• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Adobe Spark

  • Log in
  • Start now for free
  • Adobe Spark
  • Features
  • Pricing
  • Blog
  • Learn more
    • Features
    • Spark Post
    • Spark Page
    • Spark Video
    • Affiliate Program
    • Spark for Business
    • Support

  • Branding Wisdom
  • Education
  • Content & Social Marketing
  • Design Principles
  • News
  • Photography Tips
  • Spark Spotlight
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Trending Ideas
  • Video Storytelling
Select a Category
  • Branding Wisdom
    • Creative Fitness Challenge
  • Education
  • Content & Social Marketing
  • Design Principles
  • News
  • Photography Tips
  • Spark Spotlight
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Trending Ideas
  • Video Storytelling
Home < Trending Ideas

Creative Things to Do While Physical Distancing

Jenell Williams | April 15, 2020 April 15, 2020 by Jenell Williams

While we stay home together, there are many opportunities that you might not have considered taking advantage of. We’re hooking you up with 30+ crowd-sourced ideas to flex your creative muscles while you’re staying safe indoors.

Get Your Dance On

Throw a live concert and dance solo or invite friends to join along virtually using a platform like Google Meet, Zoom, Facetime or any other favorite video call. Invite friends to join with templates like these. Your groove can be as creative as you like, the crowd can amp you up, and you can get your blood pumping. Some of our favorites are Beyonce’s Homecoming on Netflix or Rufus Du Sol’s live recording from Joshua Tree on YouTube. You could even try your hand at making it into a TikTok. Or not. Just boogie!

Send Letters or Postcards

 

Maybe you want to meet your inner Shakespeare, or simply just want to send a sweet note to your friends and family. Show others that you’re thinking about them with a postcard or letter. It can be short and sweet and doesn’t require traveling anywhere except your living room. Grandparents might find this endeavor particularly thoughtful. Regardless, it’s sure to bring a smile to someone’s face. Check out more designs to choose from and send now!

Make a Vision Board

Whether it be for the places you want to travel, your dream job, fitness goals, or anything you want to achieve–get inspired. If you don’t have the supplies at home to print images or magazines to cut them out, make it a virtual vision board. I use Pinterest to build mine because I have endless content to choose from right at my fingertips. Here are some templates to get you started on your own mood board plus tips for creating the perfect design.

Take a Virtual Museum Tour 

You might be surprised to learn that there are still ways to enjoy the cultural experience of a museum from your home. Google Arts & Culture teamed up with museums all over the world to bring you virtual tours of their exhibits. Here are some options to explore. Virtual European palace tour anyone? 

Host a Virtual Wine Tasting with Friends

Host a group chat via your favorite video calling platform like Google Meet, Zoom, or Houseparty.Have each person choose a bottle of wine, pop it open, and toast each other on screen.You can share your favorite and discover new vintages. To take it up another level, make a template on Spark with tasting notes to share. Here are event flyer templates to get you started.

Have a Social Distancing Gathering with Neighbors

Spend time with your neighbors, but from the safety of your own window, patio or yard. You could try having a beverage together, singing, dancing, working out or even playing ping pong. People all over the world are finding unique ways to connect with their communities. Check out some invite templates to get your social distance gathering off to the right start.

Cook and Share a Meal

Want to turn your creation or a family recipe into social media gold? Try whipping up a fun cooking video and sharing it with followers. Here are some helpful tips to make your recipes shine online. Before you know it, everyone will be complementing your Master Chef-esque skills! Amp it up even further with a fun digital cooking invite for quick and easy sharing.

Support a Small Business with Online Classes

Support your local small businesses by taking a class online. You can find everything from yoga, cardio workouts from your favorite fitness studio, and craft schools trying to take their classes online during this time to make ends meet. Have a small business you want to promote? Check out these helpful tips. Here’s a spreadsheet of the fitness studios in San Francisco and Seattle who are going digital. 

Write That Thing You’ve Always Wanted to

Write a novel. National Novel Writing Month happened in March but any time is a good time to write. Are you more musically inclined? Write a song. Cappuccino Brown wrote a song about the current state of things and shared it on Instagram. It’s called, Quarantine and Chill.

