It comes as no shock that many people, both adults and children alike, are having difficulty adapting to new pandemic restrictions, resulting in a drastically sedentary lifestyle. While we start to see light at the end of the tunnel, particular obstacles such as Quebec’s 8 P.M. curfew, make it feel so much further away.
The upside? Just because for some, 8PM seems relatively early to head indoors, doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. That's why we’re counting down West Island News’ Top 8 After 8: Family Activities!
8. Play A Board Game!
While Monopoly & The Game Of Life have entertained (and at times divided) families for generations, the whole idea of playing board games for hours may seem redundant. While this may be true for a few of the older ones, board games have gone through a major “renaissance” in the last few years and have been re-invented with new concepts, strategies and of course, beautiful game boards to keep your family entertained for hours!
Notable Game Mentions: Ticket To Ride, Otrio & Codenames
7. Indoor Movie Night!
Make no mistake. There’s the casual act of watching a movie and then there’s turning it into an event that the whole family can enjoy! Popcorn is a must but we can’t forget all those wonderful snacks that create the ultimate movie experience. Create your own movie bingo to keep the fun going…maybe even a contest or two? The person who guesses the amount of times Shrek yells out “DONKEY!” wins a jar of candy! Sweet!
Notable theatre snack mentions: M&Ms, Dots & Twizzler Nibs
6. Cook!
It seems rather optimistic to get the family cooking together, especially later in the evening. Surely, it doesn’t have to be a whole meal. If it’s not creating a meal from the latest cookbook you’ve been dying to try, perhaps teach everyone how to make that blueberry pie recipe that grandma passed down to you! Put on some music, assign roles to your sous-chefs and get baking- knowing you’d make grandma smile.
5. Paint Night!
Grab a couple of canvases and paints from your local art store and get creative. Create a family challenge where everyone has to paint the same image or just let your mind run free! Remember, art is subjective so you can get as creative as you’d like. Hang them on your wall so that every time you look at it, you’ll be reminded of that interesting period where you got to spend just a little more time with loved ones.
4. Karaoke Night!
If they say "dance like no one’s watching", then sing like everyone’s listening…except it’s your family so it doesn’t matter if you’re off. By a lot. Get up there and put on a show. Who knows? Maybe mom will do an epic air guitar solo while dad hits the high notes on ‘Don’t Stop Believing’!
3. Virtual Family Game Night!
For anyone missing big family reunions, this is the next best thing! Have every family come up with a game (Bingo, Jeopardy, Pictionary) that they’d like to play via webcam. You may not be physically together but there’s no way we’ll let a pandemic stop us from having a few competitive moments with our loved ones!
2. Retro Rewind!
As tidy as we try to be, we all have that one room with… “stuff”. Perhaps it’s an old video game console. It could also be the old record player that your mom gave you or that old accordion that you never knew dad could play. These are all the items that we tell ourself we’ll pull out one day and set up when we have time. Why not make the time now? Get back to basics and create fun memories all over again!
1. Organize ALL your family photos.
The photo album you have on your coffee table of your 2018 trip to Myrtle Beach is cute. The overflowing box of polaroids collecting dust in your attic? Not so much! Now’s the time to get all those pictures sorted out. Every picture does tell a story so imagine the joy of going through all those moments and reliving fond memories. You can sort by year, event or maybe take an area in your room and create a brand new wall of vintage family photos. Teach the kids about their great grandparents, family history and roots. These are priceless moments. There's no time like the present to tell heartwarming stories from the past!
Having to stay indoors may not be thrilling but these are just some of the ways you can find joy in comfort during the colder evening. Got any favourite after 8 activities? Let us know in the comment section!
