By Erin Rebello

With winter in full swing, and another lockdown starting up, you may find yourself coming down with a serious case of cabin fever! Being cooped up is hard on anyone during the winter, but this is especially true when you’re not allowed to visit friends or loved ones. Personally, this has really been difficult for me, so I decided to find a cure for cabin fever. For the past few weeks, I’ve been testing out some fun winter activities for quarantine, and I think I’ve found some really good ones! Keep reading for some great ideas on how to pass the time!

1. Host a Family Movie Night. Even when there isn’t a quarantine, I love snuggling up with my loved ones to watch a movie together. Although you might not be able to have your friends over, you can still watch movies with those in your household for a great family bonding experience. Whenever my family does movie night, we all take turns choosing a movie, so well all get to watch something that we like. This is a simple yet fun winter activity for quarantine, and you may even start a brand-new family tradition! (Bonus points if there’s popcorn!)
2. Indoor Camping. Camping in the woods can be cold, wet, and uncomfortable – and there’s no bathroom either! On the other hand, indoor camping has all the fun with none of the hassle. My younger sister and I love pitching a tent in the basement and spending the night telling scary stories and doing puzzles. Even if you don’t have a tent, you can make your own blanket fort with some old sheets and pillows. You can also combine a movie night with camping for a fun weekend. Easy-peasy!
3. Family Bake Off. If you or anyone in your family has a knack for baking, I highly recommend having a family bake-off! If you’re all really good at baking, you can get into teams and compete for whoever can make the better cake. If you want to make things easier, you can also work together to make something simple like cupcakes, then compete to see who can decorate or garnish theirs the best.
4. Online Videogames. If you still miss your friends a lot, you might want to consider playing online games together. As someone who enjoys gaming I’ve been using quarantine to hang out with my friends virtually, and the winter is no exception! My personal favourite games are Scribbl.io and Among Us, which are both free to play. You can also use a voice call app such as Discord to talk while gaming.
5. Arts and Crafts. Whether it’s summer, winter, fall, or spring, you can never go wrong with some good old-fashioned arts and crafts. During the winter specifically, I love knitting and crocheting. It feels really rewarding to be able to create your own hats and scarves. I’ve also recently developed an interest in Amigurumis, which is the Japanese art of crocheting cuddly figures out of yarn. Some people think that yarn crafts are for grandmas, but hey, everyone loves grandmas!
6. Reading a Good Book. Maybe I’m a bit of a nerd, but I absolutely love reading! Even during quarantine, when all my friends seemed far away, picking up a good book allowed me to escape the dread of isolation and instead travel on a magical adventure. If you’re an avid reader, be sure to make full use of your local public libraries. Most library systems are allowing users to place holds on books online, and then pick them up in person. Libraries also usually have a treasure trove of online materials, like ebooks and audiobooks, so you never have to leave the comfort of your own home!