Is playwriting more your style? Try your hand at writing a script. Final draft offers a 30 day trial to try out your script writing skills and to see if you love it. They also have helpful info to get you started like this: How to Format a Screenplay.

Learn a Language

Tienes mucho tiempo en tus manos! You have a lot of time on your hands! Many of us have always wanted to learn to speak another language. With this extra time, the stars could be aligned for you to finally do it. The app Duolingo (found in your app store) will send you notifications to help you stay on track throughout the day. Plus, it’s fun and free!

Reorganize Your Furniture

Did you know that you can give your space a whole new look and feel just by moving your furniture around? Check out some creative interior design blogs, and figure out ways you can take what you already have and love, and make it into a totally new experience. Design on a dime? Try “Design with what’s mine!” This video gives you some of the top hacks for rearranging your bedroom.

Expand Your Mind by Taking a Course Online

Many schools are now offering courses online. Whether you want to beef up your existing skills or dabble in something new, you’ll find tons of options to explore available online. Check out Coursera, Kadenze, Edx, Code Academy, and even Khan Academy for inspiration. Spread the word with a colorful social post encouraging registration and to show your support.

Start a Virtual Book Club

You don’t need to be in person to host a successful book club with friends. Virtual book clubs are forming all over. Whether it be with old friends or new ones, it’s a great way to keep your mind active while you stay safe at home. Craft an invite to get friends excited. You could even try joining Seattle’s The Stranger’s Quarantine Club. Time has a great article that helps you with everything you need to start or join a virtual book club. 

Teach Someone Something

View this post on Instagram

Not sure how to serve your audience right now? Unsure of what kind of online course or program to create? Wondering what to say on Instagram stories? How to help more people? . What do YOU wish had existed, a few years ago? Be as SPECIFIC as possible. . This simple question is literally how I’ve thought of every.single.one of my online course topics (with some input from you guys, of course😉) . My struggle with adrenal fatigue —> online course #1 My struggle with being stuck in a job I hated + figuring out how to pay off 5 figures of debt —> online course # 2 Learning how to travel the world AND make a six-figure income at the same time —> online course #3 . If you have been through something personally, you can GUARANTEE that there are hundreds (if not thousands) of other people who are going through the same exact thing. There is purpose in your pain. Now is time to use what you’ve learned to help others. . Online Course Academy™️ is re-enrolling at a special price of $400 off (for the next few days only). Comment below or send me a DM for the link – I won’t be sharing it publicly! . There has NEVER been a better time to create your own online course (since basically the whole world has transitioned to working online in the past few days, lol). If you’ve ever wanted to share your passions with the world in a way that helps people (and makes you $$$….NOW is the time). . . . #maui #mauihawaii #stayhome #stayhomechallenge #staythefuckhome #rebellenutrition #onlinebusiness #digitalnomads #nomadiclife #nomadlifestyle #remoteoffice #locationindependence #digitalnomadlife #socialmediacontent #digitalcontent #creativecontent #onlinecourse #membershipsite #niche #findyourniche #onlinebusiness #minimalism #iinstudent #nutritionaltherapy #nutritionaltherapypractitioner #iin #nutritionaltherapyassociation

A post shared by MONETIZE YOUR WELLNESS BIZ (@rebellenutrition) on Mar 24, 2020 at 1:30pm PDT

What do you know well enough that you could teach to others from the comfort of your couch? Share your gift of crafts, friendship-bracelet making, yoga practice, sign language, gardening, or whatever else your talent is. There’s sure to be an audience ready to watch on their phones or computers. Think to yourself, what would you want to learn? 

Share Your Social Distancing Life on Instagram Stories

Interact with your friends and gain the attention of new followers. Share a little bit about yourself with Spark’s ‘about me’ templates and then tag others to share their answers as well. Check out more Instagram story choices.

