Summer Boredom Busters for Kids
How many times have you all heard “I’m bored!” already this summer. No matter how many camps, pool days or even vacations are planned, boredom is inevitable. Hopefully you made it a little further into the summer than I did before hearing it though!
A couple of weeks ago, I crowd sourced on instagram, asking you all to share some of your go-to boredom buster ideas-easy, fun activities for you to keep in your back pocket and reach for when you hear the dreaded “I’M BORED!”
Paint by Sticker books are a nice, mess free option to have. They can be time consuming, require some focus and is something easy to pass the time!
Toddler Scavenger Hunt: I love this activity because the hard part is already done! It’s something entertaining that can be done with siblings on a rainy day!
Glow Sticks: One of my readers mentioned a glow stick bath! It’s something so simple, but I know Cecelia and Charlotte (especially) would love it! Draw a bath, turn the lights off (supervised, obvi) and let them go to town!
Sidewalk chalk is a tried and true warm weather activity, but this set adds a whole new level of fun!
Puzzles! Another classic activity that I think often gets overlooked. There are so many varieties of puzzles and different levels of challenge!
Another idea from one of my readers, have themed days like Movie Monday! Spend the whole day just watching movies. Pop some popcorn, load up on movie snacks, make the TV room as cozy as possible and just enjoy watching movies!
Another family activity is this fun treasure hunt game! Like the toddler version, I love that the hard work is already done!
(through 10). When in doubt, just add water! A lot of you mentioned water activities, and I love the idea of having a bunch of outdoor water activities and just letting the kids have at it! From a bunch of water balloons, a fun sprinkler, to an inflatable pool, there is plenty to keep them entertained and cooled off. Don’t forget the water guns!
11. Outdoor painting-using an easy off water color paint, let the kids paint the grass, paint the driveway or sidewalk. It’ll let their creativity and imagination go wild and the rain will wash it off!
12. Baking day! Going back to themed days (like Movie Monday), have a Tasty Tuesday-head to the store and let the kids pick out something simple that they could back on their own or with little help/guidance from you!
Another idea someone shared that I thought would be fun is take a trip to the dollar store! Give each of your children a few dollars and let them pick out items for a craft or project!
One thing that we do (and I have to say the girls have done a wonderful job with keeping up with it) is provide the girls with a daily checklist. We agreed on the daily list at the start of the summer, and if they don’t complete any of the items on the list they lose screen time the following day (a huge deal for them). They each have to make their beds, water plants, read for 20 minutes, practice piano and then complete a section in their summer workbooks (found on Amazon). In addition to those, Ella has to work on her art and Charlotte has to practice soccer. Is every day great? Not at all, but knowing they can lose scream time motivates them, and it takes some time and gives them something to do. I don’t think I have once heard either of them say they’re bored while doing their list (I am sure they think it but at least I don’t hear it-lol!!).