Some parents have never heard their kids chiming, “I’m bored!” Kids have an uncanny ability to become bored when you least expect it. Despite all that modern technology has to offer, there are still times when children complain that they have nothing to do. By taking a minute to think about it, you and your kids can probably come up with a list of hundreds of things to do when bored.
Although you shouldn’t be expected to entertain your kids all the time, you can suggest some fun things to do when bored at home. Here are some examples to get you started.
Cooking
Kids love to cook, whether baking cookies or grating carrots for dinner. Cooking is great to teach your kids when they say they’re bored. Children especially love to bake, and there are hundreds of simple baking recipes they can choose from to get them started. Even children as young as preschoolers can learn how to measure ingredients, sift flour, crack eggs and mix everything up. Cookies, cakes, brownies, breadsticks and cupcakes are children’s favorites for baking projects.
Cooking is a fun and exciting and practical skill that kids will use again and again as they grow older. Cooking provides opportunities for kids to practice their fine motor skills of peeling, cutting, measuring, pouring, mixing and more. Older kids can help prepare such yummy dishes as raisin bread, burgers, French fries, pizza, cheese pastries, tossed salad, fruit salad, tacos, etc. Cooking is definitely on the top of the fun things to do when you’re bored at home.
Art
Your kids can enjoy hours of coloring, drawing, and painting at home by investing in art supplies. Most kids love to draw and color original pictures for their parents and are always inventing new things to draw when bored. If your kids show artistic skills, you may want to invest in simple art books that teach drawing techniques for sketching people, animals, cartoon figures, landscapes, etc. Artbooks offer many ideas for things to draw when your kids are bored.
Dot-to-dot books are always a hit with younger kids, making it easy to create a “masterpiece” to color or paint and hang on their walls. Art supplies are readily available in any department store and range from crayons to colored pencils, pastels, watercolors or acrylic paints, colored markers, sketch pencils, sketchbooks, coloring books and even chalk. Who can find most of these items at inexpensive prices?
Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts projects also fall under the art category and offer great entertainment for the whole family. Most hobby shops carry arts, and crafts kits for kids of all ages and the Internet is full of ideas you can try. Arts and crafts encompass a wide range of activities, including:
- origami
- paper Mache
- bead kits for making jewellery
- modelling clay
- sewing, weaving, embroidery, knitting and crochet
- wire sculpturing
- stained glass painting
- mosaic and collages and much more
If you and your kids are looking for things to do when bored, arts and crafts offer galore options. Your kids will love the challenge of creating art projects with their own hands, and you’ll appreciate being able to share in the learning experience.
Sports
Active kids will need an outlet for all their energy, and sports can provide just the outlet they need. Not all home activities have to be of the sit-down, creative and relaxing nature. Kids also need action to have a good balance of things to do when bored at home. If you live in a house with a yard, but that space is good to use, teach your kids sports games they can enjoy with family and friends. There are dozens of sports games you can organize at home to include
- volleyball
- soccer
- basketball
- kickball
- softball
- tetherball, etc.
If you have space indoors or in your garage, ping pong makes for great exercise, coordination and fun. Outdoor games and sports offer your kids the opportunity to get fresh air, exercise, and enjoy the fun. Sports also teaches kids coordination, teamwork and sportsmanship skills – all of which they will use throughout their life.
The best part of family sports is sharing in the fun together. By taking pictures of your game playing, you’ll have treasured memories to enjoy for years to come.
Music
As a parent, you can help your kids develop a love for music by playing all kinds of music in your home. You can also encourage your kids to learn a musical instrument such as piano, guitar, flute, drums or violin while young. Many famous musicians and symphony band members began to play when they were small.
Whether it’s singing, composing songs or playing an instrument, children interested in music should be allowed to learn. Helping your child develop his musical talent will keep him from becoming bored.
Family Outings
Family outings should also be on your list of fun things to do when bored. Family outings don’t necessarily mean expensive trips to Disneyland or an extended stay in a vacation resort. Some of the best outings are simplest to plan, like picnics at the park, local beach trips, fishing at a nearby lake, swimming at the community pool, etc.
Gather the kids in the car and have a spontaneous lunch at your favourite burger or pizza joint. Catch a matinee of the newest Disney cartoon. Go rollerblading or ice skating at the local skating rink. Hike through nearby hills or take long nature walks. Find out what your kids like most and treat them to family outings they will enjoy.
Reading
Reading has become a lost art in today’s high tech world of animated movies and computer games. However, it’s a wonderful habit for children to develop. By introducing your kids to classic novels and other wholesome books, you open up a whole new world for them to explore.
Many parents read to their children before bed when they are small; however, the habit is rarely continued once the kids learn how to read independently. Why not substitute wasted TV time with weekly reading nights where you gather your older kids in the living room and treat them to an evening of animated reading of their favorite adventure or mystery classics? Add some popcorn and juice to the occasion to make it special.
Children learn so much by reading at home. Investing in a home library will also help strengthen their reading and comprehension skills to enhance their academic studies. As a parent, you’ll need to make sure your book choices are edifying and age-appropriate. With the wide variety of reading material on the market today, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Board Games
Still, looking for things to do when you’re bored? Try family board games. There are hundreds of kids’ board games on the market today. Many games such as Scrabble, Checkers and Chess have been around for years, while others are new to the market. By choosing wholesome family games, everyone can participate in the fun.
Some games like Chutes and Ladders, Break the Ice and Candyland are designed specifically for younger children. In contrast, others like Monopoly, Taboo and Carmen San Diego are more appropriate for the preteens and teens. Some games can be played simply for fun, while others can also be used as learning tools to enhance math, geography and language skills.
Also Read: What to do When Bored?
These are just a few ideas of things to do when you’re bored. There are many, many more options. Indoors, puzzles, building blocks, Lego and playschool sets, toy animals, dolls, card games and racing cars will keep small children entertained. Outdoors, there’s gardening, paddle pools, bubble blowing, favorite kids’ games like Mr Fox, colored eggs, hide and seek, freeze tag, treasure hunt, and cat and mouse to enjoy.
If you take the time to discover your kids’ likes and interests, you’ll have a better idea of what activities will make them happy. With a little imagination and planning, you’ll soon find that you never run out of things to do when bored.
