While it is widely acknowledged that being bored is beneficial for children and their imaginations, sometimes it’s nice to be able to direct that restless energy somewhere. I’m thinking specifically of the 4th rainy day in a row. Or the second week of the school holidays. Sound familiar? A friend told me that whenever she and her siblings would utter the dreaded “I’m boooooooored”, her mum would reply with “There’s no such thing as being bored. Just boring people.” Ouch.
An alternative to accusing your kids of being boring people, is to have plenty of ideas up your sleeve to inspire them to get a game going. You can then make a lucky dip, filled with activities to bring on the school holiday fun. The creation of the lucky dip is itself a fun activity to involve the kids in.
Something to put things in
You’ll need a jar, tin, vase or cup to hold the sticks. I opted for a jar. You could also use a takeaway container, a basket or a shoe box. Whatever you’ve got on hand.
Get the kids to decorate the jar (or tin or box, etc) however they like. Stickers, washi tape, paint, paper, glitter and good old textas are all equally good.
Something to write on
You’ll also need something to write your activities on. We used some left over craft sticks and prettied them up. You could simply write the ideas on paper and throw the strips into the box. Again whatever works for you.
Bring on the ideas!
Brainstorm the kinds of activities to include with the kids.Here are a bunch of ideas to get you started:
- Make your own play dough
- Read to a pet or soft toy
- Watch a movie
- Make your own board game
- Play a board game
- Make edible fingerpaint
- Build a pillow fort
- Make magic cloud dough
- Write a letter to somebody
- Make a mask
- Create a robot
- Stage a puppet show
- Have a dance party
- Make paper beads from old picture books
- Create or go on a scavenger hunt
- Wash the car
- Collect flowers and leaves to paint with
- Create a maze in the backyard
- Make story stones
- Create a footpath chalk masterpiece
- Have a backyard picnic
- Lie in the grass and look at the clouds
- Make some rainbow silly putty
- Turn the living room into a home cinema and watch a movie
- Make some decorations for your bike
- Make paint from old textas
- Core an apple
- Create an art gallery of your work
- Put on a fashion show
- Look up a craft on Pinterest to make
- Make some glitter cloud dough
- Create a Powerpoint about your favourite topic
- Learn a new dance on Youtube
- Create a portable dinosaur play box
- Listen to some stories being read aloud
- Find some online colouring pages to print and colour
- Find 5 toys to give away
- Sew a soft toy
Try getting the kids to pull out a lucky dip each morning, or just use it whenever you hear the ‘I’m bored’ cry. Either way, boredom gone!
More ways to keep the kids amused:
- Cheap Footpath Activities Kids Can’t Get Enough Of
- Amazing Sensory Play Ideas (& How Sensory Play Benefits Kids)
- 29 Indoor Games Your Kids Will Absolutely Love
Images: Shannon Wong-Nizic
