My middle kid is always bored. We have a no TV or video game policy during the school week. We have found that when we let the eldest watch TV and play video games during the week, when he was a kid, that was all he wanted and lived to do. His school work did not come first and his work ethic suffered. As a result, we scaled back TV and video games and eventually banned them altogether Monday thru Thursday. But now the younger kids are having to suffer under the same policy.
So I hear “I’m bored” constantly from the middle kid who finishes his homework pretty quickly and is constantly on the hunt for something to do to occupy his very overactive mind. Thus, it was a no-brainer to get him and his eldest brother together to come up with a list. We also searched the Internet and found some ideas there too. Here is what we came up with:
- create a chore chart
- roller skate
- play with playdough
- have a jumping jacks contest
- ride your bike
- roller blade
- play basketball
- play board games
- make a tent out of blankets
- see how many times you can jump rope without tripping up
- read books
- make homemade play dough
- write a letter to a relative
- clean up your bedroom
- practice your soccer skills
- clean bathroom
- do a craft project
- make a self portrait
- take a nature walk
- paint a picture using oil sticks
- watch a movie
- make up a story and write it down
- explore the backyard or neighborhood using binoculars
- use magnifying glass
- use microscope to check out the molecular properties of objects
- go bird watching
- write a play
- find a play on line and act out scene from it
- ask mom to give you a list of relatives to call and check up on
- put on some music and dance
- play card games
- toss a ball outside
- practice hitting a baseball with a bat
- go on a hunt to find different kinds of rocks
- collect leaves and make impressions out of them, then color the leaves
- make a Frisbee out of old plastic lids and then toss them outside
- play office with old telephones or an old phone
- help a parent by dusting the house
- brush the pet
- write letters
- read a magazine
- play dress-up
- play Cowboys
- pick vegetables
- play outside with the pet
- build a fort in your rooms
- build a fort in the backyard
- do a jigsaw puzzle
- read a chapter book
- play educational games on the computer
- listen to a story or book on tape
- do school workbooks from past years you never go to finish
- do a crossword puzzle
- cook something with your mom
- prepare lunch
- surprise a neighbor with a good deed
- have a tea party with your dolls
- make up a lunch menu
- take your pet for a walk
- have a Teddy bear picnic
- play with toy cars
- play dolls
- play house
- collect bugs
- plant a garden or a pot
- collect seeds
- look for four-leaf clovers
- learn magic tricks
- put on a magic show
- plant a container garden
- make sock puppets
- put on a puppet show
- make your Christmas list
- decorate homemade wrapping papers
- make homemade gift cards
- make a crafty picture frame
- make a pot holder
- mall walk with your mom
- sew buttons in designs on old shirts
- run relay races
- make bookmarks
- take a nap
- take a shower or bath
- bathe a pet
- feed the birds or squirrels
- watch the clouds
- organize a dresser drawer
- clean under the bed
- help parents empty out the dishwasher
- vacuum under the couch cushions and keep any change found
- write these ideas on pieces of paper and pick out one or two to do
- practice musical instruments
- perform a family concert
- teach yourself to play musical instrument (recorder, harmonica, guitar)
- fold laundry
- sweep kitchen or bathroom floors
- sweep front walkway
- sweep or spray back patio
- sweep or spray driveway
- wash car
- vacuum car
- vacuum or dust window blinds
- clean bathroom mirrors
- go grocery shopping and help put items in the basket
- clean inside of car windows
- help clean the basement
- help clean out the garage
- play in the sandbox
- wash your bike
- work with clay
- copy your favorite book illustration
- design your own game
- build with blocks or Legos
- create a design box (copper wire, string, odds-and-ends of things destined for the garbage, pom-poms, thread, yarn, etc.)
- plan a neighborhood or family Olympics
- have a marble tournament
- paint a picture with lemon juice on white paper and hang it in a sunny window and see what happens in a few days
- finger paint with pudding
- make dessert
- make dinner
- give your pet a party
- paint the sidewalk with water
- start a nature diary
- have a read-a-thon with a friend or sibling
- have a neighborhood bike wash
- play flashlight tag
- play Kick the Can
- check out a science book and try some experiments
- make up a story
- arrange photo albums
- find bugs and start a collection
- do some stargazing
- decorate bikes or wagons and have a neighborhood parade
- play hide-and-seek
- create a symphony with bottles and pans and rubber bands
- read a story to a younger child
- find shapes in the clouds
- string dry noodles or O-shaped cereals into a necklace
- glue noodles into a design on paper
- play hopscotch
- play jacks
- make up a song
- make a teepee out of blankets
- write in your journal
- find an ant colony and spill some food and watch what happens
- play charades
- make up a story by drawing pictures
- draw a cartoon strip
- make a map of your bedroom, house or neighborhood
- call a friend
- cut pictures from old magazines and write a story
- make a collage using pictures cut from old magazines
- do a secret service for a neighbor
- plan a treasure hunt
- make a treasure map
- make up a “Bored List” of things to do
- plan a special activity for your family
- search your house for items made in other countries and then learn about those countries from the encyclopedia or online
- plan an imaginary trip to the moon
- plan an imaginary trip around the world, where would you want to go
- write a science-fiction story
- find a new pen pal
- make up a play using old clothes as costumes
- make up a game for practicing math facts
- have a Spelling Bee
- make up a game for practicing spelling
- surprise an elderly neighbor or relative by weeding his/her garden
- fingerpaint with shaving cream
- collect sticks and mud and build a bird’s nest
- write newspaper articles for a pretend newspaper
- put together a family newsletter
- write reviews of movies or plays or TV shows or concerts you see during the summer
- bake a cake
- bake a batch of cookies
- decorate a shoe box to hold your summer treasures
- make a hideout or clubhouse
- make paper airplanes
- have paper airplane races
- learn origami
- make an obstacle course in your backyard
- make friendship bracelets for your friends
- make a wind chime out of things headed for the garbage
- paint your face
- braid a doll’s hair
- play freeze tag
- make a sundial
- make food sculptures (from pretzels, gumdrops, string licorice, raisins, cream cheese, peanuts, peanut butter, etc.) and then eat it
- go to the planetareum
- start a kid’s club
- take a nap outside on your lawn
- produce a talent show
- memorize a poem
193. recite a memorized poem for your family