No lights. No TV. Nothing to do—or so you might think. A power outage can be a stressful disruption to your daily life, but it’s also a chance to bond with your family and create memories that will last a lifetime. All it takes is some determination and creativity.
Kids are incredibly adaptable, and it’s only a matter of time before they stop being scared and start getting bored. When that moment comes, outage activities will help you lift their spirits. Keep kids active and engaged, and they’ll be having so much fun they might even be disappointed when the lights come back.
First thing’s first: before you can think about fun, make sure you’re fully prepared for the outage. You can get ready by:
Keep the lights on and the temperature comfortable. With a home standby generator, you can rest assured that you’ll never be without these essential systems. Plus, all those groceries in your fridge and freezer will stay at temp, ready to be whipped into a meal with any electric-based cooking appliances.
There’s a bright side to the darkness: you can make it a key feature of your games. Flashlight tag, shadow puppets and other activities are only fun when the lights are off. That makes outages feel exciting and special instead of scary. Work out nervous energy with a couple rounds of tag. Then, watch your kids giggle as they make dogs and rabbits chase each other on the wall.
When the lights dim at the movie theater, everyone goes quiet. Why? Because shadows mean magic is about to happen. The same is true when you huddle up around a flashlight. The dramatic atmosphere is just right for a good story. Read aloud from a comforting favorite or make up something entirely new. You can even get the kids involved by playing “pass the story”, a game where everyone takes turns adding sentences to an epic tale.
Kids are endlessly creative: just raid your drawers for craft supplies and let them loose. Break out the markers for a classic coloring session, use string to make friendship bracelets or assemble masterpieces with sticks and glue. You can even challenge your kids to learn new skills like origami. Making hats or frogs from ordinary sheets of printer paper is easier than you might think. These are great daytime activities, when your home is full of natural light to work by.
Spend too much time in a house with no lights, and you’ll start to feel like a cave-dweller. That’s when it’s time to step out for some fresh air and sunshine—assuming the weather allows it. Check to see if your local libraries, community centers or pools are open. If they are, you can relax in an air-conditioned (or heated) space and enjoy a change of pace with new activities. If you’re lucky, your power might be back by the time you return home.
For kids, the greatest source of fear is the unknown. They might not understand why the lights are off, or why their familiar comforts aren’t working anymore. You can distract and reassure them by explaining why the outage might be happening in ways they’ll understand. Maybe a tree fell onto the power line. You know the big poles all along the sidewalk? Well, it was really windy just now—maybe one of those trees fell over!
Remind them that home is still home, even in the dark. You can take them on a tour to show them that their surroundings haven’t changed: the couch is still here, the table is there and so on. The important part is to stay present. When your kids are afraid, they’ll look to you for comfort. Stay calm, and they’ll follow your lead. As long as you’re there for them, they’ll be ok.
This might be a good time to spend the night together as a family. You can drag bedding into a central room and pretend you’re having a big sleepover. Grab favorite blankets, teddy bears, toys—anything that will help them feel safe. They might be missing their electronics: TV, video games and more. Sympathize and tell them you miss yours too.
You can’t predict when the power will return, but you can promise them that it’s on its way. If you’re able, check your phone for live updates on your utility company’s website or with our nationwide outage tracker. (Pro tip: keep both bookmarked for future outages.) You can show your kids how repairs are progressing and tell them that people are hard at work to bring you back online. And in the meantime, you can have some fun—after all, power outages don’t happen every day!
Power outages are manageable, but there are ways to make them easier on your family. If you’re missing electricity right now, you can use a portable generator to bring back the comforts you miss the most. Or, get lasting peace of mind and outage-proof your home with a permanently-installed standby generator.
