35 Entertaining Things Kids Can Do When Bored

Getting bored is a natural part of being a child. No matter how many toys they have or all the activities you have lined up in their schedule, they will experience a point of no interest with what they have. Boredom is also common for children who have unscheduled and unstructured days. What’s interesting is that boredom is a good thing; it gives an opportunity for children to find creative ways to keep themselves occupied and to overcome stagnation when it inevitably hits them. Here are 35 engaging things to do when bored at home for kids:

Engaging Things to Do When Bored for Kids

Here is a list of what to do when you’re bored for kids:

1. Bike rides are the most fun

Few activities are as simple and fulfilling as bike rides around the neighbourhoods alone or with friends. If your child is old enough to manage himself, then encourage him to go for bike rides with his friends around the neighbourhood. The physical activity boosts the mood and clears his mind of boredom.

2. Write a story

Tell them to write a story about any topic of their choice. Maybe it is the story of their favorite toy’s adventure in the house when everybody is asleep or a funny story about the family dog who gets into trouble all the time. Writing a story jump-starts their imagination and gets the creative juices flowing.

3. Sidewalk art

While sketching on a sheet of paper is fun, doing it on the sidewalk takes it up several notches higher. Get them a set of colorful chalk and allow them to unleash their creativity. You can have a theme for it or tell them to come up with an original one.

4. Wash the family car

Many kids love engaging in tasks that make them feel like adults. You could turn car washing into a fun time by turning it into a role-playing game. It could be something as simple as the kids being the owners of a car wash or anything the team can imagine.

5. Build a fort

Building a fort maybe one of the most fun playtime activities everybody can relate to. Whether you’re using the furniture, blankets and pillows or carton boxes from the attic, there’s much to learn by building forts for children. The reward, in the end, is to sit in the fort and play games sipping on a cool drink.

6. Re-organize the room

If you are willing to pitch in with a good reward, in the end, cleaning and re-organizing the room won’t be something they would groan about. Try and move a few things around, replace something old or anything that gives the place a fresh feel. If the room is too boring, ask them to help you out in the kitchen.

7. Paint your rock collection

If you like going for hikes, make it a habit to bring home smooth or interesting rocks. You can clean them up and paint them however you like when bored to make for a more interesting looking rock collection. Display the best rock in the room.

8. Write a letter to a relative

Writing letters is outdated and that’s exactly what makes it so much fun. When they are bored, get them to write letters to their grandparents, aunts or even friends living in another city or state. Letter writing is an art that is fast fading among the younger generations so this is as much as a learning experience as much as it is fun.

9. Make a when I grow up poster

One of the best ways to kill boredom is to get creative and imaginative. Let their imaginations run wild and make a list of all the things they would do as adults. The best ones can be turned into a drawing which includes them in their costume and the rest of the family standing with them.

10. Make a time capsule

There’s nothing like opening time capsules for a dose of nostalgia. Instruct your child to collect items from the year such as toys, collectables or anything that reminds them of the time that they are living in and put it in an airtight box. Hide the box in the basement, attic or somewhere why it stays safe for years. Write the date on which you all agree to open it on.

11. Learn to make slime

While you can buy slime off the shelf in a store, making it by yourself is a great learning experience. Your child will learn all about basic chemistry and why materials behave the way they do. There are a number of recipes available online on making slimes with interesting properties.

12. Art collage

This one is one of the best boredom-busting activities for kids as it brings up old memories. Pull out old colouring or drawing books from when your child was younger and select drawings you can cut out for a collage. You could choose a theme or make it random and stick them all on a pasteboard.

13. Set out on a scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts whether in the neighbourhood or in nature can be quite a lot of fun, especially as a group activity. Go looking for 10 or 15 things to find of a similar nature such as rocks, leaves of a kind or anything that fits in a jar. If you have a metal detector, the activity can be kicked up by several notches.

14. Bake something

The children will really need your help with this but it is a very rewarding activity. Get them to help you with making a cake or a pizza, allow them to work on the dough, toppings or the cream so they learn all that goes into it.

15. Play treasure hunt

Treasure hunts need not become a thing of party or family gatherings. When your child is bored, choose something they would love to find, such as a bar of chocolate or a favorite toy. Hide the toy in a place they are least likely to look and leave them clues to search for it.

