Interact with Others

  • Connect with people outside of your household every week, if possible. Try to focus on quality over quantity of the interactions; try to focus on your common interests and values when possible.

  • While meeting in-person may not always be possible, try meeting remotely. For high school and college students, trying out or joining the various on-campus clubs, organizations or sports (remote or in person, if allowed) are great ways to meet and interact with people. Older Adults, please do consider checking out your town’s Senior Center web page for events.

  • Write letters and emails. Converse via phone and/or video calls.

  • For video calls, you can use Zoom, Remo, FaceTime, Signal, or WhatsApp to remotely connect with your friends, your family etc. Use Parallel Activity in Remote to Engage (PARTE) where we stay in our own spaces such as homes, but do things together while video conferencing or conversing over the phone. Visit an online museum or listen to an opera performance or watch a musical together.

  • PARTE Activities to Consider for Children and Families : Art, bake, cook, talk, listen to audiobooks together, spa, book club, dance, jewelry making, have a meal together, play Mad Libs build with Legos or other kits, knit, karaoke, scrapbook, write, yoga, exercise, watch a movie, cook, online improv, online trivia, online board, online computer games, write funny lyrics to songs you know and sing them, make comic books, community service, online classes etc. You could study together or participate in a club.

  • PARTE Activities to Consider for Teens and Young Adults: Talk, do art, bake, crafts, cook (have a Chopped style cook-off, create a new type of sandwich or any recipe, do cuisine-themed cooking, and Google the ingredients you have in your home and check for recipes to cook), do high-tea, play Mad Libs, make duct tape art, listen to audiobooks or podcasts, get a spa, make a book club, dance, knit, do karaoke, make a scrapbook, do origami, write,  do yoga, get work-out buddies, watch a movie or a musical, do improv, write funny lyrics to songs you know and sing them, try a capella, upcycle & create new fashion from within your closet, sew, learn to whistle a song, write a story on a shared file, plan someone’s birthday, debate or discuss (current topics, philosophy, Star Wars, math), have a hula hoop or hackysack faceoff, explore a foreign city with Google Maps, do Google Earth challenges (geoguessr and flight simulator), play geo-games like geocaching, create DIY projects, code, and explore a museum online.

    • PARTE Online Community Service: Read or tutor a child online, volunteer at a local food pantry, raise awareness, read to visually impaired, fundraise for an organization, perform in online music concerts for older adults, lawn mow or shovel an older neighbor’s yard, have an online fashion/art show among friends and family to raise money for a cause (troops, animal shelter, climate, and food insecurity).

    •   PARTE Learn: A language, juggling, sign language, coding. Channels like YouTube have many free courses. You can study for school or share your skills.

    • PARTE Create: Playlist, meme, music (GarageBand), a fashion show by upcycling things in your closet, a hackathon, online art or fashion show, a play or your own TV series season,  a motivational  challenge, an animated movie (stop motion studio), a group vlog, a book share among your friends, a Little Free Library or a Little Free Pantry, a geocache, a safe middle school/high school/ college/ 20’s bucket list (be reasonable and get approval from your guardian(s)).

    • PARTE Online Games: Board or computer- Clue, Code Names, Snake Oil, Battleship, Minecraft, Trivia, 1000-piece jig saw puzzles, mystery etc.

  • PARTE Activities to Consider for Older Adults: Art, bake, bingo, read, book club, cook, debate/discuss topics, high-tea, sew, quilt, knit, crochet, jewelry making, eat together (can make them themed too), knitting, mask making, gentle chair yoga, movie, online improv, online trivia, board games online, computer games online, write funny lyrics to old songs and sing, listen to audiobooks together, have a meal together, knit, sing-along, scrapbook, write, gentle chair yoga, watch a movie, go down memory lane and share stories, online community service, online classes etc. Older adults can consider telling their childhood stories and sharing their wisdom with the younger generations via story telling, cooking together, teaching to knit, or share your skills online. Some organizations provide online tech support for free.

  • You can consider an intergenerational activity/project with your family or community (check out resources locally or online).

  •  Kindly note: Some of the activities may need guidance/help/ permission from your caregiver and clearance from your doctor.

  • Please check your state/ country’s current COVID safety health guidelines.

  • Try balancing your time on social media with your time interacting with others, live.

  • Consider the THINK process for social media posts: Is it Thoughtful? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?

  • Practicing loving kindness and empathy helps with bonding.