Whether your kids want to be creative or do something productive, we have the perfect activities. These quick, easy, and fun ideas are a great way to keep your kids out of their screens and off their phones!
Make your treasure hunt with items from around the house. It can be as simple as a handful of items or a room-sized hunt.
Play Online Games
Your youngster can learn important life skills and support their academic progress by playing online video games. Discover how some games aid in the growth of young players.
Despite being a source of entertainment, free online games from sites like Arkadium benefit kids by encouraging their creativity, fostering friendships, and sharpening their strategic thinking. It is especially true when parents support and mentor their children. Young players, particularly those that play online multiplayer video games, can benefit from it by developing resilience, tenacity to attain goals, and improved communication skills.
Paint
Painting is a low-key activity that kids love. Use a squeegee or old credit card to scrape paint on paper for a fun art project. Or get creative with sculpting by making thumbprint cards or a sensory spice playdough. For a more structured art project, head outside to find different types of leaves and press them. Then create a nature journal to display the leaves in.
Taking the family dog on a walk is another way to get fresh air and break boredom. If the weather is not ideal, a treasure hunt inside the house works well, too. Creating their own story is one of the most creative things kids can do to beat boredom. Alternatively, they can write letters to family members or friends they like.
Learn a New Recipe
Use any food around the house to teach your kids a new recipe. It is a fun way for them to be creative with ingredients and work on their reading skills. Often, when kids say they’re bored, it’s because they’re not stimulated or challenged. A simple game of tag, basketball or soccer can help them feel more energized.
Just be sure to balance activities that develop their physical and cognitive skills and unstructured time for free play. Get the whole family outside to gather leaves, berries and other natural elements. Kids can then press them or create a nature journal of their findings. Make this a regular family activity to cultivate gratitude and encourage your children’s creativity.
Build an Obstacle Course
An obstacle course helps kids burn energy and improve their indoor or outdoor strength. Plus, completing the study requires them to move over, under, around, and through various obstacles, which builds their sequencing and motor planning skills.
One creative mom told us she keeps scraps of paper with different activities in her “boredom jar.” She pulls out the jar when her kids say they’re bored and has them work together to create an obstacle course. A potato sack race is a great way for kids to exercise, have fun, and burn energy. It also helps them develop coordination, flexibility and endurance. Just be sure to make it a safe activity for your kids.
Put on a Play
A little bit of acting, props and a story can tap into kids’ creative energy. Then, they can get busy finding and crafting costumes to go along with the plot – all without having to turn on a screen. It is more of a challenge and more for older kids, but it’s a fun way to get their brains working on something productive.
Whether it’s a class they attend in person or online, completing a task is always satisfying. Depending on the age of your kids, this could be anything from painting rocks to brighten up the neighborhood to creating art for seniors to serving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for homeless people. Teaching kids the value of giving back to others is an important lesson they can carry throughout life.
Puzzles
Problem-solving skills are an important part of learning, and one great way to practice them is with puzzles. Kids can work on jigsaw or logic puzzles.
They can even create STEM puzzles using toothpicks, play dough, or marshmallows. Playing board games is another fun way to improve cognitive and social skills. Depending on the child’s age, this could be as simple as playing Twister or more involved, such as working together to solve a family-style card game.
Take a Bath
The next time your child says, “I’m bored,” a simple reminder that it’s her responsibility to entertain herself may be all she needs. Experts suggest that kids be allowed to experience boredom sometimes – it’s how they learn to be creative and resourceful.
Make a homemade “boredom jar” full of fun activities. Then, the next time your kid says that word, have them grab a slip of paper from the jar and choose an action. Help your kids release pent-up energy with a friendly game of 3-legged race. This fun activity is also a great way to improve motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and teamwork.
Build a Story
Have kids use their imagination to write a creative story. It is a great way to get their creativity flowing and is a fun alternative to screen time. Please give them a new art challenge, like the three-marker challenge on YouTube or an artist subscription service. Try a mindful video app to release energy and help them learn simultaneously.
Make a scavenger hunt in the house or around the neighborhood. It is a great activity for kids to use their problem-solving skills, and it can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. Please encourage them to find the clues and then solve them. It will keep them entertained for hours.
