Kids overwhelming you because they’re cranky and bored? Here’s a list of ideas to keep kids younger busy when boredom hits. Depending on their age they’ll need your help with some of these ideas. Scroll the whole way down to make sure you see the ideas for being outside! I’ll add to it as I think of them or hear of suggestions.
STAYING BUSY INDOORS
- Play cards or board games
- Paint
- Color
- Draw
- Origami
- Make salt dough
- Make slime
- Make a bird feeder with toilet paper roll, pb and bird seed
- Plant seeds indoors for spring planting outdoors
- Make crafts with whatever supplies you have at home
- Legos
- Marathon of cartoon movies
- Take a nap
- Free online learning resources
- Free virtual tours of museums/national parks
- Make art with food
- Living room fort
- Camp indoors with a tent
- Make a pile of clothes that don’t fit and toys they don’t use to donate
- Write a letter to grandparents
- Puzzles
- Sing
- Make music with household items
- Sock puppets
- Make capes out of old t-shirts
- Hide-and-seek
- Make a collage from magazine pictures
- Dance party
- Learn how to do laundry/clean/cook
- Bubble bath
- Video games
STAYING BUSY OUTDOORS
- Help wash the car
- Climb a tree
- Scavenger hunt
- Collect rocks to paint
- Sidewalk chalk or bubbles
- Bike/scooter riding
- Sports
- Pull weeds/clean up yard
- Look for bugs
- Picnic in the backyard