As a teenager, I prayed for a time when school holidays would last 3 months. It never happened for me but your situation is not the same. You now have 5 months of unplanned time and you’re wondering what to do during that period.

5 months is a long time during which you can build your character. Your character is a sum of your abilities; your ability to motivate yourself and persist with a task to completion along with your ability to concentrate and be disciplined out of free-will.

Time to build your character

Whatever the outcome of the activities you choose to take up, you will start building your character because there are learnings almost everywhere. Plus, staying busy will put you at a greater advantage over those who might just choose to spend the 5 months watching Netflix, playing PS and sleeping all day.

Here are 15 or so things you can do at home in 5 months or less that will make you a better person by the time you go back to school after the pandemic is contained.

1. Learn how to play a Music Instrument.
2. Become a DJ
3. Teach yourself a new language.
4. Take up online classes. There are many free resources that you can use to enroll for free online classes in just about anything you might be interested in.
5. Help out at your parent’s business. You will b spending quality time with those you love, learning about business operations and staying out of trouble at the same time.
6. Learn how to drive. Ask your parents or guardians whether this is possible. If they agree, you will definitely enjoy this activity. Learning how to drive is fun. It’s also an essential skill that can save lives.
7. Make a short film on a smartphone. This is the time to start your journey to becoming a prolific film producer or director. You can share your films with friends and family or even the whole internet if you feel you have something important to share with them. Remember to exercise caution and restraint about the content you share online.
8. Start a business. While you might not be legally allowed to conduct business, you can still find value to offer to the community around you. Business is basically exchanging value for value.
9. Teach an online class. If you have a talent for certain subjects, you can impart your knowledge to other learners through online classes. Who knows, some might even be willing to pay a small fee for your tutor services.
10. Write a blog. You can write about your experiences at home, other activities you’re doing, fictitious stories to entertain your audience or even poetry and music.
11. Get an internship at a business in a career line you’re interested in. It will not only teach you about how businesses run and how different departments interact but also expand your network which is an important part of career success.
12. Start working out and eating healthy. Health is important for you to enjoy everything else. Good health is the reason many people in the world have temporarily given away their freedoms and rights.
13. Learn how to paint from YouTube. Artists envision the future. If you want to join the leagues of great Kenyan artists like Michael Soi and Gaddo, you have to practice a lot. Start now.
14. Plant trees in demarcated areas around your village or town. In a bid to achieve ten per cent forest cover by 2022, the national government asked The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to ensure tree seedlings are available for rehabilitation of degraded forests. Visit your local KFS forest office to find out more about planting trees.
15. Learn how to dance from the internet. Dancing is a great stress relief mechanism. There are so many dance styles in the world that if you picked a different dance style to practice every day, you wouldn’t be done changing styles at the end of 5 months.
16. Take in a new pet. Having a pet to take care of is a fun and fulfilling way of spending your time. Depending on your choice of pet, some need lots of daily care and attention. If you don’t feel sure that you will be able to take care of a pet, do not get one.
17. Stay up to date with local politics. Most young people will tell you they don’t care about politics. If you find a friend who says the same remind them that the origin of the word politics is the word ‘polis’, Latin for ‘community’. Politics is life and life is politics.
18. Cultivate a sense of gratitude. It is important to appreciate and acknowledge what we have. It puts the power and control over how we feel back in our hands because what we’re grateful for is something only we can control. A bed. Good health. Peace of mind. Friends. Small things shape our days and ultimately our lives.
19. Read as many books as possible and write a short summary of every book. It will not only be beneficial to your learning, it will also help you expand your thoughts and get new ideas to help you become a better version of yourself.
20. Build relationships with people through conversations, social media and other social communication platforms. Relationships with the right people are some of the most important things in life. The value of good relationships only becomes clear over the long term so begin building them now.