School is out and summer is in full swing. No matter how hard you try to keep your child busy, at some point you’ll hear them say, “I’m bored!” What should parents do?
Don’t worry. Here are some ideas for crafts and activities you and your kids can do to combat sudden boredom.
crafts
edible
Ocean Jelly – Make berry blue jelly, add Swedish fish and chill. Once set, add crushed vanilla wafers to create a sandy or beach-themed cake decoration.
Edible Slime – Find recipes for homemade edible slime. (Remind your child that the main purpose is to play, not snack.)
Homemade Popsicles – Explore homemade popsicle recipes to create delicious treats that can be stored in the freezer.
Edible Play-Doh – Check out recipes for edible Play-Doh and once again remind kids that it’s meant to be played with, not eaten.
Campfire – Line a plate with icing, add pretzel sticks, and use the icing to attach red gummy candies to start a flame.
Homemade Ice Cream – Find recipes for churnable and non-churnable ice cream.
other
Butterflies on Coffee Filters – Have the kids color coffee filters with markers and lightly spray with water to bleed the colors. Once dry, twist it in the middle and put a clothespin in the middle. Add a smile with pipe cleaners and markers for the antenna and eyes.
Puff Paint Ice Cream Cones – Print ice cream cone templates, create puff paint, and let kids design their own ice cream cones.
Kool-Aid Drawings – Have the kids draw pictures using Kool-Aid on cardboard. When finished, it has a fruity and sweet scent.
Finger Paint Rainbow – Have your child paint a rainbow with their fingers.
Chalk Art – Give your kids some chalk and let them draw on the sidewalk or driveway to their heart’s content.
Rainbow Craft – Cut out clouds from construction paper and glue different colored streamer papers underneath to create a rainbow. Add googly eyes and a smile to the cloud.
Kites – Cut out diamond shapes from cardboard and have your child decorate them with glitter glue, stickers, etc. Add a colorful streamer to the bottom as a tail.
Read the Caterpillar – Cut out a round shape depicting the eyes, antennae, and smile of a caterpillar’s head and tape it to your child’s bedroom wall. Every time you read a book, circle the book’s title and author’s name. Continue this all summer long until the caterpillars are finished.
Paint the Rocks – Gather rocks from the backyard and let the kids paint them in beautiful designs.
Activity details
Water Balloon Fight – Fill up your water balloons and start throwing them.
Water Table Play – If you have a water table, fill it with water and add different water toys for the kids to play with. If you don’t have a water table, get a large plastic container and fill it with water instead.
Play video games together – We all know that kids love video games, but it’s important to spend time together. Take a few hours out of your day and let your kids teach you how to play their favorite video games. Be sure to set a time limit.
Plant a Garden Together – Teach your kids how to plant fruits and vegetables by starting a garden together. They learn about what it takes to grow crops and thrive.
Have a slumber party – Gather your child’s friends and have a slumber party on Friday night.
Make a Fruit Salad – Gather your favorite summer fruits and make a fruit salad with the kids.
Sprinkler Fun – Send your kids outside and have fun running around in the sprinklers.
Camp in the backyard – Spend the night camping in your backyard. Don’t forget the hot dogs and s’mores.
Summer Carnival – See if your friends and family have outdoor games like cornhole, badminton, kids’ golf sets, kids’ bowling sets (for the sidewalk), or nostalgic food appliances like popcorn poppers, cotton candy machines, and hot dog machines to host a summer carnival. You can also make your own carnival food such as hot dogs, funnel cakes, pizza, and popcorn. Gather your friends and family for an afternoon or evening of fun.
Bird Watching – Place a birdhouse or hummingbird feeder in your backyard to watch birds. See how many you can identify on your own, and see what you can’t find in a guide or app.
Go fruit picking – Go to a local fruit farm and pick some fresh fruit.
Makeshift Water Park – Create a backyard water park with sprinklers and a kiddie pool and invite your child’s friends over. If anyone has a Slip n Slide, add it to the fun.
Movie Marathon – Gather your child’s friends for a movie marathon and popcorn.
Go to the Library – Libraries are a great resource for kids to check out new books and movies for free, as well as attend kid-friendly events.
Go to the Zoo – Take your kids to the zoo and learn about different animals.
Set up a lemonade stand or bake sale – Set up a lemonade stand or bake sale for several days to teach kids about money, having goals, saving money, and giving.
Build with Lego – Challenge your child to build the biggest Lego castle possible.
Play Games – Beat old school board and card games like Sorry, Candy Land, Chutes n Ladders, Go Fish, and UNO.
Go out for lunch – You can take the kids out for lunch or you can make a delicious lunch at home and eat it outside.
Indulge in a snack – Take your kids out for a cone, sundae, or shake.
Go to a carnival or fair – Stay overnight and go to a local carnival or county fair.
Attend a Free Concert – Look around your area to see if there are any free concerts happening.
Go to a cat cafe – If your older child loves cats, it’s a great idea to take them to a cat cafe. Be sure to check your local cafe’s website to see if they have any age restrictions.
Children’s Museum – Take your kids to a children’s museum for the day.
Let’s learn new skills together – learn how to cook, make jewelry, and build robots together.
Charades – Invite your child’s friends over for a game of charades. Don’t forget snacks.
COOL SCIENCE – Get your science experiments book and let your kids have fun while learning.
Puzzles – Fight your child’s boredom by having them work on puzzles.
Read a series of books – You and your child can read books from your favorite series together or on your own.
Play in the rain – Take the kids outside when it’s raining to splash in puddles, make mud pies, and look for bugs.
Bubble Gum Blowing Contest – Invite your child’s friends to participate in a bubble gum blowing contest. Buy ribbons and prizes for the biggest bubble, smallest bubble, messiest face (after the bubble pops), etc.
Jump Rope – Grab some jump ropes and let your kids go outside and play with their friends.
Hula Hoop – Compete to see who can hula the longest.
Kite Flying – Go outdoors and fly a homemade or store-bought kite.
There are many ways to make sure your kids have plenty to do this summer. Look through this list, choose some crafts and activities, and start planning the best summer ever.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Imgorthand
Carrie Laurence is a freelance writer and author. Her work has been featured in Crosswalk, iBelieve, Huffington Post, and The Penny Hoarder. She is also the author of three children’s books, three pretty romance books, one romance novel, three poetry collections, and one nonfiction book. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and spending time with her husband and cute cat, Cupcake. For more information about Carrie and her writing, please visit www.carrielowrance.com.