Write In a Journal

Create a digital journal or put pen to paper. Share your thoughts, observations, or whatever comes to mind. Journaling can be a good way to let go of anxieties or thoughts that have been stuck in your head all day long. Plus it can be therapeutic to let it out. You can even have some fun like this online one, a la Tom Hanks in Cast Away. 

View this post on Instagram

Me siento Náufrago en mi propia casa. #wilson #papelhigienico #coronavirus #tomhanks #naufrago

A post shared by Rafa Maza (@rafamazactor) on Mar 15, 2020 at 4:18am PDT

Try Online Dating

Online dating has changed overnight. Instead of matching and meeting, you can now get to know someone via video chat or phone calls. Most apps like Bumble, Tinder,  Hinge, and The League now offer this feature. Who knows, maybe you’ll even find a better connection. Maybe the Netflix series Love is Blind had the secret to successful relationships all along.

Hold a Photoshoot

When showering is optional and sweatpants become 98% of your attire, it’s hard to feel your best. Treat yourself to a fun and empowering photoshoot! Don your best duds and take pictures of yourself that make you feel stunning. You could even watch a makeup tutorial online (who better than Rihanna to show you how). You won’t even need professional gear with these quick tips.

How about sharing your photos with your friends and maybe even invite them to have a photoshoot challenge? #Quarantinephotoshoot anyone?

Social Distancing With Kids

If you’re like so many parents staying at home with kids, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered with even more options to choose from!

Explore a Virtual Zoo

Gather the family together on the couch and check out zoos with cameras for the public, like the Cincinnati Zoo’s Virtual Safari. It’s interactive, educational, and fun for everyone.

Start a Wall Mural

Feeling artsy? Choose a wall in the house to paint (or use a large piece of paper) and start a wall mural. Keep it simple or go all out. The choice is yours but just get creative. Here is an example of a simple DIY wall mural.

Build a Giant Kid-Friendly Fort

Bring back childhood nostalgia. Grab a handful of sheets, blankets, and pillows and build a fort. It’s an easy way for everyone to be involved and get active indoors together. Be sure to share pictures of the final product on social media to challenge your friends to build their own! #fortchallenge 

Learn to Play an Instrument

Have an instrument you don’t get to play often? Now’s your time to shine! Blow off the dust and share your music with neighbors, friends or family. Always wanted to learn to play? Check out Garageband or Magic Piano. For younger kiddos, give Loopimal a go. Looking to try a fun beginner analog instrument? Try the kalimba!

Teach Your old (or Young) Dog a New Trick

You’ll be amazed by how many fantastic dog training videos there are on YouTube! Grab a handful of treats, pick something new to try, and spend some quality time with your favorite pooch. Get the kids to help along or pick the trick they want to teach. 

Make a Scrapbook

Look at old photographs, organize your photos and make photo books! Many book printing websites offer online discounts and have easy software to create books easily. Relive your vacations by sharing fun memories with friends and family or finally get those thousands of digital snaps organized!

Host a Virtual Hangout

Redefine togetherness with technology. Dress up in costumes, eat snacks, sing, laugh and connect in whatever way works best. Check out these tips for family chatting online. Help older relatives or friends get set up so that they can join too. Have the kids help create an invite to share on social media to help everyone be a part of the fun.

Get Crafty

View this post on Instagram

I remember doing a similar project when I was a kid so we made our own version with leftover gift tissue paper. All you need is: • paper • a straw • colored tissue paper • brown paint • glue Please tag me and #lauraizhome so I can see your beautiful art if you give this a try! ☺️ #stayathome

A post shared by Laura Izumikawa (@lauraiz) on Apr 1, 2020 at 2:59pm PDT

Use what you already have in the house to create craft magic with your kids. There are tons of videos on Youtube with great ideas to try. Make their imaginations come to life! Check out some more ideas of quick and easy crafts.

Tik Tok with Your Kids

Follow Jessica Alba’s lead and get your Tik Tok on. She’s been recently joining her daughters in their videos and showing off her dance moves. Not sure where to start? Let your kids show you the way. It’s a quick and easy way to connect with them. Plus, it’s a guaranteed giggle.

