Summer Boredom Busters for Kids

Looking for ways to bust kids’ boredom? Here’s a list of more than 40 at-home activities to consider:

• Go for a walk in the woods
• Host a family movie night with “fancy” popcorn (ours includes M&Ms)
• Make a craft like friendship bracelets
• Get creative with empty cardboard boxes
• Do something kind for someone else (a sibling, stranger, or neighbor)
• Build an outdoor fort with blankets or towels (this is also a great reading spot!)
• Eat ice cream for dinner
• Play in the rain and see who can jump in the biggest puddle
• Fill water balloons for a friendly fight
• Have a treasure hunt (There are lots of free printables online to simply print and use, and I always stash a small “treasure” at the end of the hunt.)
• Make a terrarium
• Go for a bike ride
• Make ice cream sandwiches
• Play hide and seek (kids and adults!)
• Build a Rube Goldberg machine
• Have the kids make dinner
• Make jam (bonus points if you picked the fruit or got it from a farmer’s market, both fun outings)
• Host a Kids Art Show to display kid masterpieces for parents
• Cook foods/recipes from another country for dinner and talk about that country at the dinner table
• Have a tea party
• Paint rocks with fun messages or turn them into animal “pets”
• Watch a movie outdoors by hoisting a sheet and using a projector
• Have an impromptu dance party
• Do a scavenger hunt (again, search online for free printables)
• Celebrate an “Unbirthday Party” with a cake
• Turn a rainy day into a pajama party
• Make s’mores over a bonfire
• Blow bubbles
• Enjoy a family game night
• Eat breakfast in bed
• Make homemade lemonade
• Eat a picnic lunch outside on a sunny day
• Have a designated day for one person to choose the activities (i.e. “Elise Day” or “Mom Day”)
• Try out a musical instrument
• Fly kites
• Have a “Backwards Day” where everything is backwards (that means you eat dessert first!)
• Run through the sprinkler
• Sleep outside in a backyard campout (or camp in your living room)
• Create a relay race in the yard
• Plant flowers
• Participate in the summer library reading program
• Send a letter in the mail
• Play Chutes & Ladders using sidewalk chalk on the driveway

Have fun! 

Cover photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande on Unsplash