Boredom Busters

Hey everyone!

As you know, there is no way to plan every second of every day during the summer holidays. There will be down-time, especially when mom has to work (I cannot afford to not write all summer!). And so, we've created a Boredom Busters jar!

 

 

What is it?

Well, it's a little jar (actually a Nutella-knock-off from Shoprite), all decorated with fun papers and filled with lots and lots of great little ideas.

The plan - whenever my kids tell me they're bored, they'll have to dig into the Boredom Busters jar and pull out an activity that they can do by themselves, right away.

What is important is that if you have one, you set rules about using it, otherwise your kids could end up pulling the thing apart looking for what they like, rather than trying new things or doing 'chores' they might pull.


One way to set it up is that when they say they're bored, they HAVE to do the first thing they pull. Another way would be to let them pull, say three, and then they have to choose one of those three.

What should the little slips say?

Really, that is entirely up to you, but be sure to take into account your children - their ages, abilities, likes - when you create your list. Something that might be in my jar may not work for your kids. Likewise, things I've found on other lists I've found across the internet won't work for us. For example, we don't have a backyard, so lots of those kinds of things are really out for us.

To create my slips, I typed my list of suggestions in Word (well, actually, I use Open Office, which is FREE and does most of what MS Office does), then I changed it to double-spacing and printed. The double spacing made it much easier to cut the little slips up. For smaller children (or a bigger jar) you may want to make them much bigger than the tiny slips I used. You could even use coloured index cards.

Decorating the jar?

I cleaned out my jar and then ran it through the dishwasher. Once it was completely dry, I simply took strips of paper and wrapped them around using double-sided tape.

If you're not sure what size strips, take a measuring tape and wrap it around the jar to determine the length, and then measure the width. My jar had indentations 'built-in' which framed the original label, so I used that spacing for the width of the strips. I also cut a circle to fit into the lid and used some scrapbooking stickers to finish of the label.

The list?

There would be no point to this blog post if I didn't share this list with you! Of course, my list reflects the ages, likes and abilities of my two sons (aged 10 and 6-1/2). I've also included things that I wouldn't mind seeing them do, like memorize a Bible verse or a poem, and even chores around the house.

You will notice in the list that somethings are duplicated (like "Do a Chore of Mom's Choice"). I've left these duplications in, so that if you decide to just copy and paste, they're already there for you.

Play a board game

Build a fort

Draw a map of the neighbourhood

Copy a famous painting

Bake cookies

Perform a random act of kindness

Make leaf rubbings

Make a book

Write a letter for a family member

Make a puzzle

Blow bubbles

Make a movie

Make a time capsule

Read a chapter book together

Paper airplane contest

Picnic on the front porch

Make home-made play-doh

Trace your hand then turn it into something else

Have an indoor treasure hunt

Skype a friend

Take a nap

Make your bed

Laundry hunt

Dirty dishes hunt

Make a door knob hanger

Make a collage

Make a puppet

Write a story

Draw a picture

Make a comic book or comic strip

Make a joke book

Put on some music and dance

Find shapes in the clouds

Plan a treasure hunt with clues

Write down 10 things you love about each member of your family

Write in your journal

Organize your room

Create a play

Make popsicles

Memorize a Bible verse

Memorize a poem

Draw a picture of a desert island with all the things you want on it

Create your own board game

Make a list of things you can do without a grown-up

Mix liquid hand soap, cornstarch and food colouring and paint the bathtub

Do a chore of mom's choice

Do a chore of mom's choice

Do a chore of mom's choice

Do a chore of mom's choice

Interview a family member

Collect the trash

Find 5 toys to donate

Read for 15 minutes

Play hopscotch

Look at a photo album

Play with sidewalk chalk

Watch a movie

Organize your toys

Go for a walk

Color

Play hide & seek

Plan a family activity

Plan dinner

Have a photo shoot

Thanks again for looking!