beauty tutorials: Practice makes perfect, and you’ve got time on your hands, right? Check out some fun makeup and hair tutorials and experiment with new looks!

   

10. Learn a new language–or brush up: Download an app like DuoLingo to get started (and get one step closer to global connection–we’re all in this together!)
11. Catch up on those TV series that everyone always talks about: There’s at least one TV show that all your friends keep quoting that you just never got around to watching. Settle into your couch and put on a classic like Mad Men or The Wire. Or go for a guilty pleasure like Love is Blind. 
12. Watch past Academy Award-winning films: Now’s a great time to catch up on previous Oscar-winning movies. There are plenty to choose from starting with the very first Best Picture, Wings (1927) all the way to Parasite (2020).
13. Take a virtual museum tour. Google Arts and Culture has partnered with museums all around the world to give people a chance to wander through the halls and see featured collections, minus the crowds. To start, you can visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The Louvre offers a virtual tour on its own website, as well.
14. Explore a few National Parks from home: Google Arts and Culture also has interactive tours to explore the beauty of five amazing National Parks around the country: Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawai’i Volcanoes in Hawaii, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Bryce Canyon in Utah, and Dry Tortugas in Florida.

    

15. Go to the opera, virtually: It may not be in an opera house, but you can still get the full emotional impact of classic opera at home, and in HD. The Metropolitan Opera is currently offering Nightly Met Opera Streams on their website for the duration of their dark nights, and you can enjoy performances like Verdi’s La Traviata and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
16. Get wild with animal webcams: There’s something inherently calming about watching animals, and many zoos and aquariums have live feeds of their residents for any time you need a cuteness break. Some highlights include the San Diego Zoo’s penguin live cam, Smithsonian’s National Zoo giant panda cam, and Monterey Aquarium’s oh-so-hypnotic jelly cam. Explore.org also has many options including feeds on elephants, big cats, and ocean life—it’s almost like a real-time Planet Earth.
17. Learn a new skill from a master: Sure you can learn acting, filmmaking, and cooking from a number of instructors but on Masterclass you can learn those skills from Natalie Portman, Martin Scorcese, and Gordon Ramsay, respectively.
18. Do something creative: Try your hand at painting, drawing, knitting, or anything that involves using your hands. You may even discover a hidden creative talent!
19. Meditate: Get into the practice of spending a few minutes every day being present, mindful, and aware. Apps like Headspace, Calm, and Simple Habit have guided meditations to help you focus more easily.

    

20. Try out some new podcasts. Break out of your routine listens and try something new. Whatever your interests are — whether that be true crime, design, celeb gossip, or comedy — there’s a podcast for that.
21. Go back to school. Take university courses in your pajamas, at your own pace. Online platform edX offers free classes from top universities like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and more. You can learn Computer Science, The Science of Happiness, Business Writing, and more.
22. Do a puzzle. Yes, like a jigsaw puzzle you did as a kid. It’s a great way to be productively distracted for a bit, problem-solve, and de-stress. Plus, there is real satisfaction in seeing the completed image. 
23. Use a coloring book: Along the lines of throwback toys, coloring isn’t just for children. There are lots of grownup versions to help you relax after a long day. (There’s even one called Calm the F*ck Down, in case you really need a reminder).

    

24. Facetime your friends and family: Even if you can’t see your loved ones in person, a good video chat is the next best thing. Schedule some face to face time or even a virtual happy hour with your BFFs. 
25. Practice gratitude: It’s inevitable to get caught up in everyday stresses. Take a step back and recount the things in your life that you’re truly thankful for, no matter how big or small they are (there’s also an app for that!).
26. Send handwritten cards or letters: When’s the last time you actually hand wrote anything? Is your handwriting still even legible? Write a note to a friend or family member. You’ll brighten their day with a piece of mail that’s not a bill.
27. Dust off that musical instrument: Grab that guitar that’s been sitting in the corner of your bedroom, uncover that unused keyboard, relearn how to play the flute (it’s cool again—just ask Lizzo). You can watch lessons on Youtube or download sheet music and you’ll be playing tunes in no time.
28. Take a long, leisurely bubble bath. Put on some relaxing music, grab your favorite bath bomb or salts (and maybe a glass of wine), and enjoy a soak. Let your fingers get pruney.
29. Stretch or foam roll: Warm up any tight muscles by doing some home stretches and foam roll exercises. It will loosen up your whole body for the rest of the day.
30. Fix things around the house: Since you’re inside, you might as well change that burned-out light bulb or replace the old battery in your smoke detector. Really, you have no excuses at this point!

    

31. Get your finances in order: Take a look at your budget (or start one), and make a plan to put yourself in a better financial position, whether that’s paying off debt, increasing your savings, or investing more.
32. Do your taxes: Speaking of finances, now that they’re all organized, do your taxes. And then plan out what you’re going to do with your refund!
33. Treat yourself to a spa day in: Turn on your essential oil diffuser, put on a face mask, sip on some cucumber water, exhale. Repeat.
34. Declutter your inbox: Your inbox is probably overflowing with newsletter subscriptions (and you probably don’t even remember signing up for most of them). Take a minute and unsubscribe to anything you don’t regularly read or open.
35. Learn a magic trick: Teach yourself how to do some card magic or simple sleight of hand and you’ll have a great party trick to show off to your friends!
36. Make some new playlists: Create your own playlists by genre, mood, decade, artist, etc. etc. Swap playlists with friends and expand your musical horizons.

    

37. Have a dance party: Turn up the volume and dance like no one is watching (because likely no one, save roommates or family members, really is).
38. Learn to read tarot cards: Get a deck and familiarize yourself with the different cards and what they mean. You can do readings for yourself or others, and improve your skills with practice.
39. Print out some digital photos: Go through your camera roll and pick a few of your favorite photos to be printed into cards, posters, or photo books that you can give as gifts or display at home.
40. Write something: Write a short story, poem, song, love letter, beginning of an autobiography, list of jokes, or anything that may exercise some creative muscles you’re not used to using.
41. Take some time for self-reflection: Use this time at home to take stock of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to be. Set some short and long-term goals, and remember to celebrate the wins you’ve already achieved.
42. Take a nap: Because, why not?

What are your ideas for fun things to do at home? Share in the comments!