We’re all a few weeks in to self-isolating, and it may feel at times like the walls are closing in. Families everywhere are looking for ways to keep their children busy and occupied while the adults work from home or take a much-needed break. 

Coordinate an egg hunt. Since Easter is around the corner, coordinate a neighborhood wide egg-hunt by asking people in your local community via Facebook, messaging or other social media apps to place colored egg pictures in their windows. Then children and their parents can ‘hunt’ for them when they go for a walk. 

Add color to their world. Encourage your children to brighten up the sidewalks and driveways in front of their homes with colorful chalk drawings. You can even have progressive drawings where children take turns coloring or adding to a giant chalk drawing when no one else is around. 

Visit friends and family. Using technology and programs such as Zoom, Group FaceTime, Google Hangouts and WhatsApp, set up daily meetings with friends, grandparents and other family members where kids can see and talk to those they are unable to visit in person.

 Create a scavenger hunt. Make a list of easy and not-so-easy to find items located throughout your house and outside to keep kids busy. Items on your list can be buttons, certain types of leaves or flowers in your garden, paperclips, photographs and crafts they have to do themselves. 

Watch puppies and other animals! If you don’t have your own four-legged friends, you can stream these live videos of playful puppies from your laptop, device or TV. Let these adorable pups entertain your kids for a little while. Also available for streaming are penguins and other wildlife and zoo animals. 

If you are still searching for a new home, please know San Joaquin Valley Homes is still busy building homes throughout the Central Valley. To see our homes, we are offering virtual tours on our website and we can schedule a private in-person appointment with you.