I am one of those parents who has a love/hate relationship with the summer months. Part of that stems from my being a work at home mom. When the kids are home for the summer, I do not have the time, energy or patience to give them a bunch of ideas to end kids summer boredom. Also, I hate that my kids are prone to sticking with playing videos or binge watching shows on Netflix. While I am not against either of these, I would prefer my kids get a little Vitamin D during the week. So, bearing this in mind, before my kids start to chant the dreaded “I’m Bored”, I decided to beat them to the punch.
Cheap Ways To End Kids Summer Boredom
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- Have a watermelon eating and/or seed spitting contest
- Create an original story and act it out
- Play a game of freeze tag
- Have a video scavenger hunt
- Backyard Olympics
- Water balloon fight
- Pool noodle sword fight
- Create a kids spa day
- Volunteer at an assisted living facility
- Have a backyard camp out
My kids may be older, but that does not mean they are going to always come up with their own ideas to end kids summer boredom. That is why this Summer Boredom Buster Jar is a brilliant idea. This is a super cheap craft that you don’t mind having sit on the counter or side table. Also, the older kids can make this themselves. I bought the washi tape for $6, already had the baker’s twine, large popsicle sticks and the mason jar, so this craft cost me less than $10 to create. And I had plenty of washi tape leftover for a wreath I am going to make!
In order to give the kids PLENTY of ideas to fill their jar, they searched the Internet for some help. They came up with about 50 ideas total and whenever they think of a new one, they just grab a washi stick and jot it down. This is probably one of the smarter crafts I have made! And to be sure my house gets clean, I added some chores in there for good measure!
Do you have a suggestion to add to my jar to end kids summer boredom?
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
July 14, 2015 at 2:59 pmThat is a great idea. My kids have been bored since they got out of school a few weeks ago LOL.
Christy Maurer says
July 14, 2015 at 4:59 pmI love this idea! My kids are older now and can find ways to entertain themselves, but this would be great for younger kids.
Jeanine says
July 14, 2015 at 5:58 pmThis is a great idea! I would love to do this with my kiddos. I hear the words “I’m bored” way too often so I must try all the things!
Mimi "MimiCuteLips" Green says
July 14, 2015 at 7:39 pmI love this idea, my kids are always complaining. This is a fun way to keep them busy with activities they like.
Liz Mays says
July 14, 2015 at 8:04 pmOh freeze tag! That is such a classic. I love the idea of having all the activities in the jar.
Chantal says
July 14, 2015 at 9:05 pmThese are some awesome ideas! I love having different sticks in a jar to pick from!
HilLesha says
July 15, 2015 at 3:27 amI normally nix boredom by going on road trips, hiking, and doing crafts. These are wonderful ideas, too!
April @ Everyday Fitness and Nutrition says
July 15, 2015 at 5:57 amI remember how bored my kids got during summer vacation. Since i worked full time, we always put them in summer camp program that had lots of fun activities for them.
Krystal says
July 15, 2015 at 6:41 amFreeze tag used to be my favorite game as a kid. I should recreate this for my own son.
Mykidsguide says
July 15, 2015 at 8:15 amWhat a clever idea. This is cute and it sounds really fun. I want to make something like this, though I’m sure my kids would pray they don’t pick the chores. Lol.
Echo says
July 15, 2015 at 8:28 amThis is such a brilliant idea and I love your suggestions too! I need to make one of these!
Dawn McAlexander says
July 15, 2015 at 11:15 amThese are some good ideas. I love your little popsicle stick craft with the ideas on them. That would be some entertainment right there, just drawing one out of the jar!
Rosey says
July 15, 2015 at 12:44 pmSuch a fun idea. Making the jar would be a fun way to ward off boredom too, and get the kids excited about the tasks inside!
Lauren R says
July 15, 2015 at 2:55 pmI love jars like this! I had one once upon a time for date night ideas, and it worked great! Thanks for sharing!
Michelle @ Dishes and Dust Bunnies says
July 15, 2015 at 3:02 pmI really like the idea of a boredom jar and will have to try this out with my son! Thanks so much for the cool idea!
CourtneyLynne says
July 15, 2015 at 3:43 pmThese are some really great ideas! I’m loving the backyard camp out one. I should do that with my daughter!
Chrystal | YUM eating says
July 15, 2015 at 4:13 pmI am loving this idea. I work from home too so kiddo stays with her grammie during the summer. She just lives down the road a bit, in town. Grammie has a pool and kiddos friends can pretty much come and go. She spends some of the summer with her mom too. Then shes back with her dad and I for the school year. Next year my MIL wants to travel, so I’ll need some ideas to keep kiddo entertained so I can work. We live rural and there are no kids around here, much less neighbors. But, we hope to move soon.
Paula Schuck says
July 15, 2015 at 11:26 pmThis weekend’s craft will be a boredom jar. Thanks for the great idea. My kids are always bored no matter how busy I keep them!
ricci says
July 16, 2015 at 10:01 amThis looks a great system to keep kids busy and keep them from the never ending “I’m bored!”. I love it!!
Joanne T Ferguson says
July 17, 2015 at 4:41 amWhat a great idea for children of all ages! I think it would be a fun DIY project to do with friends! I guess my childhood was a lot different than most, as I had no time to be bored and the fun memories never ended! DIY projects also do not have to be expensive to be fun!
Yona Williams says
July 17, 2015 at 9:14 amI think the idea of a Backyard Olympics is real fun. Not only do they get much-needed exercise, but it’s a creative way to have some fun.
Life as a Convert says
July 19, 2015 at 9:26 pmI love this jar idea. I am spinning it and making it into a chore jar so my kids don’t fight over which chore they have to do…This way, if they pick it, they do it 🙂
Gabriel says
July 19, 2015 at 9:29 pmAdding chores in there is a stroke of evil genius. Either your house gets cleaned a lot or they learn to entertain themselves from getting it a lot.
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says
July 21, 2015 at 10:44 pmThese are all super fun ideas to keep boredom at bay! Thanks for sharing!
mycraftingworld says
February 27, 2017 at 6:25 amThis is such a great idea. And have them help means they get to do stuff they want. Thank you for the idea.