Socially Distant Activities with Kids During the Pandemic

I feel silly writing this post because I have been very isolated during this pandemic. This post is coming from a mama who is terrified of COVID. I’ve been inside with my son since March and haven’t made it out to anywhere public in a long time. But, I feel like the past few weeks I’ve been open to going out a little more as a family. So, I know there has to be another mama out there who is also nervous to leave her house and I want her to know she’s not alone! I’ll share the places I’ve felt OK going and maybe it’ll help another mama get out. I’m also going to share a few things I’ve purchased to use at our house to make going outside a little bit more fun for my son. That way the mamas that aren’t ready have a few ideas because I get that too. One day at a time! So, here are a few places I’ve been during the pandemic where I didn’t feel like I was exposing my son too much to others and where I didn’t feel like I was putting him in danger.

1. Plane field. We live near 2 large cities, less than 30 minutes away from each. When we’re outside I noticed my son loved the (very few) planes that flew over our house. So, I started looking up parks near airports. I figured there had to be somewhere we could watch the planes. About 1 minute into searching I found a park that was made for plane watching! There was also a playground (which we did not use) and a walking trail. So, we packed up the stroller, grabbed our face masks and off we went. It was so fun and our son loved it. I was able to stay socially distant from everyone we walked by and every had masks. We were able to sit off to the side and watch a few planes land and it was fantastic. It was the first public place I had been to since COVID started and I felt okay. So, I’m not a fan of playgrounds right now, but what kid doesn’t want to see a big plane land or take off?! Start googling parks near your closest airport or even parking lots, and bring a picnic for a nice outting with the fam.

2. Like I said, I’m not a fan of playgrounds right now so I’m trying to find parks and places to go without toys so that my son doesn’t feel like he’s missing out on them. So, a park with horses it is! We pass this farm almost every weekend and not once did I realize there was a trail right next to the horses. A trail may seem boring but add in some big horses and I think your kiddos will love it!

3. Walks. Walks may sound boring, but for me it’s something I try to do everyday with my son to get out of the house + exercise. But we don’t use a stroller – we use his truck! He seems to like it a lot better than a stroller, and I can see him better. Here’s a link to the truck we use. 

4. Swing! One of the first things I bought once this pandemic started was a swing for our yard. If you have a big tree, this swing is for your little one! My son loves it and it’s not too expensive. Highly recommended for a daily activity that will get your little one outside + smiling!

These may not seem like huge activites and maybe some obvious choices, but for someone who’s been super isolated during this pandemic, these are huge outings for me! I hope you are able to find some planes (maybe more city people?!) or horses on a farm (country, burbs?!) and can have a great day with your little one. Or, if you’re not feeling up to leaving, maybe a nice walk or swing on the front porch will do!

✨mkb