Last updated: March 7, 2024
An activity jar can be a life saver in SOO many ways. It can be hard to come up with ideas off the top of your head when the kids are whining at you that they are bored. An activity can also be a good distraction from watching too much TV or when it’s too hot or too cold outside. Another great use for a boredom jar is when you need to cook dinner or do chores and need the kids out of your hair for a few minutes.
As a mom of 3, love having a list of things I can go to to suggest to my kids. If I don’t, I tend to use the same few ideas that pop in my head, which of course they get bored of. That’s why I am sharing these fun boredom jar ideas that are easy for you to implement and are prefect boredom busting activities for kids.
What Is a Boredom Jar?
A boredom jar is a container (you could use a mason jar) that contains many different ideas for activities on little slips of paper. Kids or even adults will pick a piece of paper out of the jar and then that’s the activity they will do. Or you can even dump all the ideas out and select the one you want too.
Fun Boredom Jar Ideas (Bored Jar Activity List)
Here is a list of over 80 different and unique boredom jar ideas with almost no prep work that you can put in your jar for those rainy and even not so rainy days. Some of the activities can only be done during different seasons due to weather, but you could categorize them however you want. You can download these activities in a printable cut out form here.
- Draw a self portrait
- Pillow fight
- Put on a fashion show
- Yoga – There are a ton of videos of kid’s yoga on YouTube.
- Build an obstacle course – You can do it for the kids, or you can have them be creative and make it. You could try it out for them.
- Build a tower with playing cards
- Indoor hopscotch with scotch tape
- Water bin with toys – Fill a bin or bowl with water (and possibly soap) and let the kids put their toys in it, wash them, or just play.
- Play long jump – See how far you can jump and record your distance.
- Walk like an animal– Make a list of different animals and then try to walk like them. You could also race against each other being that animal.
- Sack race – Use a pillowcase and race against each other.
- Scavenger hunt – Do an indoor or outdoor scavenger hunt.
- Cloud watching– Find shapes in the clouds.
- Toe fencing – Try to tap the other person’s toe without stomping and without moving too far. The other person tries to avoid being tapped and you take turns.
- Water bucket relay – Split up into teams with two buckets each. One is empty and one is full. Place them several yards away. Using a cup, have everyone on your team take a turn filling the cup with water and dumping it into the empty bucket. The first team to fill the bucket wins.
- Corn hole – If you don’t have a corn hole, try throwing bean bags or a ball onto a certain spot.
- Heart attack someone – Make a bunch of hearts, put sweet messages on them, and then tape them all over someone’s door.
- Make something out of cardboard
- Dice exercise game – Get a dice, associate a movement with each one of the numbers, roll the dice and do the movement with each number.
- Play doctor
- Timed races – Do a bunch of different races and time yourself.
- Build with uncooked pasta and marshmallows
- Play with sidewalk chalk
- Paint rocks – More fun than you think 🙂
- Duck duck goose
- Play with water balloons
- Tag
- Catch fireflies
- Wash the car
- Play a board game
- Dance party – Look up dance videos on YouTube for kids!
- Play I spy
- Bake together
- Let your child do your hair and make-up
- Look through old photos together
- Make a fort
- Play 20 questions
- Read a book
- Visit the library
- Have a “snowball” fight with sock balls
- Play Simon says
- Play charades
- Play hot potato
- Play keep the balloon in the air
- Play tic-tac-toe
- Make a paper airplane
- Run and jump in the leaves
- Have a tea party
- Learn to cook something
- Write a letter to a loved one
- Write a story together
- Do a play together
- Make a thankful jar
- Play hangman
- Go to a park
- Make a bucket list
- Knock down dominoes
- Waste paper basketball
- Make a collage
- Play with bubbles
- Hide and seek
- Sensory bin – Throw some rice or flour in a container with beans or other non perishable foods, and then throw in some toys.
- Count coins or play with coins
- Make a paper chain – Count down to the next big thing!
- Mother may I
- Catch balls in a cup
- Cut out a snowflake
- Family walk or bike ride
- Bug hunt
- Play Don’t Eat Pete
- Star gaze
- Pick up litter
- Plant something
- Picnic
- Pick flowers
- Finger paint
- Color together
- Play war with cards
- Make a fortune teller
- Cut out shapes from watermelon with cookie cutters
- Play paper football
- Do a lemonade stand
How To Make an Activity Jar
Create an activity jar with this list, by writing them on popsicle sticks and throwing them in a jar. You could also write them on slips of paper. I created an easy list to cut out, and I have them listed under different categories so you can put them in order.
Use these boredom jar ideas for endless fun for your kids!
Hopefully you now have an abundance of great ideas to include in your boredom activity jar. I love using these jars to help come up with creative things for my kids to do. The best part is many of the ideas listed are easy to do with items you have on hand lying around the house. Which activity do you think your kids will want to do next?
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