Try At-Home Science Experiments

Awaken your inner Bill Nye with some easy at home science experiments like these. Messy but fun projects should keep you and your kids busy for hours. Here are some more fun choices.

Start a Family Blog or Newsletter

Share what you’ve been up to during your time together at home with family and friends. Let the kids help by creating their own templates or updates. Make it silly and fun. Spark has great templates to get you started.

Inspiration, Resources, and More

Donate Your Time and Promote Your Favorite Cause on Social Media

Non-profit organizations need your support now more than ever. While you’re not able to donate your time in person, help share the love for them on social media. Create quick posts using Spark. The only limit is your imagination. Your favorite organization will surely appreciate it! Want to help but not sure what to do first? Start with some tips on how to help share your support and then remix to create a template of your own.

Foster a Dog or Cat

Many shelters and pet rescues need help, since they’re closed to the public. Contact them to see what cuddle buddies are available. Fostering will enrich both your life and theirs. Can’t foster? Create a social post to share awareness for a local shelter.

Mentor Someone

It’s such an important time to band together and make a positive impact. If you have the capabilities to help someone, why not? Consider being a mentor, which you can do virtually via video chats or phone calls. Here are some tips on how to be an amazing mentor.

Run for Office

While a run for President isn’t in the cards, it’s never too early to start thinking about the next local, state, or student election. What would you like to see changed? Get your ideas down now while you’re freshly fired up. Boom! There’s your platform. If student council is your goal, here is everything you need to get that win.

Offer a Free Fitness Class to Bring the Community Together

There’s a fitness organization in Spain called Calizumos & Midnight Runners that is being innovative in their approach in light of the current situation. Their trainers are banding together to offer free live training that is interactive and fun:

Share your fitness passion with the world by creating a fun workout for others to follow along to virtually.

Do a Daily Family Art Project

Have you heard of the #The100DaysProject? It’s the brainchild of artist and author Elle Luna, and writer/community-builder extraordinaire Lindsay Jean Thomson. Their goal is to inspire and motivate makers of all kinds to create art daily. Participants choose an action and unique hashtag to share their project on Instagram, and receive weekly prompts to get their creative juices flowing. Other fun ideas to participate in include drawing every day.

View this post on Instagram

DRAWING CLASS! 10am pst here on instagram Live every day this week! (Today’s class was SO FUN. We drew each other and a dog! Everybody did so great. If you missed it it’s in my Instagram story for 24 hrs.) The class is for kids of all ages, parents of kids, parents of parents, aunties/uncles, friends and pets. I thought it would be 5 minutes but seems like it more like 20? Long enough for parents to get a little work done or take a shower and take a couple deep breathes. We’ll do some calming drawing exercises, too. Supplies: paper and pencil, and then you can go crazy with pens and paints later. Classes will be kept in stories for 24 hours! Tag all your drawings and photos from class #drawtogether so we can share our work with each other!! Also check out the amazing @carsonellis for a daily art assignment, and @oliverjeffers who is reading at 11am pst everyday and the fabulous fave @macbarnett who is reading his books at noon pst. The best. Homebound fun and learning for all. We’re all in this together❤️

A post shared by wendy macnaughton (@wendymac) on Mar 16, 2020 at 12:23pm PDT

Or taking a daily selfie (to see how you change), and taking a picture of the same thing everyday to showcase how your perspective changes.  

