School is out and summer is in full swing. No matter how hard you try to babysit your kids, at some point you’re bound to hear, “I’m bored!” What should a parent do?
Don’t worry, here are some ideas for crafts and activities that you and your children can do to overcome boredom:
Craftsmanship
Edible
Ocean Jelly: Make blueberry jelly and add Swedish fish to it before chilling. Once set, add crushed vanilla wafers for sand and beach themed cake decorations.
Edible slime: Look for a homemade edible slime recipe. (Remind your children that its main purpose is to play, not snack.)
Homemade ice cream: Search for recipes and prepare a delicious treat for the freezer.
Edible modeling clay: Look for recipes for edible playdough and, again, remind children that this is for playing, not eating.
Campfire: Put some icing on a plate, add stick pretzels, then attach a red gummy candy to the icing for the flame.
Homemade ice cream: Find recipes for churnable and non-churnable ice cream.
Other
Coffee Filter Butterflies: Let kids color a coffee filter with markers, then spray it lightly with water to bleed out the colors. Once dry, turn it in the middle and attach a clothespin. Add pipe cleaners for antennae, eyes and a smile with a marker.
Puff Paint Ice Cream Cones: Print out an ice cream cone template, make some puff paint, and let kids design their own.
Kool-Aid Paints: Let the kids paint with Kool-Aid on card stock. This will smell fruity and sweet when cooked.
Finger Painting Rainbows: Have your children finger paint a rainbow.
Chalk Art: Give your kids some chalk and let them draw however they want on your sidewalk or driveway.
Rainbow Crafts: Cut out a cloud from a piece of construction paper and glue strips of different colored streamer paper underneath to create a rainbow. Add googly eyes and a smile to the cloud.
Kite: Cut out a diamond shape from cardstock and let your kids decorate it with glitter glue, stickers, etc. Add a colorful streamer at the bottom to make a line.
Reading Caterpillar: Cut out a round shape with eyes, antennae and a smile for the caterpillar’s head and glue it to your child’s bedroom wall. Each time you read a book, add a circle with the title of the book and the author’s name. Continue this all summer until your caterpillar is finished.
Painting rocks: Gather stones from your garden and ask your children to paint them with beautiful designs.
Activities
Water balloon fight: Fill those balloons with water and start throwing them.
Water table game: If you have a water table, fill it and add different water toys for your children to play with. If you don’t have a water table, get a large plastic container and fill it with water.
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 game. Make sure you set a time limit.
Plant a garden together: Teach your children to plant fruits and vegetables by creating a garden together. They will learn what it takes to make crops grow and thrive.
Have a sleepover: Gather your kids’ friends for a sleepover on a Friday night.
Prepare a fruit salad: Gather your favorite summer fruits and make a fruit salad with your kids.
Watering Fun: Send your kids outside to run in the sprinkler.
Camp in the yard: Spend the night camping in your backyard. Don’t forget the hot dogs and s’mores.
Summer Carnival: See if your friends and family organize outdoor games like corn hole, badminton, children’s golf set, or a a children’s bowling game (for the sidewalk) or nostalgic food devices like a popcorn popper, a a cotton candy machine, or a hot dog machine to have a summer carnival. You can also make your own carnival food, like hot dogs, funnel cakes, pizza, and popcorn. Gather your friends and family for a fun afternoon or evening.
Bird watching- Set up a hummingbird nest box or feeder in your yard and watch the birds. See how many you can identify on your own and look for any you can’t find in a guidebook or on an app.
Go pick fruit: Go to a local fruit farm and pick some fresh fruit.
Makeshift water park: Install a sprinkler or children’s pool to create a water park in your garden and invite your children’s friends. If anyone has a Slip ‘N Slide, add it to the fun.
Cinema marathon: Gather your kids’ friends for a movie marathon and popcorn.
Go to the library: The library is a great resource for children to check out new books and films for free and attend child-friendly events.
Go to the Zoo: Take your kids to the zoo and see all the different animals.
Set up a lemonade stand or bake sale – Host a lemonade or bake sale for a few days and teach your kids about money, having goals, saving money, and giving.
Building with Legos: Challenge your children to build the biggest Lego castle possible.
Play games: Break out the old school board and card games like Sorry, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Go Fish and UNO.
Going out for lunch- You can either take your kids to lunch or prepare a delicious lunch at home and eat out.
Treat yourself to a treat: Take your kids for a cone, ice cream sundae or shake.
Go to a carnival or fair – Take a night to go to the local carnival or county fair.
Attend a free concert: Look around to see if there are any free concerts.
Go to the Café des Chats: If your older children love cats, taking them there is a great idea. Be sure to check your local coffee shop’s website to see if they have any age restrictions.
Children’s Museum: Take your kids to the Children’s Museum for the day.
Learn a new skill together: Learn to cook, make jewelry or build a robot together.
Charades: Invite your children’s friends over for a game of charades and don’t forget the snacks.
Cool science: Pick up a science experiment book and let your children immerse themselves in the fun of learning.
Riddles: Have your children work on a puzzle to help them combat boredom.
Read a series of books: Either you and your child can read their favorite book series together, or they can read it alone.
Playing in the rain: Let your kids go outside when it rains and splash in puddles, build mud pies and look for worms.
Bubble gum blowing competition: Invite your children’s friends to a bubble gum blowing contest. Buy ribbons and prizes for biggest bubble, smallest bubble, dirtiest face (after bubble burst), etc.
Skipping rope: Send your kids outside with some jump ropes to play with their friends.
Hoop dance: Have a competition to see who can do the hula the longest.
Flying a kite: Go to an open field and fly a homemade kite or one you bought at the store.
There are plenty of ways to ensure your kids have plenty to do this summer. Go through this list, pick out a few crafts and activities, and start planning the best summer of your life.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Imgorthand
