Unique (and FUN!) Things To Do When Bored
How many times have you needed ideas on things to do when bored for kids?
It’s inevitable, you’re going to need things to do when your bored for kids at home and dealing with bored kids is very trying.
It happens, our kids get bored sometimes and you need some ASAP fun activities for kids at home (especially for those wishy-washy tweens!).
What can a kid do when they are bored at home?
- Create a bucket list of local places you want to visit. (Search “weird landmarks near me” for some cool things!)
- Research your family ancestry online.
- Create stop motion videos with things you find around the house.
- Have a cookie decorating contest (and give prizes for different categories like messiest, most creatives, etc.!).
- Listen to family podcasts. (See our kid podcast recommendations.)
- Watch a LEGO documentary and build have a Lego building contest while watching!
- Kids won’t put down their phones? Play Draw and Guess with the entire family.
- Have an indoor dance party complete with light-up jazz hand gloves (and shoes!).
- Study or read about an artist and recreate their art. Have a contest and give out prizes.
- Grab some of these sketchbooks and create art that will become part of an art exhibit and art library! (FOR REAL!)
Don’t miss 27 more when bored what to do ideas including our ultimate boredom buster idea later in the post! KEEP SCROLLING!
Before we get to our complete list of boredom-busting ideas or the ultimate list of things for kids to do when they’re bored, I want to talk to you a little bit about the benefits of boredom.
How do I entertain my child at home?
What if I told you that you really don’t need to entertain your child at home?
(Stay with me here…)
GET THIS: There are proven benefits of letting your child be bored.
THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID THE BENEFITS OF BOREDOM.
I know you’re itching to get to those activities for kids that say “I’m bored!” but allow me a moment, will you?
(I think you’ll be shocked with what we uncover about being bored!)
THINK ABOUT THIS:
We fill every second of every single day in this fast paced world.
We pack our days until they are overflowing into other days, and then we pack those days full, too . . .
. . . until we end up with overscheduled children (and parents!)
(I’m guilty, too!)
PARENTS: LISTEN TO ME
Your kid is too busy!
(And, so is mine!)
We have lessons at home, and then we have classes outside the home.
Add in other extra activities, play dates, field trips, meet-ups and more and, well, there really isn’t time to just . . . be.
(Is this sounding familiar? Is your child too busy?)
All of this leads to one thing: My kid is almost never bored.
There’s no lounging around and complaining, “Mom! I’m bored!”
As a matter of fact, my kid saying that she’s bored is rare.
It’s unusual that I have to come up with responses to “I’m bored!”
I mean . . .
How can it be that my child almost never experiences boredom?
(It seems like it would be a benefit, right?)
And, sadly, it used to be something I was kinda proud of until . . .
. . . I did some reading on the topic that I realized just how much why boredom is good for your child and what does boredom do to the brain.
(For real, you guys. Check this out. . .)
The Surprising Benefits of Boredom
What are the benefits of being bored?
Are there positive effects to boredom?
Surprisingly yes.
And, that thing where I have to expose my kid to a huge range of classes and experiences, like, all the time?
Yeah, that’s probably not such a great idea.
The non-stop controlled learning isn’t such a great idea.
Of course, it makes sense when you start to think about it.
I mean, I already know that flexibility and allowing things like free play for creativity are good things.
But, did you know that allowing that feeling of boredom can actually be motivational?
(Um, what?!?)
About Boredom
According to Psychology Today, “children who experience a lack of programmed activity are given an opportunity to demonstrate creativity, problem solving, and to develop motivational skills that may help them later in life.”
Boredom helps develop internal stimulus, which allows true creativity.
Dr. Lyn Fry, an educational psychologist, reminds us that our role as a parent is to ensure that our children are happy, contributing members of society.
One of the ways to do this is to allow children to learn how to occupy their time and become comfortable with who they are without having to always be directed what to do and how to act.
She goes on to say, “If parents spend all their time filling up their child’s spare time, then the child’s never going to learn to do this for themselves.”
WATCH THIS VIDEO: Benefits of Boredom for Kids
Watch this video: How to Be Bored and Brilliant!
Busting Boredom
Then, what do you do the next time your child says, “I’m bored!”?
Psychology Today says:
“The antidote to boredom is to provide children with an environment that lets them experience autonomy (the ability to work a little on their own), control (the right to have a say over what they do), challenge (a small push beyond their comfort zone), and intrinsic motivation (the motivation comes from inside them).”
So, stop packing that schedule full and be sure that you allow some time for boredom and for your kids bored at home.
It will only benefit your homeschooler in the long run!
27 CREATIVE Boredom Busting Ideas for Kids To Do
We get it, some kids will need a little more help in transitioning to a down-time schedule with more flexibility.
(And, you probably will, too!)
In the meantime, try out these bored things to do that still foster creativity and allow kids to learn without even knowing it!
Here’s how to keep a bored child busy and things to do with kids bored…
Things To Do When Bored At Home
What do I do with my kids all day?
Stay at home kid activities:
- Create a crazy holiday
- Make your own t-shirt decals and create tshirts.
- Cook with your kids
- Paint gratitude rocks
- Play the plastic wrap ball game.
- Do an outdoor scavenger hunt. (Get a free printable here)
- Let kids clean out their closet and toys and sell the items on Facebook Marketplace (and they get to keep the money!).
- Call your kids outside and surprise them with a shaving cream and silly string fight. (Have the hose and towels handy!)
- Make a fairy (or gnome) garden.
- Play flashlight tag at night (indoors or outdoors!).
- Make a DIY bird feeder (with things you probably have around the house!).
- Make popcorn garland to string in trees outside for birds and animals.
- Go on a virtual museum field trip online.
- Create a ninja obstacle course with things you find around the house.
- Play video games together.
- Have a family science fair where everyone chooses a science project and presents it to the family.
- Play Finish The Drawing where you pass the paper and each person adds a part to the drawing.
- Create a tie-dyed pillow case.
- FaceTime / Zoom / Skype relatives or friends.
- Dress up as characters from your favorite books or shows and see if people can guess.
- Print out pictures from your phone and let everyone create a mini scrapbook.
- Download Free Nintendo crafts.
- Read a book with kids and let them make sound effects of what’s happening in the book.
- Make a terrarium or diorama.
- Have a blindfold taste test to see if everyone can guess the foods.
- Play What’s In Ned’s Head? (One of our FAVORITE games! See our complete list of 58 board game ideas recommended by fellow parents! It’s a great list of games to play when bored!).
- Create busy bags. (Get homeschool busy bag directions here.)
LET US KNOW YOUR FAVORITE KIDS’ THINGS TO DO WHEN BORED IN THE COMMENTS!
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