Blast away Boredom with MomsToolbox!

Summer is filled with lots of free time. And all that free time can be heavenly… until your children get bored and you get tired of coming up with new ideas. What’s a mom to do?

This is where I hope to come in: It is my plan to help you blast away boredom this summer on MomsToolbox.com…. Because we’re all in this together and I know we all would much rather have lots of fun with our kids this summer than not.

Every Monday through Thursday until August 20 I will post daily boredom blasters. Every Monday and Wednesday, the ideas will be pretty generic that I hope you can do anywhere. The other two days I will post ideas in and around Houston, Texas. (Hopefully the local ideas will inspire those who aren’t nearby to find something similar near you.)

And to keep you busy between posts, my first activity is one with lots of ideas that you can pull out and employ at moment’s notice.

So get out your scissors and a container and let’s blast away summer boredom forever, starting right now with a boredom blaster jar…

Boredom Blaster Jar

First find and decorate any container which will hold lots slips of paper… break out the stickers, glitter glue, tissue paper and whatever you may have in your craft stash. Don’t make this a chore, let your kids do it and get as messy as you can stand. The container could be anything… an old peanut butter jar, margarine tub with a slit cut into the lid or even a gallon zipper bag).

Next, print the boredom blaster list from below and cut out each activity into strips and fold to hide the ideas. (After you toss any you don’t like and add any you might enjoy.)

Put the ideas into the container and, when boredom strikes, have a child select an activity and go for it!

Feel free to combine the ideas or create one jar for outdoor activities and one for indoor activities.

Here are the activities:

Play ZINGO (These are some of the games we own. Go through your own stash and list.)

Play Uno Attack

Play Chutes and Ladders

Play chess

watch the clouds and look for animals or other shapes

Play Chinese Checkers

Play Candy Land

Play Pente

wash car

play with sand or rice outside

paint the sidewalk with water

find bugs and start a collection or take pictures of them

listen to the birds sing and try to imitate them

play hopscotch

make an obstacle course in your backyard

play tag or freeze tag or chinese freezetag

play Frisbee

ride bikes/ scooters

play basketball / shoot baskets (or use buckets on the ground as baskets for smaller children)

squirt each other with hoses

run through the sprinkler

jump rope

blow bubbles and catch them on the wand

go on a color hunt

go on a shape hunt

pull weeds

use binoculars

use a magnifying glass

make sidewalk chalk art on the front walkway

play catch

play a bouncy ball game

collect rocks

find an ant colony, spill some food, and watch what happens

host a lemonade stand

clean under the bed

vacuum under the couch cushions; keep any change found

build with blocks or Legos

finger paint with pudding

make dessert and take some to your neighbors

make treats to take to the school administration office

give your pet or dolls a party

play flashlight tag

check out a science book and try some experiments or watch some on http://www.stevespanglerscience.com

play hide-and-seek

create a symphony with bottles and pans and rubber bands

string dry noodles or O-shaped cereals into a necklace

glue noodles into a design on paper

make a map of your bedroom, house, or neighborhood

cut pictures from old magazines and write a story

make a treasure map

finger paint with shaving cream

bake a cake

bake a batch of cookies and share with your neighbors

make paper airplanes and race them

paint your face, mom’s too

make a tent out of blankets

read books

make homemade play dough

play with play dough

draw / color / paint

invent circus acts

dust the house

play dress-up

build a fort in your bedroom

do a jigsaw puzzle

cook something new by going through the cookbooks and letting the kids choose

surprise a neighbor with a good deed

play store

hold a tea party

play house

sprout seeds or beans

make sock puppets

paint a picture with lemon juice on white paper, hang in a sunny window, and see what happens

make food sculptures (from pretzels, gumdrops, string licorice, raisins, cream cheese, peanuts, peanut butter, etc.)

Watch Americas Funniest Videos

Play bocce ball

Have a pillow fight

Make music with instruments

Play Polly pockets or ponies

Make a race track and race cars

Slide down the stairs in sleeping bags

Do a craft with glitter

PS. For more boredom busters, check out Works for Me Wednesday!