9 Boredom Busters To Keep Kids Busy, And Keep Mommy Sane
The kids are home and I’m about to lose it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my little hyperactive, feral children, but I’m about to lose my mind.
If my son asks for ONE MORE extra meal, or my daughter proclaims AGAIN in that piercing, whiny voice, “I’m bored,” I’m going to lose a little more than just my mind! They are going stir-crazy, and making me bananas.
Here are 9 boredom busters to keep kids busy, and keep mommy sane.
Hopefully the kids will get so engrossed in these activities, they will calm it for half a minute so I don’t lose it. Hopefully you will find some use in them, too!
9 Boredom Busters To Keep Kids Busy, And Keep Mommy Sane
1. Obstacle Course
This doesn’t take long to set up, and you can use things you have around the house to get it ready. It can be done indoors if the weather is bad, but preferably the kids would get sunshine and fresh air by doing this in a safe location outside. Use chairs, hula hoops, step ladders, jump ropes, and maybe cans to run around. Really, the ideas are limitless. A quick Google search can give you some good ideas if you have lost your sanity enough at this point to be creative.
2. Mini Regatta
WARNING: this could get messy. You can set this up indoors in a bathtub, or outdoors in a kiddie pool. All you need to do is fill either large container with about 4 – 6 inches of water. Then let your kids’ imaginations go wild building boats. Supply them with things like aluminum foil, paper, pipe cleaners, crayons, glue, or whatever you might have on hand. Let them race their “boats” in the water when they’re done creating.
3. Talent Show
Tell each child they have an hour (or however long you want) to practice their talent. Then make a big deal about this “show.” You can even hand out prizes if you want. Cookies or a sweet treat are often a fun rewards.
4. Sidewalk Chalk
You can get this cheap at most any big store. My kids love to make hopscotch games on the cement with the chalk. They also like to split up the cement walkway into squares and draw a different scene in each square. Sometimes they trace each other on the driveway with the chalk, and then fill in all their features, including clothes, with the chalk.
5. Scavenger Hunt
This can be done inside, outside, or a combination of the two. Put items on the list that are age appropriate. If the child can’t read, you can draw an item on paper. Or, if you are like me, with NO artistic talent, you can cut pictures out of magazines , and glue the pictures to paper. You can be straightforward: a flower, a rock, a red pencil, etc. You can also make it a little harder: find something fuzzy, something rough, something purple, etc. My kids love this, and I often have to make several versions for them.
6. Wash a car
This may seem like manual labor, but it can be fun! Get the kids in their bathing suits, use a garden hose or bucket of water, give them each a soft sponge, and let them have at it. Keep in mind, it won’t be perfect. The goal isn’t a perfectly clean car, it’s occupied and happy children. You can even make a game of it. See who can wash all the windows on their side first, or see who can wash thier whole side first. Use your imagination here. The kids will love it!
7. Relay Races
This is pretty self explanatory. Have the kids start at one point and race a distance to another point. Make it fun though. Have them do things like run backwards. Maybe you can have them run, touch a tree, run around the garden gnome, and then back. They might have to hop the whole way, or bear crawl the whole thing. It’s up to you. Just keep it fresh and fun.
8. Paint with water
This activity requires different sizes of paint brushes and a bucket of water. The kids can “paint” with the water on the driveway or any solid surface. The sun will dry the picture they have painted with the water, and it will disappear. They can “paint” any picture, have it disappear, and then “paint” something else. This is also great for children learning letters. They can draw letters over and over again.
9. YouTube brain break
Luckily, we can get YouTube on our television. It would work just fine on a computer, too, however. Just do a quick search for fun children’s songs or silly children’s songs. You can find “stations” that have a continuous play. Even my older daughter gets into the Hokey Pokey and Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!
The good thing about these activities, they don’t just have to be on school breaks. They can be done on a lazy weekend, or as a reward after school and homework! Have any other fun ideas? Let us know what they are in the comments below!