The "I'm Bored" Bucket

If your kids say they're bored - congrats!  It likely means they don't have access to unlimited technology and screen time :)  Use this opportunity to create an "I'm Bored" Bucket.  Simply fill a container with activity ideas on scraps of paper (or popsicle sticks).  When someone claims they're bored, just pull an activity from the jar.

Try to keep the activities simple and within your kid's abilities. If your kids are further apart in age, it might be a good idea to have a jar for each. You can use some of the prompts in the list below, but it's also fun to let the kiddos think up projects for themselves.

Get creative with different categories of ideas on different colored scraps of paper: chores, high-energy projects, quiet time fun, art projects, etc.

Here are some suggested activities:

• Do one chore (Mom's choice)
• Make up a puppet show using socks or dolls
• Invent a new ending for your favorite movie
• Paint a: dinosaur, tree, city, alien, flower, etc.
• Write a story starting with..."Once upon a Time there was a purple monster in my bathroom eating spaghetti..."  Invent any fun first line you can think of.
• Have a picnic
• Practice your handstands
• Write a letter to your future self
• Conduct a Grandparent interview
• Dance party!
• Build a fort
• Wash the car - kids get to make a mess while making something clean, a win-win!
• Nature scavenger hunt: find unique leaves, interesting rocks, cool sticks...
• Create your own camp
• Clean your room (and find 5 toys to donate)
• Play hide and seek
• Make paper airplanes - have a flying contest!
• Write or perform a story
• Find cool rocks and paint them
• Create and play with an imaginary friend
• Invent a new language
• Build a time capsule
• Find something in the house that starts with every letter of the alphabet
• Write a poem
• Make a sticker chart
• Find three red (blue, green, yellow, etc.) things
• Learn 5 facts about a new animal
• Be bored! Sometimes allowing kids to "be bored" is just fine!

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