There is not a lot that chills a parent to the core faster than the phrase “I’m bored!” especially if this phrase occurs just as the beginning of the summer holidays! There is a lot you can do to entertain bored kids, and this doesn’t mean resorting to screen time, going on expensive holidays – or tearing your hair out and hiding in the bathroom eating all the chocolate. It all depends on what your kids like, and how old they are, but there are literally countless things you can occupy your kids with. Read on for things to do when bored for kids!
What will entertain your children will vary depending on their ages and their interests, and you might have to experiment with a few different ideas before you hit upon the jackpot.
Of course, they will probably switch interests pretty quickly anyway, so it’s always good to have a few different ideas up your sleeve – from board games to outside fun, we’ve got you covered for the best thing to do when bored for kids!
Indoor activities
1 – Obstacle course
Create your kids a brilliant, tiring obstacle course around the house. You can use sofa cushions, clothes airers, beds – anything that creates a fun obstacle to jump over! Your kids will love the fun, and the work out.
2 – Dressing up
This is always an instant hit. Get your box of old clothes, the ones from decades ago that you can’t ever wear in public but can’t bear to throw out, and let your kids go wild!
They will love the experimenting with different, weird outfits, and you will love the chance to get all teary eyed watching the little ones in your old garments.
Alternatively, you can keep a box filled of your children’s favourite dressing up clothes, and get them out on rainy afternoons so that they can be pirates, princesses, or whatever they want to be.
3 – Tea party
There’s nothing more fun or whimsical that creating a tea party for your kids, and for their teddies and toys. You can buy them their very own tea set, or use your own old cups and saucers – just make sure you don’t use the fancy china that you would be upset to see broken!
4 – Guessing games
These are a great introduction into sensory games for children; touching your children’s hands with a mystery object can help improve imagination, increase critical thinking and learning about new objects.
5 – Storytelling
Children have an innate gift for imagination, so getting them to create their own stories can be a really good outlet for all sorts of creativity.
If they are older kids then get them to write the story down – this is good for imagination and for literary skills. For the younger ones, telling the story in their own words will be fun enough.
6 – Arts and crafts
Getting the paints out, and getting a bit messy and creative, is a great way to entertain your little ones – and create some gorgeous artwork for the fridge at the same time!
You can stick to painting and drawing, or you can go a bit more adventurous and make monsters out of cereal boxes (always supervise children with scissors), or build clay models, or make your own slime – the sky’s your limit!
7 – Treasure hunt
This one may take a little planning on your part, but it will be worth it when you watch the joy and excitement on their faces as they follow your clues and find the loot.
8 – Baking
This is a great thing to do with your children. You can enjoy following the recipe, mixing the ingredients, waiting impatiently for the finished product to come out of the oven – then you get all the fun of eating it together too!
Outdoor activities
1 – Water fight
If your kids are moaning for things to do in the summer, it’s easy to fix. Just get them outside in their swimming costume, and grab the hosepipe! Buckets or jugs of water will do just as well; just make sure you keep the fight outside or you’ll end up with a soaked house.
2 – Nature hunt
Take your children out and about, and give them a list of bugs and animals to spot. They’ll be having fun and learning at the same time. Maybe you can enhance the sense of adventure by using walkies-talkies!
Just make sure you pick native wildlife, or they could be searching a long time. No good to have them occupied for as long as it takes for you to have a cup of tea or anything.
3 – Sport activities
There are so many sport activities you can do with your children this summer. My suggestion would be to try something unusual though. What about setting up a punching bag in your garden to practise some boxing?
Boredom jar
This is a great activity for bored kids. On a good day, get your little ones to write down – or tell you to write down – exciting activities that they would really like to do. Write them all on scraps of paper and seal them in a jar, then the next time your kids utter that immortal sentence, you can whip a suggestion out of the jar.
Just remember, you have to be prepared to go through with it!
This activity is great as it encourages your children to take responsibility for their own entertainment. It also allows them to come up with their own games and things that they want to do.
Final words
Kids saying “I’m bored!” may not be the death knell to all fun that you think it might be. There is a lot of evidence to show that kids getting bored is actually quite good for them.
Becoming a bit bored and unable to have their whims instantly gratified is the best fodder for creating self sufficient children, who are able to devise their own games and entertain themselves, needs must.
Obviously, they might need help from Mum and Dad to get them to a point where they can make up their own games – and that’s where all our handy tips can be really helpful.
