Things to do when bored for kids – loads of brilliant ideas to keep them busy and entertained.
“I’m bored” is undoubtedly the most dreaded phrase for all parents. Young minds need a lot of new activities to keep themselves busy, and at times, it can prove to be quite a task. If that sounds like something you’re going through, especially with the extended lockdown situation going on, here’s a bit of help your way.
Read on to discover some of the most interesting ways to keep your child busy in something that’s constructive as well as engaging.
Get Into the Kitchen
It is never too early to get your kid involved in household work and chores, and getting him to try a bit of cooking and prepping is a great way to start. It can be any age-appropriate task- even just mixing things together with a spoon- it is all about being involved and trying to learn a valuable life skill.
Cooking is actually therapeutic, and getting your little one to discover it while he’s bored is the perfect way to get them to utilize his time productively.
Jazzies are a great thing to make with kids!
Set Up a Reading Corner
Encouraging your growing child to read is extremely important- you’ve heard this ton of times already, and now’s the best time to actually implement it and push your kid towards it even more. Empty a small corner in your home, and set up a special reading corner there for your little one. Decorate it with props and throw in a mattress and a few pillows for some cozy vibes, and that’ll do most of the job. You won’t even have to put in a lot of effort and push your kid to read anymore setting up a reading corner works a treat
Things to do when bored for kids – Try Some DIY
From making handmade birthday cards to creating pen holders out of empty toilet paper rolls- you’ll find a whole lot of DIY activities and crafts to keep your kiddo busy. What’s best is the fact that these crafts are actually not just a way to keep him busy, but they also help boost your child’s creativity, improve his motor skills and enhance his cognitive development (it is backed up by science mommas!).
So go ahead and get out those art supplies (or run to a nearby store to grab ‘em), set them up for your little one, and get cracking! Making a homemade craft box could not be easier
Create a Time Capsule
Time capsules are an exciting and fun way to help your little one keep a record of a particular day or time period, and this can be even more relevant during the current lockdown situation. Just grab a container or a jar (an old mason jar works just fine), and get your little one to fill it up with notes, pictures and other items and memories from the current time. This can also contain a letter from him to his future self- kids tend to have a lot of fun while doing this.
Put them all in the ‘capsule’ and place it in an area that’s preferably weather resistant (indoors is usually a great idea), and somewhere your kid won’t be tempted to look. That’s it!
Design a ‘When I Grow Up’ Poster
Think of this as a miniature version of a vision board. Ask your little one about what he wants to be when he grows up, and then do a bit of supervised research on it, learn more about it through educational YouTube videos and even design a poster about it that he can put up on the wall of his room.
This can be a great way to motivate your child, inspire him and encourage him to think about the future. There’s literally no better way to raise a goal-oriented child. Inspirational things to do when bored for kids.
Get Out the Board Games – Things to do when bored for kids
Trying to limit your kid’s screen time consciously but still want to keep him busy? Board games are the best! Take your time to scroll through Amazon’s extensive selection and pick from the best-rated ones. Board games can be a great investment- they can turn out to be great for when your little one has a playdate over or even for family nights.
card games can also be great fn and inexpensive too. We love this cat in the hat card game
Learn to Fix
Another excellent way to utilize the ‘bored’ time productively is to help your little one learn how to fix things in and around the house. This is, of course, another age-appropriate activity you’ll have to look into and be present for, but is definitely worth your time. You can start out small by teaching him how to fix his broken toys, or even take apart older toys to see how they work, and then take it forward from there.
There are some many fix-it things to do when bored for kids.
Gardening Matters
Gardening is another excellent activity you could get your little one to try his hands at when he complains about being bored. It is actually easier than you’d expect. Do a quick online search to discover some plants that are relatively easy to grow, and give them a try. You don’t even need to have an elaborate space to get started with this- there are tons of plants and plant varieties that thrive wonderfully in small pots, containers and even indoors!
Gardening is top of my things to do when bored for kids list, gardening is great for kids development in so many ways
If you’ve managed to get your little one interested in cooking, you might want to consider growing herbs. This can help him discover more about plant life, and at the same time, look at food and ingredients from a whole new exciting perspective.
Create a Gratitude Journal
Instilling gratitude in your child is best done at an early stage itself. You can start out as small as asking him to ‘be grateful’ before meals, and then take it up a notch with a gratitude journal. A gratitude journal is basically a small book or a journal that your kid can maintain to keep a record of things and events he’s grateful for. You can ask him to do this at the end of each day, just before he gets into bed. Making it a conscious habit to list down 5 things in his day that turned out great can make a huge difference and can help shape his mindset positively!
it’s not the best quality as it is pretty old now but here is a little video where I share my kid’s gratitude journals.
Definitely one o the most life-affirming things to do when bored for kids
So there you have it a BUMPER list of things to do when bored for kids.
What would you add?