Quick and Easy Activities for Your Kids to Stop the Boredom

My daughter was reading a book over the weekend that gave her a fun idea. She asked me if I had a box. She then went around the house collecting items and acted out the story in the book. This little exercise got me thinking about other easy and quick ideas for when the kids get bored. Here are a few ideas:

-- Tape a big piece of butcher paper or newspaper on the wall and let the kids color or paint on it. Since they never get to color on the walls, they will think this is tons of fun!

-- Fill spray bottles and let the kids spray each other outside in the back yard. Or give them the spray bottles while they take a bath or shower. Kids can't get enough of water.

-- Make paper airplanes and let them fly them around the house or outside. Think of the fun we had as kids doing this.

-- Wash the family car. Seriously. My kids LOVE to wash the car.

-- Set up a tent in the family room or make one out of blankets. We do this occasionally and the kids absolutely love it. I even give them a sack lunch to take inside.

-- If you have a hill in your yard, flatten a cardboard box and let your kids fly down it. Fun summer play!

-- Use sidewalk chalk to create a hopscotch game on your driveway or back patio.

-- Don't forget about going to the library. Five new books can keep a child busy for at least an hour.

-- Make an old-fashioned play telephone with two paper cups and a long string. It was fun for us and still fun for kids now.

-- Let your kids gather different rocks and create a rock collection. My kids love doing this and sometimes even paint or color the rocks for extra fun.

-- Send your kids on a letter hunt. They have to search the house for five items that begin with the letter "a" and so on.

-- If you have a tape recorder around (I have a little handheld one from my college days), let your kids record themselves. Oh do they love this!

-- Hide something in the house and have your kids try and find it. It's like a treasure hunt.

-- Believe it or not, but my little ones love to wash dishes. I put my apron on them and a few non-breakable dishes in the sink. They love to get the bubbles going, rinse and place the clean dishes on a kitchen towel to dry. Plus, they think they are really helping mom and that is just cute.

Most importantly, look around your house and see what might be fun for your kids to discover or play with. I find they have just as much fun with a paper airplane as they do with a remote control car.

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