Keep Kids Busy During Quarantine by Zodiac Sign

How do you keep kids busy during quarantine with so much time in the day? Play to their strengths (and know the challenges) of their zodiac signs.

by The AstroTwins

Using the four elements of the zodiac wheel—fire, earth, air, and water—here are ideas for how to keep kids busy during quarantine guided by the traits of each zodiac sign.

If your child’s natal chart is heavier on one of the four elements—or you want to enhance the energy of one of the elements—feel free to go beyond their Sun sign element and choose from any of these suggestions.

Fire Signs: How to keep kids busy during quarantine who are Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Fire signs are typically very active and energetic. They are all about being part of the excitement. Try to get them involved in a project in any kind, collaborative or independent. Projects that have a clear outcome are ideal, as these kids can be competitive and love a good victory lap!

Challenges for Fire signs

Movement restrictions are tough on a Fire sign kid. A quick bike ride or a 20-minute jump on a trampoline before school-at-home starts is a good way to fan a Fire sign’s flames before the day begins. These signs also generally have less patience and may become frustrated or bored more quickly than their siblings of other signs during the Groundhog Days of quarantine. Try to recontextualize things for your Fire sign so they aren’t focusing so much on what they’re missing or deprived of (i.e., school, the ability to go out and play) or fixating on when things will “get back to normal.” Diving into a project helps create a positive reinforcement reward system that keeps them interested and motivated.

Fire signs who miss their friends may have embraced replacing human contact with technology and are having frequent FaceTimes. If the two-dimensional world of chitchat gets stale, encourage them to mix things up on their next call with a shared board game, baking project or workout.

Activity ideas for Fire signs

If crowded quarters allow, let your Fire sign kid spread out, even make a bit of a mess (clean up can be a project, too!). Giving them space to hammer away at something, or punch an inflatable lawn toy or bean bag, are great physical activity ideas right now. With warmer spring weather arriving in many climates, Fire signs can take these activities outside where their need for speed can be satisfied. Bonus: You’re not pulling your hair out trying to keep them contained to the same four walls you need for a relatively peaceful Zoom work conference call.

Cooking, meal prep or baking are other good Fire sign activities. If they’re not oven-ready, put them on snack duty for the family, or take this opportunity to teach them basic knife safety skills so they can slice apples, for example. Let them be your grill assistant or in charge of putting together the fixings for toasting s’mores on a backyard fire (and definitely hunting for roasting sticks).

Older Fire signs, like middle and high school children (or college ones who are home right now), could be put in charge of recess or gym for the younger ones.

Earth Signs: How to keep kids busy during quarantine who are Virgo, Taurus, Capricorn

Earth sign kids keep it real. These are the little ones who are most likely to tell it to you straight, starting at an early age. If you find they’ve turned inward and you’re having to coax them out of their shells, they may just need a nudge to redirect their energy.

Challenges for Earth signs

Creatures of habit, Earth signs crave consistency. With their world upended, it’s important to follow routines as much as possible, even if those change week-to-week. One way to do this is to let your child co-create their schedule, so they feel empowered. Bonus: This can help you hold them accountable if they drift into laziness or resistance.

Earth signs also respond positively to rewards. You may want to use an incentive system to chart progress with stars or points for completing schoolwork or chores. Prizes don’t have to be “stuff” (even though Earth signs love their possessions). You could give extra screen time or dibs on choosing the next family movie—instead of being saddled with longer delivery times or purchases that eat into your tightened budgets.

Many Earth sign kids could use a little extra help managing their worry and anxiety now. This is hard to do when we harbor our own, but talking things out with an Earth sign can help them see both sides of a situation. Realists by nature, they’re empowered by an age-appropriate understanding of the good and bad of life. But don’t dwell! Encouraging them to be more playful and spontaneous can help lift these worrywarts’ spirits. If you’ve ever struggled to get out of your own head, you will understand exactly what an Earth sign child feels but may be unable to vocalize.

Activity ideas for Earth signs

Breaking routine with free or unplanned time is essential for an Earth sign kid’s wellbeing. Some quality solo time can really improve an Earth sign’s mood, especially if they’re around demanding siblings a lot. These are the kids who might make a tree fort outside and play in it for hours.

Building or fixing things is an Earth sign forte. What do you have around the house that needs some TLC? Your child could jump into some YouTube tutorials and have that sink leak fixed by dinnertime.

Earth signs also can be placed in charge of meals, or help plan them (and make them) depending on their age. Middle school and high school Earth signs, and especially college-age ones, can try being chef for one entire meal, conception to completion. You could put them in charge of cabinet/pantry inventory and building the Instacart shopping list.

