1. To keep in touch with loved ones, make sure you have Skype, Zoom, Discord or Google Hangouts downloaded for video chats. Zoom in particular has grown hugely in popularity during this pandemic, racking up almost 20 million new mobile users in the last week alone. (…I guess you could say that a virus made it go viral?)
2. Another video chat platform that’s soared to the top of the charts is an app called Houseparty. This has the added feature of fun party games that everybody in the chat can compete in on their device, making it perfect for a weekend hangout.
3. If (virtual) movie nights are more your thing, Netflix Party syncs up video play for you and your friends, and provides an added group chat function so you can all watch and chat along together.
4. Over on Twitter, comedian and Taskmaster co-host Alex Horne is running the #HomeTasking challenge. Throughout each week, he’ll be setting three new challenges for anybody on Twitter to take part in from home. The top 5 entries for each task are rewarded points by “the Taskmaster” (comedian Greg Davies), and they then get placed on a leader board.
5. Speaking of celebs, Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski is currently posting daily Instagram episodes of his quarantine cooking series, Quar Eye. If you’re into cooking then his recipes are something fun to try yourself – and even if you’re not, it’s worth tuning in just to see his beautiful face.
6. On the topic of Instagram, Brian May has started giving guitar tutorials for some of Queen’s biggest classics via IGTV.
7. Budding musicians can also make the most of Fender’s offer for three months of free online guitar, bass or ukulele lessons here.
8. If dancing's more your style, dance troup and Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity are offering their online dance classes for free until the start of May, with classes ranging from beginner to advanced levels.
9. You can also keep fit with TV presenter Davina McCall, who's offering a 30-day free membership to her online gym, which hosts hundreds of workouts; yoga, dance and Pilates tutorials; as well as a number of wellbeing articles and healthy recipes.
10. Bored out of your mind? Then you need the Bored Button! Every time you press the button, you’ll be taken to a random, fun and interesting web page.
11. When you’re being inundated with depressing news, it’s important to balance it out with some feel-good stories. Luckily for us, The Office's Josh Krasinski has launched a YouTube channel, "SomeGoodNews", dedicated solely to – you guessed it – reporting good news.
12. For more, you can find daily good news stories over on Positive News, the Good News Network, or the Reddit thread, Uplifting News.
13. If you're feeling overwhelmed, one of my favourite mental health apps, Sanvello, is providing their premium service for free during the COVID-19 crisis. The app has a huge number of brilliant features, including daily health and mood tracking, goal setting, coping techniques, wellbeing assessments, and master classes in meditation and journalling.
14. Another excellent mental health app, Calm, has just released a compilation of free coping resources to help people through the pandemic. The app itself has a variety of free and premium features, such as meditation programmes, relaxing music, and soothing audio sleep stories read by the likes of Stephen Fry and Matthew McConaughey.
15. Streaming sites are perhaps an obvious choice to mention, but Disney+ dropped on the first day of lockdown and is packed with classic Disney and Pixar content, as well as Disney-owned franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and even The Simpsons. You may just be surprised to discover how many shows and movies Disney actually owns, so take a look at this list if you’re curious about what’s on offer. The service costs £5.99 per month or £59.99 for the year, or you can sign up here for a free 7-day trial.
16. It’s not just films and TV shows that you can stream online, either. WhatsOnStage have compiled a list of all of the musicals, dance shows and theatre productions that you can now watch for free from your device.
17. And after paying a virtual visit to the theatre, take a virtual tour around a museum, zoo, aquarium or theme park by checking out Good House Keeping’s list of the very best here. (Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Disney World!)
For the kids
If you’re at home with children, there’s also plenty available online to keep them both entertained and educated.
1. Fitness coach Joe Wicks (AKA The Body Coach) is running free P.E. lessons on his YouTube channel, which go live at 9am each weekday, but can be watched at any time. Although they’re aimed at kids, you’ll probably find that they’re fun for all ages!
2. If you need help teaching your child maths, former Countdown host and maths guru Carol Vorderman has come to the rescue! While schools are closed, she’s offering free access to her online maths school, The Maths Factor, aimed at children aged 4 to 11.
3. For music lessons, former Hear’Say singer and classically trained musician Myleene Klass has launched her free online “Music Klass”. Subscribe to her YouTube for two classes at 10am on Monday and Friday, plus a lullaby session on Wednesday evenings.
4. Meanwhile, comedian and beloved children’s author David Walliams is releasing a free audio story daily for the next 30 days. Click to listen here and check back for more every morning at 11am.
5. Until the end of June, Minecraft are offering 12 free interactive digital lessons, which include creative writing tasks, coding puzzles and building challenges, as well as virtual tours of historic sites and the International Space Station. From renewable energy to marine biology to Greek history, you can check out everything their Education Collection offers here. Minecraft: Education Edition is available for download here.
