“What can we do?” “I’m BORED!” “There’s nothing to do!” Summer vacation begins here next week and I know that comments aren’t far off. I’m sure most parents know exactly what I’m talking about. It seems that the kids are always looking for ideas of what they can do to keep themselves entertained and busy once school is out. We’re not big on sitting in the house watching television or playing video games all day so we’ve made a list of fun things to do when bored. That list was transferred to sticks and into a cute “I’m Bored” Jar for those days when the kids just can’t seem to think of anything to do.
Jar Full of Fun Things To Do When Bored
Being bored sometimes breeds the best ideas! It is an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and try new things, be creative, and learn to entertain yourself! The act of making an I’m bored jar will get you thinking and having fun in and of itself!
Supplies:
- die cut shapes
- wooden popsicle sticks
- hot glue and glue gun
- mason jar
- paint pen or permanent marker
How To Make A Bored Jar
Begin by decorating your mason jar using the die cut shapes. You can find many adorable packs at the craft store for around $1. You could cut and print your own as well. The set I picked up had cute summery shapes and lovely sayings.
Next, make a list of fun things to do when bored for the jar. I asked my kids to help come up with the fun activities list because I wanted the I’m Bored Jar to be full of things I know they love. We decided to make four categories and made sure we had ideas for each. I used glue to attach fun cut outs with each category to the outside of the jar.
Our categories for fun things to do when bored were:
What Can We Make? This is for crafts, cooking, baking, fort building, making clothing, doing science experiemnts and such.
Quiet Time Activities! This is for reading a book, coloring, drawing, writing in a journal and other activities the kids can do quietly and on their own.
Things We Can Do! This can be individual activities or things we do as a family like ride your bike, fly a kite, go for a walk, play sports, and so much more.
Family Time! This is for things we love to do as a family like play a board game, make a pinata, have a picnic, play nature bingo, and have a scavenger hunt.
Fun Ideas To Try When Bored
Once you’ve made your list of fun things to do when bored begin writing them on the popsicle sticks using permanent marker or a paint pen.
After all of the sticks have been made attach a die cut shape to the top of each one using hot glue.
Place the kids activities idea sticks into your decorated mason jar and wait for the time to be right. It might not strike next week but you know it’s coming!
What are some fun things to do when bored that you encourage your kids to do when the I’m Bored Bug bites?
Related Posts:
Suzanne says
Thank you SO much for sharing this! My kids often say those exact words… “I’m bored!” It makes me cringe.
I’m going to pin this to my Pinterest board to show my other mom-friends!
Cheri D says
This is a great idea! I love it! When my son says he is bored I tell him “Ok, I better go to your room and start collecting your toys to give away” I also suggest that he go to his room and take a look in his closet or his bookshelf to find something to do. I’ve been lucky with him! He usually finds something and really doesn’t claim boredom too often. 🙂
Jay says
I sometimes I wish I had time to be bored, but when I’m lucky enough to spend time doing nothing, I treasure it.