10 Ways to Stay Entertained During an Emergency or Disaster

So, you’re in the middle of an emergency or disaster and you’re bored. Entertainment is seldom talked about in the prepping world because it’s seen as more of a distraction than a necessity.

People seem to think that during an emergency or disaster, you’ll be constantly running around like a chicken with your head cut off unable to sit down and play that game of monopoloy.

This simply isn’t true.

We’re not talking about doomsday here, though even if we were, I’d still say that entertainment is needed. People have needed entertainment since the beginning of time. Throwing rocks, writing on walls, performing plays, playing music, etc. Entertainment is a cornerstone of survival; it’s all part of keeping up positive morale.

Here are 10 entertainment ideas so we don’t go insane during hard times:

1. Board games – Always a hit
2. Conflicted card game – Maybe not suitable for small kids, but is a fun card game to pass the time
3. Card games – General card games are always fun
4. Dollar store crafts – Go to the dollar store and get a bunch of crafts and make a ’emergency craft box’
5. Books – Not just eBooks, but actual books. Picture books, activity books, novels, etc. Read out loud to each other
6. Battery powered DVD player – Watch some movies with a battery powered DVD player
7. Build a fort – Kids or not, building forts inside is a lot of fun, you could also setup your tent inside and pretend to camp
8. Put on a show – Improv or write some short scripts and perform some skits
9. Nerf war – I mean, do I really need to explain how fun these are? :)
10. Treasure hunt – Fun for all ages! Could also be good ol’ hide and seek

There’s an endless amount of things that we can do during an emergency or disaster to keep ourselves entertained. Depending on the situation, you could even go outside and hunt for crickets or play hide and seek outdoors or whatever. It depends on the type of emergency or disaster, age ranges and abilities of people in the household and what you have available to you.

Plan your entertainment options now by placing specific entertainment items in a box that are only for blackouts, emergencies and disasters. This way it’s all new stuff and new ideas, it’s all exciting and fun, instead of just the same ol’, same ol’.

I would also highly recommend that everyone get together one night a week for a ‘family night’. Everyone stays off any and all devices to play board games, card games, etc.

What are some other entertainment ideas?