Interact with Others

Connect with people outside of your household weekly, if possible. Try to focus on quality over quantity of the interactions. Seek common interests and values.

While meeting in-person is not always possible, try meeting remotely. For high school and college students, trying out or joining the various on-campus clubs, organizations or sports 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.

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, improv, trivia, board games, computer games, write funny lyrics to songs you know and sing them, make comic books, community service, online classes, study together.

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, sing 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, up-cycle & 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 face-off, explore a foreign city with Google Maps, do Google Earth challenges (Geo Guessr and flight simulator), play geo-games like geocaching, create DIY projects, code, and explore a museum online.

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 storytelling, 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. You can check out resources locally in your community 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.