Bonus: Useful life skills can be learned in quarantine! One dad we know taught his second-grade daughter to make eggs and coffee in the morning while mom was under the weather. She’s still hanging onto that job even though her mother’s all better! If there’s one thing an Earth sign is capable of doing, it’s embracing responsibility and turning new things into habits. Just show them the way to the coffee maker and you’ll have a perfect brew for life.

 

Air Signs: How to keep kids busy during quarantine who are Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Air sign kids love to get swept up into an adventure, to go wherever the wind blows. They may be feeling the stress of restriction and isolation harder than their siblings of other signs. They are the social butterflies who’ve been forced to park their wings in the hangar. The good news is, these are the signs that fully embrace technology and the virtual world, which has certainly gained vital importance during our collective shutdown.

Challenges for Air signs

Air sign kids are most likely to be your go-to IT specialists during the lockdown. Don’t know how to change your Zoom virtual background? Ask an Air sign. The downside? These ultra-social zodiac signs can feel the acute loneliness of quarantine. A screen can only provide so much human connection, no matter how many likes their TikTok videos get. These kids may miss their adoring fans the most. While social media can help fill their tanks, some unplugged time (and fresh air!) to recalibrate is important. Air sign kids who struggle with being alone could try guided meditation for centering, kids’ yoga or breathing exercises to get their batteries back up to full charge. Crafts and art projects can also keep their minds and hands occupied.

Activity ideas for Air signs

“The more the merrier” is how Air signs roll. Encourage these kids to take initiative on Zoom calls or Google Hangouts with friends after class time; maybe to host an interactive FaceTime playdate scavenger hunt. Want to document this unprecedented time in your family’s history? Find an empty journal or notebook and designate your Air sign as the historian. Or, your child could collect news from classmates and start a “Quarantine Gazette” style newsletter using graphic design software like Canva. As natural crowdsourcers, Air sign kids love gathering and sharing information—movie or book recommendations, meal ideas or choreographed dance moves.

Older Air sign kids can help with tutoring, and maybe earn some extra cash doing it. One college student we know is doing FaceTime lessons for kids whose parents are unable to sit with them to complete school assignments during the day. The bonus is the kids get their work done pretty quickly while they’re focused with a tutor and aren’t tempted to drag it out All Day Long. And a big brother/big sister tutoring relationship is beneficial for both. Air sign kids may also embrace their music lessons moving to video conference, or pick up an additional instrument during this time.

 

Water Signs: How to keep kids busy during quarantine who are Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Water sign kids are the sensitive dreamers, often wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and probably of all the signs, absorbing all the anxious energy of the world to epic proportions. They may worry excessively about relatives getting sick, or fret about fissured bonds with friends, teachers, even the lunchroom monitor or custodian. (Yes, they care!) What a Water sign kid needs right now is to be reminded of their present well-being. Emphasize what they can control (and what they cannot) and focus on creating emotional stability for them.

Challenges for Water signs

In addition to absorbing everyone’s feelings, a Water sign kid may fold inward if given too much alone time. Check in with your Water sign kids, who may hiding in their blanket fort, staring into space during their schoolwork, or reading the same paragraph of their textbook over and over. A teachable moment for a Water sign kid during quarantine is to impress upon them the differences between fear and reality. Get them unstuck by showing them how to acknowledge their emotions without getting mired in them. The saying “feelings aren’t facts”—even if they feel like it—could be a guiding mantra.

Activity ideas for Water signs

Is this quarantine an opportunity to adopt a new fur family member? Taking care of a pet is a great outlet for a Water sign kid. These kids will rise to the occasion if put in charge of walking, bathing and general care of a new pet. If the idea of adding a four-legged family member stresses YOU out, maybe your Water sign kid could take care of a garden instead, watering and weeding. Or, expand their chore list to include tasks with water, like mopping or washing windows, or doing the dishes.

Because Water sign kids embrace process-oriented tasks as well, these are the kids who, if shown a pattern for a mask, could be whipping them up in no time for family and friends. Or, they might be motivated to start a small collective in their town to get masks to people who need them, particularly now with states adding mandates that masks be worn in public.

Older Water sign kids can be your go-to babysitters, although be careful not to take advantage of their good nature in this area, especially if they’re good at it! All Water sign kids need some creative outlet time as well, painting (especially watercolor), writing inspirational messages with chalk on your driveway or sidewalk, crafting, or just being alone to read or journal. Your Water sign kid might also be the one you tap for a photo essay or scrapbook to document this time in your family’s history. Make sure to keep them physically active too. Emotions can get stuck in our bodies, and a good bout of exercise—coupled with play—could put things into perspective.

Learn more about your child’s zodiac sign traits in our Children’s Horoscopes on Astrostyle.com

Photo credit: Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash