Boredom Busters: 100 Ways to Keep Kids Busy When They're Bored

Create Your Own Boredom Buster Bucket

• 1Draw a picture or write a note for the grandparents.
• 2Build a tower with all the LEGO bricks and see how high it is.
• 3Go outside and find 5 kinds of bugs.
• 4Go outside and find things that are 5 different colors.
• 5Play Hangman.
• 6Read a book to your brother or sister.
• 7Chew a piece of gum and blow your biggest bubble.
• 8Gather up all stray socks/shoes and put them in the basket.
• 9Water the house plants.
• 10Dust the TV and computer screens.
• 11Collect sticks and make a stack of firewood.
• 12Draw a hopscotch board on the sidewalk and play.
• 13Use chalk to decorate the patio.
• 14Write a note to surprise Mom/Dad and tape it to the mirror.
• 15Write a note to a friend or relative, saying "One thing I love about you is _______" and mail it.
• 16Make finger Jello.
• 17Take a nap.
• 18Lie down outside and find shapes in the clouds.
• 19Use the hose or sprinkler to make rainbows outside.
• 20Fill the salt shaker.
• 21Fill the pepper shaker.
• 22Fill all the liquid soap dispensers.
• 23Organize the plastic containers so they nest well, with big ones on the bottom and little ones on the top.
• 24Pick a dandelion bouquet.
• 25Make a slingshot out of a stick and a rubber band.
• 26Brush the dog/cat.
• 27Wash all the mirrors in the house.
• 28Sweep the porch or patio.
• 29Blow up a balloon and see how many times you can bounce it in the air without letting it touch the ground.
• 30Go through the odd socks and try to make pairs.
• 31Take things out of the toybox and put them back in, so the stuff that was on the bottom is now on the top.
• 32Make up an acrostic poem with the letters of your name.
• 33Mix your own bubble juice and blow bubbles with a straw. Bubble recipes
• 34Make your own playdough. Playdough recipes and Playdough instructions
• 35Make up new words to a familiar tune, such as "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star."
• 36Practice doing cartwheels until you're good at it.
• 37Get a jump rope and see how many times you can jump before you miss.
• 38Get a jump rope and see how many times you can swing the rope under your feet between jumps.
• 39Trace the outline of your hand and put your name and date on it, for your scrapbook.
• 40Get a friend and use chalk to trace your body outline on the sidewalk. Draw your face and clothes.
• 41Write a few sentences about how bored you are, and what you'd like to do.
• 42Make an old-fashioned dandelion or daisy chain. How to make a daisy or dandelion flower chain
• 43Make a grass whistle. Instructions from Ranger Rick magazine:
  Whistling with a Blade of Grass
  * Find a long, wide blade of grass.
  * Cup your hands together with your thumbs lined up and the blade of grass sandwiched between them. Your thumbs should touch at the top and bottom, leaving an opening in the middle.
  * Hold the grass tightly between your thumbs.
  * Blow through the opening. When the grass vibrates, it will make a sound. This is a little tricky, so, if it doesn't work at first, keep trying until it does!
• 44Make a bowling game out of empty water bottles and a ball.
• 45Try building a castle or fort out of empty boxes.
• 46Spread a blanket or sheet over a table so it hangs down and makes a tent/fort. Have a picnic in your tent.
• 47Find some flat, smooth, round stones and skip them on a pond.
• 48Play catch.
• 49Climb a tree.
• 50Find some sandy rocks and rub them together to see what color powder they make.
• 51Plant a seed with some soil in a paper cup.
• 52Play "Duck Duck Goose."
• 53Get some crayons and do a page in a coloring book.
• 54Talk to a friend (in person or on the phone) about this: your five favorite movies.
• 55Talk to a friend (in person or on the phone) about this: the worst thing you've ever tasted.
• 56Talk to a friend (in person or on the phone) about this: your funniest joke.
• 57Set up an obstacle course of toys and practice racing around them.
• 58Climb a tree.
• 59Start a rock collection.
• 60Start a leaf collection.
• 61Put together a jigsaw puzzle.
• 62Do the hula hoop.
• 63Learn how to pop a wheelie on your bike.
• 64Vacuum the stairs.
• 65Pull the weeds out of the garden.
• 66Play "Sardines." Instructions from nwf.org:
  Sardines is another variation of hide and seek. In this game, one child ("It") hides while all the other kids count to 50. Everyone looks for the hider, but instead of revealing his hiding place, each player quietly hides with "It" when they find him. Soon, those who are left realize that they are looking for a hiding place where lots of people are located instead of just one person. The game ends when the final child finds all the hiders. He then becomes "It."
• 67Put an empty jar or milk jug on the floor. Take turns trying to drop a clothespin into the container.
• 68Play a board game.
• 69Play Tic-Tac-Toe.
• 70Play Twister.
• 71Play Hide and Seek.
• 72Spin some jacks.
• 73Have a battle with spinning tops.
• 74Put on some music and dance.
• 75Practice whistling a tune.
• 76Play "Cat's Cradle" with a loop of string and a friend. How to do Cat's Cradle string figures
• 77Fly a kite.
• 78Clean the kitchen sink.
• 79Wipe the bathroom counters.
• 80Make a tower with all the toilet paper and see how high it is.
• 81Make paper airplanes and see which flies the farthest.
• 82Build a house of cards.
• 83Build a cabin out of toothpicks and glue.
• 84Build a tiny fairy garden from rocks and twigs.
• 85Make your bed.
• 86Change your sheets.
• 87Find last year's school supplies and play school.
• 88Make sandwiches for your family.
• 89Make homemade popsicles with juice and sticks.
• 90Bake cupcakes and take half to a neighbor.
• 91Go through a dresser drawer and take out the clothes that are too small. Put them in a bag to donate.
• 92Find all of the pieces to a toy set and put them together in a container.
• 93Make your own maracas/shaker. Tape paper over one end of a toilet paper roll. Add a spoonful of dry rice or beans. Tape paper over the other end. Shake your own rhythms!
• 94Make a kazoo with a plastic comb and waxed paper.
• 95Gather tree seeds that look like helicopters. Toss them into the air and watch them twirl back down.
• 96Turn a bucket upside down and drum on it with wooden spoons.
• 97Dress up in costumes or sport uniforms and play.
• 98Use a plastic grocery bag and a small action figure or object to make a parachute.
• 99Make "Ants on a Log." Wash celery and slice into snack size pieces. Spread peanut butter, cream cheese, or cheese spread into the groove. Stick raisins onto the spread. Yummy!
• 100Make potato stamps. Slice a potato into thirds. Use utensils to carve a design into the flat part of the potato. Dip into paint and stamp onto paper.
• 101Get some paper and cut out shapes. Try hearts or paper people chains.
• 102Go on a photo scavenger hunt. Try to take a photo of these things (or make your own list):
  Stairway, Dog, Squirrel, Pine tree, Traffic sign, Swingset, Ant, Stapler, Mail box, Taxicab
• 103Sort the spare change into rolls and count it.