16. Dance party

Have a playlist of their favorite dance songs ready for just such a situation and play it when they are bored. There’s nothing like dance to rejuvenate their spirits and bring them back from boredom.

17. Create an obstacle course

This is quite a fun activity especially when you have younger children. Help them build an obstacle course within the yard with carton boxes, play tunnels or anything that works for the game. Older kids would enjoy making their own obstacle course and show you their accomplishment.

18. Have a fun yoga class

You’d hear a few protests in the beginning, but once they’re at it, yoga is quite refreshing. If you have the space for it, aerial yoga will make it tremendously fun for them. You need not stick to the rules, just go with the flow.

19. Lego hunt

For this, you’ll need sets of Lego blocks of different colours and four pieces of paper with corresponding colours. Hide the blocks in different places of the house or have an older sibling hide it and let the younger one search for it. Once found, they have to pile up each block on the corresponding colour sheet.

20. Write a story about your week

Have your child recall all the incidents from the week and have them weave it in the form of a story with plenty of drawings and words. They can also make a cover picture for the storybook of the week and bind the sheets together to make a book.

21. Come up with a play

Discuss a good storyline with your children and put on a play in front of family or friends. Make costumes and write down dialogues. This could take a while so ensure the rest of the day has no other activity scheduled.

22. Pick up an art challenge

There are a number of art challenges that can be found online that will keep the kids entertained. Find ways to use new tools and materials to make challenging art to get their creative juices flowing. You could also download art challenge templates for more ideas.

23. Stargazing

If your kids are bored on a clear evening, stargazing can be quite a rewarding activity. Use any of the available sky apps that will show you the constellations and where to find them. Find stars, planets and patterns used by astronomers in the sky and make a sketch in the scrapbook. It’s a plus if you have a pair of binoculars or telescope as they can give a whole new perspective of the sky.

24. Play-Doh art show

This will be a fun activity when more children are involved. Make Play-Doh sculptures and decorate them with glitter and colour paper. Put them on display for everyone to see. You could even have prizes for the best sculptures.

25. Expert presentation

Choose a topic that your child loves and ask them to find all the information they can on the internet to make a presentation. They can choose any tool they wish and put together a slide show and present it. Give them plenty of time for research and choose interesting topics such as space, dinosaurs, oceans or the moon.

26. NERF or water gun fight

There’s very little to be said about a water gunfight. This is a great outdoor activity during the holidays when the kids get together at playtime. Split them up to teach and join the fun.

27. Take a mindful walk

A mindful walk is different from a regular walk where you go with an agenda. During a mindful walk, take time to notice small details which you otherwise wouldn’t, such as the sounds, the animals, the birds and the smell of the air. You could also observe the pavement, the clouds in the sky, direction of the wind and walk without intending to go somewhere.

28. Backyard camping

Pull out the tents and camp in the back yard and have a barbecue just like you would have in an outdoor camp. Let the children help you out in pitching the tent and getting the fire ready. Sleep in the tents for the night for the full experience of it.

29. Balloon games

A simple game such as keeping the balloon from touching the ground is highly enjoyable as it has plenty of team play and effort involved. Set a time limit to how long the balloon stays in the air and reward them at the end for the extra time.

30. The floor is lava

One of the oldest games that always works. Collectively decide which furniture is rock and what is lava. When one person yells “the floor is lava” everybody runs to find a safe spot before the time runs out.

31. Grandparents interview

Make a list of questions for the grandparents and interview them. You will never know all the wonderful things you would learn about the past.

32. Plant a garden

Gardening is an essential skill for all. Buy seeds and plant a simple flowering plant or a vegetable in a pot. It’s a great learning experience.

33. Make a sock puppet

Get a pair of white socks and pull out some other ones to fill in. Use rubber bands and sketch pens to make puppets out of them and put on a show.

34. Better parenting

Ask your children to write a couple of things that will make you a better parent. Then ask them to write how they can be better children.

35. Create a vision board

Use a poster board to write the vision your children have for their future. Hang the board in their room for them to see every morning.

Here is a great collection of stuff to do when bored for kids that is sure to bring up their spirits and keep them entertained. Modify the methods to get your kids more interested in the activities and have a good time.

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Extracurricular Activities for Children