Jennifer Garner Has Become a Board Game Pro During Quarantine

From Woman's Day

In a year that has included a global pandemic, strict quarantine orders, a reinvigorated civil rights movement, and a thousand other things guaranteed to cause stress, Jennifer Garner, like most Americans, is on the hunt for joy. "I need something happy," Garner tells Woman's Day.

For Garner, seeking out happiness has led her to reconnect with her inner child. "I've been playing board games every night," Garner says. "Ticket to Ride: Europe. I've never heard of it, I don't even know how it got here or where it started, but we play every night." And it seems the competition is pretty fierce. Garner says her daughter "kills me," adding with a laugh "I don't even know why I show up."

But it's not just board games that have Garner channeling her inner child these days. "My middle daughter and I have secretly been watching America's Funniest Home Videos at night just the two of us," Garner says. "We both say we just need to laugh, we need to see someone get hit in the crotch with a baseball bat."

She's also done a bit of redecorating in order to give some joy to her kids, too. "I removed the carpet, and I moved all the furniture out," Garner says. "I've been trying to teach my kids to double dutch in our front hall." Jump-roping inside the house definitely elevates Garner's cool mom status (though the idea was partially propelled by the ongoing California wildfires that have made going outside a no-go due to the terrible air quality). "They get really grumpy with me," Garner laughs. "But I'm like 'Come on we've got this! We're gonna do it.'"

And when she's not playing games, watching silly videos, or acting as a stand-in PE teacher in her own front hallway, Garner is sharing videos on her Instagram that are sure to spread joy to others. Whether it's videos from her garden, story time with her dog Birdie, or her fun "Pretend Cooking Show," her Instagram has become a feel-good corner of the internet. And though Garner's kids have gone back to school online and she's balancing various businesses, projects in development, and charity work, Garner remains dedicated to finding joy and sharing it with others.

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