Boredom Busters - Part 1

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Do you ever hear the phrase “There’s nothing to do”? I used to hear it more than I should have. I came up with a list of things to do when there is "Nothing To Do". I thought of 50 things to do. I wrote them out and put them in a jar. When I was told “There’s nothing to do” I would pull the jar out and have my kids pull out 4 things to do from it. We would then do those things. If all of my kids were home, I have 5, they would go do those things. All of a sudden there was always something to do! Your kids will think of things to add to the jar as time goes on. Have fun!

  • Say words to rhyme with

  • Play "I Spy"

  • Try some tongue twisters

  • Pick a number between one and 10

  • Play "I Went to ..."

  • Sing some silly songs (softly)

  • Sing songs with hand motions, with and without the words

  • Play "20 Questions"

  • Look for things outside

  • Teach your child some clapping games

  • Have your child teach you some clapping games

  • Whisper secrets, silly and serious

  • Ask them, "Tell me three things you did today"

  • Tell a story, taking turns one sentence at a time

  • Write a poem, taking turns one sentence at a time

  • Hide something (even just your thumb) in one fist -- guess which hand?

  • Count your change

  • Count your currency

  • Make a stack or a snake with loose change

  • Fold or roll up currency

  • Make a pattern, train, or house out of cards.

  • Show your child the pictures in your wallet (yes, even your driver's license)

  • Try to remember one of your child's favorite storybooks; tell them the story. Let your child correct your mistakes.

  • See how your child looks in your glasses, or sunglasses

  • Give an invisible manicure

  • Give an invisible pedicure

  • Give or get a real manicure or pedicure

  • Have your child name all his or her classmates

  • See how many people your child can name in your extended family

  • See how many birthdates of friends and family your child can recall

  • Name a relative's birth year and have your child figure out how old; invent relatives if necessary

  • Guess what the people around your neighborhood do for a living

  • Make a Christmas or birthday wish list

  • Count how many words you can spot -- on signs, posters, clothes, books, or notes around the house

  • Make silly faces

  • Play Straight Face

  • Try to make each other laugh -- last one wins

  • Have a staring contest

  • Have your child narrate a favorite movie with the movie sound off

  • Interview your child for a make believe TV news show. Have them interview you.

  • Speak Pig Latin

  • Play "Truth or Dare"

  • Make up your own secret code

  • Think of rhyming words for items around you

  • Take turns naming words for a letter of the alphabet; last one to think of a word wins, and you move to the next letter

  • Same as above, but with rhymes

  • Same as above, but with entries in categories

  • Explain the meaning of various figures of speech

  • Make up silly similes

  • Make a puppet face with your fist, with your thumb as the lower jaw

Author: Julie Adams Flaherty

Julie is a mother of 5, all of whom are gifted with assorted learning issues. She is the founder and creator of The BrainGame Bus; the nation's premier mobile classroom. She is the author of MindGames: Taking games out of the closet; making your kids smarter. https://www.facebook.com/BrainGameBus

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