Autumn and winter tend to be a time in which the power unexpectedly goes out. This can be a huge burden on the whole family, especially if everyone is stuck at home during the outage. Once phone and tablets run out of juice then the panic begins to set in, especially with the younger generation. There are a few things you can do to help fight the boredom and fear of a power outage, while showing the family there is life without technology. These ten ideas are sure to help you find the perfect solution for days when your power just isn’t going to function, which may even change the way your family treats its free time in the future.
1. Read a Book
Picking up a book is pretty much a timeless way to have a good time, especially when all of your distractions are out of the way. Once the power goes out, browse through your library and let the fun begin. You can set up lots of candles or flashlights to create a fun reading space too, which is sure to inspire the whole family to follow suit. If there’s younger children in the household, then you may want to find some larger books to read to them too. Children in school can use the time to catch up on their school reading, so they can impress their teachers and give themselves more free time in the near future. During these months, you may want to make more trips to your local library just to ensure you have something on hand to read in case the weather isn’t cooperative. Keeping up this habit may even inspire children to read more when the lights are working. If not, you could try a lights out policy once a week, which will save you money on your power bill. Reading is known to improve the way your brain functions though and will help you relax, so a power outage may be doing you more of a favor than you realize!
2. Pull Out the Games
Nothing says classic family fun like pulling out the board games and letting everyone compete. Games can be a great way to help the family bond together, while also allowing kids to improve certain skills, particularly when it comes to math and logic. Apart from the classic board games, you may also want to teach the children to play more intricate games like chess. Cards are another great option that can be catered to age. Of course, if you don’t have many games around in the home then you may want to come up with a few of your own. This can easily be done with paper and any form of figure that can be used as a marker. Trivia, Pictionary, memory and charades are also games you can do without having to have an actual game in front of you. Whichever games you choose, make sure it helps the kids learn good sportsmanship and how to follow the rules.
3. Get Outside
If the weather isn’t the cause of your electrical dilemma, then use this time to get outside and play. Of course, even if it is the cause, the weather might not be bad enough to prevent you from enjoying a snowball fight or jumping in the puddles. Since there is nothing to steal away your kids attention, you may try to entertain them with sports or outdoor games. Even relay races may take some of the pressure off of the lack of electricity. Walking, jogging and running is another great option that will keep you warm and allow you to get in some exercise. If you have a pet them take it for a walk too, or simply have a blast playing with it outside. You could even use this time to catch up on lawn work, raking leaves, shoveling the walk and so on. There’s endless options when it comes to the great outdoors, so if you have this option available to you make sure to utilize it. The fresh air will do you good anyhow.
4. Hide-and-Seek
Most children love to play hide-and-seek and even older kids will join in on the game if they’re bored enough. Playing with the lights out can be even more fun as it makes hiding and seeking challenging. Of course, this game will have to be designed based on your family’s boundaries. For instance, if the lack of light and noise is bothering younger children then you may want to play in teams or keep the hiding range contained to one room. If you don’t have these challenges to worry about then the sky is the limit. Your whole family will be able to use their creativity for the game too, which should bring lots of laughs later when you find out all of the crazy hiding places that people chose. Make sure to set safety rules too. Also, you might want to have flashlights for the game, just to avoid any unnecessary danger.
5. Clean Up
The whole family might not be as crazy about this idea, but if you have a messy home to deal with then now is the time to tackle it. If it’s daylight then you’ll have plenty of light to clean, organize and get the home in tip top shape. If not, then a flashlight can go a long way in regards to cleaning. You may send the kids to their rooms to start there. Without the distractions of TV, phones, tablets and videogames you may be surprised as to how much your child can get done. Of course, if they do get distracted it’s because of their amazing imagination, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You might want to take the time to fold the laundry, unload and reload the dishwasher or do some sweeping and mopping. Sure, there’s some chores that need electricity to be accomplished, but you should be able to get a lot of the basics without it. You may even get to organize the filing cabinet, like you’ve been promising yourself you’ll do for months!
6. Tell Stories
When it comes to hanging out with no power, there’s nothing quite like telling stories to one another. You can treat your time without power a lot like you would a camping trip, which should add a bit more fun to the situation. Try sitting around a fire, candles or even just a flashlight. Each person can take turns sharing a story in order to keep everyone entertained. Stories can range from scary to fantasy or even a simple personal story from the past week. You may even want to take turns adding to a story for a fun game that will have everyone laughing. This should help bring people closer together and will allow you to get to know each other a bit better. Also, telling stories will help prevent complaining, which will make the situation even more irritating.
7. Craft
When there’s nothing else to do, it’s time to pull out the craft supplies and get to work. This can be anything from simple color pages to making intricate paintings to hang on the wall. Your craft supplies will be the only limit you run into. Luckily, you can do a whole lot with very little too. If you have paper lying around the house, then making paper planes will be a breeze. This will even allow the kids to fly them while the power is out. Paper hats are another fine option that are great for story telling or allowing the kids to play imagination games while the power is out, or even when it’s back on. Once the popsicle sticks and macaroni art ideas have worn thin, you might want to consider getting a jump on upcoming holiday gifts. If this happens before Christmas, then throw together some mason jar recipes to give out to friends and loved ones. You can also try making book angels, which are usually a favorite during Secret Santa giveaways.
8. Learn a Skill
Working with your children to pick up new skills can be one of the best uses of your time when the power is out. There’s a wide variety of items to choose from too, so you can find something you know how to do that they may also be interested in. One of the most realistic things you can teach your kids is how to sew as this will help them further on in life. Of course, musical instruments, art and crafts and even how to play a game of poker are also great skills to teach when you have nothing else to do. If you’re working on a skill of your own then now is the time to practice it, or at least crack open the book that will show you how to start out. Whatever you do, enjoy having the distraction free time to put your full concentration on the activity.
9. Make Snacks
One of the best thing you can do when there’s no power is to make snacks to help comfort everyone in the home. Of course, this poses a bit of a problem when it comes down to cooking. Obviously, if your power is out then this limits many people’s stoves and even if you have a gas burner you might be shy on light. One of the best things you can do is pull out the ice cream and popsicles and let the kids go to town. Sure, you may be headed for a sugar rush, but at least the food won’t go to waste. Another option is to utilize classic campfire techniques. Simply light up your fireplace, use your outdoor fire pit or even utilize a candle to help out. You can easily make s’mores this way, which tend to be a favorite for many. Another fun option is to make popcorn. You can do this over an open flame too using oil, kernels and tin foil. If you want the kids to try it out on their own, you may even be able to pop a few kernels over a candle.
10. Build a Tent
Another way to keep the family busy while bringing some comfort to the lack of light is to build a tent. Gather sheets and blankets from around the house and use furniture to string everything together. Your imagination will take you far when it comes to a blanket tent, so don’t think twice about getting creative. Even if the tent falls, you still have lots of time to rebuild while you wait for the power to come back on. The great thing about indoor tents is they let kids use their imaginations as they play, which will take their mind off of the electronics they’re missing out on. It also offers a great place for the whole family to hang out, read or sleep. Best of all, if the house is getting colder, the tent will help lock in heat so you won’t feel as uncomfortable.
Dealing with a power outage can be a bit boring for the whole family, especially since so many people are attached to their phones and other electronics. These ten tips will not only keep you busy for free, but they’ll also show you that there are great ways to keep busy that don’t always involve a screen. With a little time away from the tech, your life may change for the better, which is never a bad thing!
