I’m bored…
The dreaded words that kids say every now and then. In fact, there probably aren’t very many parents who haven’t heard that phrase at least once a day this summer.
Although there is much to be said for children who know how to entertain themselves, as parents we know that we have a very short window before they won’t want to play with us at all. But it’s hard to be the fun parent, the one who likes to do things and keep the kids entertained at all times. Especially when you have a job, housework and need your rest too!
But don’t feel bad. Occasionally everyone is out of ideas. Which makes it harder to have fun because you feel like whatever you do, it’s forced. So, here is another list of fun things you can do with your kids when they are “bored” and when you run out of ideas:
Bake Cookies
Or cakes. This is one of our favorite things to do but of course, it doesn’t always go as planned. In fact, I can guarantee you that the kitchen ends up a mess, no one pays attention to stirring or adding things in a timely fashion, there is an argument over who gets to lick the spoon… and so forth. However, at the end of those couple of hours, the kids get to try out their freshly baked goods. And, as we all know, there is nothing as lovely as home-baked cakes and cookies.
Gardening
Even if you have the smallest garden, or maybe no garden at all, you can still get the joy of planting and growing. If you have a larger garden space, spend some time picking an area that you can gift to your kids. They will often love taking responsibility for a little piece of earth. You can introduce how to grow veggies, smaller flowers and some fruits. Even if you aren’t great at gardening yourself, it is something you can do together and at the end of it, maybe eat your own tomatoes like we did.
If you have a smaller garden or no garden at all, then you might like to think about picking up a grow your own potting kit. They are usually designed with kitchens, and smaller gardens in mind and they don’t tend to take up much room.
Racing
No, don’t worry, you don’t need your running shoes on just yet. But RC toys and gadgets are so much fun for parents and kids. You can get yourself some mini racing cars and race around the living room, garden or if the street is safe enough the road!
Fort
Building forts and tents is a lot of fun. You can use pegs to hold the blankets and fabrics together, chairs and sofas as the harder support lines and it can be as big or as small as you like. If you really hate fort building, then think about picking up an indoor teepee or tent. You can spend time together decorating it and filling it with books or sweet treats. It teaches kids a lot about working together, in order to make the best fort possible.
Dance Off
Many times kids need to burn off their excess energy. And, at the same time, you need a boost in yours. Creating a kickass playlist, filled with your favorite tunes and bouncing around for 30 minutes is super fun. You can show the kids your cool (or uncool) moves, and you all get that nice boost of endorphins too. We do this one a lot.
Write Letters
It feels like a bit of a lost art nowadays but letter writing used to be the thing for many people. Sending notes of thanks, or just to say hi… So you can either find your children a penpal, or you could write to family members. Everyone loves to receive a letter that isn’t a bill, and it gets even more exciting for the kiddos when they receive a reply back.
Movie Night
This might be better saved for a rainy weekend, but a movie night is so cozy and relaxing. Our kids love to make their own special blend of popcorn. We pick up some reusable popcorn tubs from the dollar store, microwavable popcorn, they add other sweet treats like candy and chocolate and voila. Lay down some blankets, fluffy pillows and the sometimes even a nice hot chocolate. We take turns to choose the movie for the night and we are even thinking of starting some theme nights. For example, for The Cat in The Hat, everyone will wear some cat face paint or a hat! Fun, right?
Nature Watching
Most of us are lucky enough to have some green space, not too far away. And while you might not be spotting tigers and elephants, you can make a list of local nature centers that you and the kids are likely to see. We do quiet a bit of this and love it! But in a bid to get excited about nature, you can always watch reruns of nature programs. Netflix is full of them.
Art
If you have space on your walls to add some new artwork, then why not create your own. I have been thinking of doing a family art piece for a while. We would pick one large canvas, or a couple of small ones and create a nice art piece for our home. We can pick a theme or color scheme and when it is done, it will all go perfectly together. Or at least I hope 🙂
Stargazing
Once the nights aren’t so cold, grab some blankets and head out to lay down and stare up at the stars. We’ve recently download a constellation app for your phone, so that we can point out the interesting ones and see if the kids can guess the names of each one. Different but fun!
Of course, sometimes the best course of action is for everyone to grab some clean pajamas and relax for the day. Because what really matters is spending time together doing what you love – even if that happens to be not much at all.
x, Dijana
