As a parent, you are sure to encounter bored kids pretty often. It can be annoying, to say the least, especially when you are busy.

The best way to solve this problem is to provide kids with activities that they can enjoy on their own or with a sibling or friend. That way, you are free to focus on more pressing tasks like cleaning, laundry and cooking. Children are perfectly capable of entertaining themselves. Just ensure the activities are not too easy so they get bored all over again or too challenging so they need help or get frustrated.

Help Your Bored Kids Entertain Themselves

Determine The Activities Your Kids Should Do

In planning activities, especially if you have older children, let them help. They know what they enjoy and may be more inclined to do something if they had a hand in it. Create a list of activities or a boredom box filled with fun things.

Separate your list into indoor and outdoor activities depending on the weather and where you live. This can be a great tool for longer periods of time when your kids will be at home, like weekends or summer.

A List of 25 Fun Things To Do

Below is a list of 25 fun things your kids can do to get you started. It is a mix of indoor and outdoor pastimes for when they are alone or if they have siblings or friends over.

Bonus: These require minimal supervision or participation from you. After all, you have a life too!

1. Fly a kite
2. Have a tea party
3. Use Legos or blocks to create anything they can dream up
4. Make key rings or jewelry like friendship bracelets out of beads and cord
5. Have a water balloon fight (Outside, of course.)
6. Play with dolls/ Action figures
7. Board games
8. Scavenger hunt
9. Read books
10. Watch movies or child-friendly YouTube videos
11. Video games- Yes, I know some people may have just cringed but there are interactive and educational video games, as well as, ones that combine entertainment with physical activity. So, don’t rule them out.
12. Make a fort
13. Paint, colour or draw
14. Play I Spy
15. Upcycle fabric scraps or old clothing into bags or pillows
16. Create a play with a script and costumes to perform for the family at a pre-determined time
17. Play Hide, Go Seek
18. Create a Domino line, then have fun knocking it over
19. Puzzles
20. Tic-Tac-Toe
21. Jump Rope
22. Hula Hoop
23. If you have a basketball hoop at home, shoot hoops
24. Publish a pretend newspaper or write stories
25. Make a play date with a friend and let them entertain each other

Create A Boredom Box

Another great diversion for bored kids is a boredom box. This is a variation of your activities list.

Get an empty box or plastic storage container and dump in cool stuff your children will love. Fill the box with books, toys, board games, video games, crayons, colouring books or sketch pads, paint and Play-Doh. Go crazy and include things you KNOW your kids will enjoy. Rotate these items frequently so they are constantly entertained with the contents.

Going on a long road trip? Take a travel-sized version of your boredom box with you. This is a must to avoid hearing, “I’m bored! Are we there yet?”, the whole way to your destination.

Boredom Can Be Good For Kids

When your kids are bored, it allows them to use their creativity and imagination to come up with solutions. Also, life is not always exciting and the sooner they come to grips with this, the better. That may sound a little harsh but ultimately, they’ll come to realize they have to drive their own fun and not depend on someone else to always do it for them. This will help your child to become more independent, which is something I’m sure we would all love.

There are tons of other ideas that can stop boredom right in its tracks. Find the ones that are right for your children and you will never have to deal with bored kids again.