View this post on Instagram

Hello! I’ll be posting art assignments here every weekday morning when I can. They’ll be designed for kids and grownups alike. If you want to share them, you can use the hashtag #quarantineartclub. I’ll also provide individual hashtags for each exercise so we can see each other’s work. Here is your first assignment: DRAW A SELF-PORTRAIT Draw a picture of yourself from the shoulders up. Then draw a fancy frame around the portrait and write your name at the bottom in nice letters. Swipe to see a useful template. It will help you figure out how to draw a human face – how much space there is between all of its parts and what goes where. Some of the best portraits in the world do not follow these rules and you don’t always have to either. But for this assignment you do. We’re going to do it right. Swipe to see a video tutorial that will help this template make sense. (The green lines are just guides – you should draw them in pencil and erase them afterwards.) Draw on paper and – for everything but the pencil guide lines – use any art materials you want: pens, markers, paint, pencils. You can work in color or in black and white – it’s up to you. While you draw, look in the mirror and ask yourself these questions: What color are my eyes? What shape are they? Are my eyelashes light or dark? Long or short? What color and shape are my eyebrows? Are they thick or thin? Straight or arched? Is my nose skinny? Wide? Crooked? Does is turn up or down? What color is my skin? Do I have freckles? Moles? Scars? Birthmarks? Wrinkles? What color is my hair? Is it long, short, curly, straight? Is my mouth wide? Is it small? Are my lips full or thin? Can I see my ears? Or are they hidden? Sometimes it’s easiest to answer these questions by looking at other people and comparing your features to theirs. That can help you figure out what makes your face uniquely yours. Do this, but don’t make any judgements about how you look. Be like a scientist and study your face as objectively as you can. Okay, have fun! If you want to share or see other people’s self-portraits, use these hashtags: #quaratineartclub
#QACselfportrait

A post shared by Carson (@carsonellis) on Mar 16, 2020 at 6:02am PDT

So, creatives stay in and create, parents act childlike, yogis do your yoga, and introverts call your extroverted friends to check in on them. Do whatever it takes to stay connected and stay creative. The clouds will part, and the sun will come out again. How are you being creative while social distancing? Share by tagging @adobespark!

Related Articles

  • News and Cultural Capital
    Education

    News In The Classroom: Create A News Report Video With Adobe Spark Video

  • Content & Social Marketing Design Principles

    2021 Social Media Design Trends All Small Business Owners Should Know

  • 7 Tips for Building a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy
    Content & Social Marketing

    7 Tips for Building a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy

Tags social distancing creative things to do things to do with kids quarantine creativity creative projects

Like Follow Follow

Make a design

  • Banners
    • Banners
    • Etsy Banners
    • Facebook Covers
    • Tumblr Banners
    • Twitch Banners
    • Twitter Headers
  • Cards
    • Cards
    • Business Cards
    • eCards
    • Postcards
    • Recipe Cards
    • Save the Dates
    • Thank You Cards
    • Valentine’s Day Cards
  • Covers
    • Album Covers
    • Book Covers
    • Magazine Covers
    • Wattpad Covers
  • Flyers
    • Flyers
    • Business Flyers
    • Church Flyers
    • Club Flyers
    • Grand Opening Flyers
    • Party Flyers
    • Real Estate Flyers
  • Invitations
    • Invitations
    • Baby Shower Invitations
    • Birthday Invitations
    • Graduation Invitations
    • Party Invitations
    • Quinceañera Invitations
    • Wedding Invitations
  • Layouts
    • Brochures
    • Collages
    • Menus
    • Pamphlets
  • Posters
    • Posters
    • Campaign Posters
    • Motivational Posters
    • Movie Posters
    • Quote Posters
  • Videos
    • Slideshows
    • Video Intros
    • YouTube Channel Art
    • YouTube Thumbnails
    • YouTube Video Intros
  • Other Designs
    • Backgrounds
    • Certificates
    • Coupons
    • Electronic Press Kit
    • Gift Certificates
    • Gift Tags
    • Labels
    • Letterheads
    • Logos
    • Name Tags
  • Other (cont.)
    • Newsletters
    • Presentations
    • Resumes
    • Social Media Graphics
    • Tickets
    • Wallpapers
    • Websites
    • Wedding Programs

Footer

Products

  • Features
  • Pricing
  • Support
  • Suggest a Feature

Inspiration & Learning

  • Blog

Mobile Apps

  • Spark Post iOS
  • Spark Page iOS
  • Spark Video iOS
  • Spark Post Android

More

  • Affiliate Program
  • Spark for Business
  • Spark in the Classroom
  • Community Guidelines
  • Press
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All right reserved. Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences / AdChoices