As a parent, you have probably heard a few times “Mom” or “Dad, I’m bored.” Sometimes, when I get really busy, it can be overwhelming to try and come up with something for my kids to do when they get bored.
This happens because I am so focused on what I need to do that I cannot always think of something for them to do.
If you work from home, go to college online at home, or run a business and have children you probably understand the feeling, so we are going to delve into a bunch of ideas for us to refer to! And how to help our kids when they get bored.
Make a Boredom Jar
This one is a neat idea, you just set up a jar in your home and on small scraps of paper write down an activity for your child to do. When they get bored, they would simply pull out a piece of paper and engage in whichever activity is written. Or, if they don’t like it they can simply put it back and grab a new piece out.
If your children are in pretty separate age groups, perhaps have more than one jar set out. A jar for their age group, and maybe even an all-together jar to see if you can’t get all of the kids to do something fun and engaging together.
I’ve made it a point to include each age group in an appropriate activity for your convenience. Hopefully, these lists can help you come up with phenomenal ideas to ease your child’s boredom.
Activities for 3-5-Year-Olds
Now according to the Seattle Children’s Foundation 3 to 5-year-olds are active, this is also according to every parent ever in my experience. Things that would stimulate their entertainment could include things like,
- Jumping
- Play pretend
- Frisbee
- Jump Rope
- Puzzles (20-50 pieces)
- Learning toys and games
- Arts and crafts
Activities for 6-7-Year-Olds
After kids get to an age group like this some things change for them from when they were younger. The Seattle Children’s Foundation noted among these changes that children will begin to prefer playing with same-sex children. Other things that this age group enjoys are,
- Using secret codes
- Athletics and sports teams
- Riding bikes
- Make-believe
- Arts and crafts (a higher level than previously mentioned)
- Music
- Egg Hunt
- Jump Rope
Activities for 8-12-Year-Olds
When kids get older, it can seem a bit harder to find ways to entertain them. However, My Kids Time has us covered in this age group with some very engaging projects for children in this age group. They have recommended the following,
- Build a card house
- Photography
- Magic tricks!
- Try writing a story
- Lego creation
- Make a comic
- Learn a new game
- Do a puzzle
Activities for Teenagers
Teenagers can be the most daunting to entertain, they are almost like mini-adults! When they get bored, it usually results in a bunch of screen time. So, I’ve gone on to add some screen-free activities by Legit.
- Photoshoot with friends
- Backpacking with a friend
- Make a movie or music video
- Make scrapbook
- Learn a new sport
- Learn how to hula-hoop
- Puzzle
- Read
- Start a book club
- Learn how to maintain a vehicle
- Learn a new language
Boredom and Creativity
A study done by the Mayo Clinic shows us that boredom is helpful for strengthening creativity. They go on to tell us that boredom can actually stimulate creativity and problem-solving. When you aren’t partaking in a task the brain goes to a default mode in which it restores itself, this can lead to finding creative solutions for problems that you are experiencing.
They suggest that to overcome feelings of boredom you should embrace it. The following are some tips that the Mayo Clinic has offered for overcoming the feelings of boredom.
- Balance rest and activities
- Try something new
- Get outdoors
- Embrace curiosity and kindness
- Embrace reminiscing
Do ADHD Kids Get Bored Easily?
Although children with ADHD do commonly suffer from boredom, it is not an actual symptom of ADHD. As a mom of 2 children with ADHD, I find that helping them engage in activities helps them control this. Author Peg Rosen gives tips for helping your child with their ADHD boredom and was reviewed by Jobi Gold MD.
- Provide structure
- By doing this you are giving your child tasks and activities, leaving less room for boredom.
- Plan activities in advance
- People with ADHD need time to plan and organize an activity.
- Join in with others
- Sharing interests with others helps fight boredom.
- Limit screen time
- When someone suffers from ADHD having a lot of screen time can make it hard to change to a different activity.
Family Time
Another great way to help with boredom is to do some family time. So, if you have free time when your kiddo is bored here is a list of things you can do together!
- Play a board game
- Make homemade ice cream
- Make homemade play-dough
- Make slime
- Make a story together
- Make an obstacle course
- Make crafts
- Hide and seek
- Catch
- Teach them (or learn) Cats in the Cradle string game
- Play tag
- Tell stories
- Play hangman
- Arm wrestle
- 20 Questions
Final Thoughts
Although it is not our job to ensure our children’s entertainment 24/7 we do feel the effects of their boredom, particularly when we happen to be busy. Hopefully, this helps you wade through those moments.
ALSO READ: Why Do Babies Cry for No Reason?
