50 Things for Kids to Do When They’re Bored

Tired of hearing the groans of your “bored” kiddos? Want to help them find things to do without stifling their creativity or having to entertain them? Here are some great boredom busters for your kids to do when they’re bored that will foster imagination and problem-solving!

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“I’m bored!” How many times have you heard that?? Does it make you cringe? Roll your eyes?

I’ve written a few times now about how we are NOT our kids’ activities director. We don’t have to schedule every minute, and it’s not our job to keep them entertained. It’s okay for kids to get bored. In fact, it’s good for them to get bored! That’s when they engage their own creativity, problem-solving, and resourcefulness.

That being said, sometimes they need a little help finding (non-destructive 😉) things to do. As imaginative as kids naturally are, creativity is a muscle that needs regular strengthening. Especially if free or unstructured play is new to your family, it may need a little workout.

If your kids are starting to get bored at this point in the summer (or whenever you’re reading this post), there are ways to help them find things to do without doing all the mental work for them.

Here are 50 “boredom busters” — things for kids to do when they’re bored — that will guide them and provide parameters for their free play while still allowing their creativity to flow.

50 Activities For Kids to Do When They’re Bored

Tired of hearing the groans of your “bored” kiddos? Want to help them without stifling their creativity or having to entertain them?

Here are some broad ideas of things they can do on their own (depending on their age) that will foster imagination and problem-solving. Give them this list to get their juices flowing, then set them loose to make their own fun!

Read a book
Write a story
Construct a marble run
Make paper airplanes or origami
Build a structure out of blocks, plastic cups, play-doh and toothpicks, a deck of cards, straws, pipe cleaners, household objects, etc.
Create their own recipe (tell them which foods they can use and which ones are off-limits)
Have a nerf gun fight
Draw or color pictures
Make a collage with magazine pictures
Make their own book (I get these for my 7-year-old – He LOVES them!)
Make puppets out of paper bags or socks
Bake cookies
Play in a DIY water table
Build a fort
Go on a nature scavenger hunt around the yard
Make a craft with popsicle sticks and yarn, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, felt, etc.
Make sidewalk chalk art
Paint rocks
Construct something out of Kleenex boxes, cereal boxes, or other cardboard boxes
Shoot how-to videos or have a photo shoot
Journal
Make friendship bracelets
Play in a sandbox or dig in the dirt
Put on a talent show
Listen to an audiobook or podcast
Set up an obstacle course outside
“Wash” the sidewalk, house, or outside toys with paintbrushes and water
Go on virtual tours of national parks on Google Arts & Culture
Play a game like “Red Light, Green Light” or “Hide-n-Go-Seek”
Do a puzzle
Learn to draw with YouTube videos
Set up a battle reenactment with plastic figurines or stuffed animals
Have a tea party for dolls or stuffed animals
Make jewelry with beads or pasta
Complete a word search (my 7-year-old likes to make his own!)
Play dress-up
Catch bugs and make a bug house
Play “the floor is lava”
Make instruments from household objects (such as tissue boxes and rubber bands)
Play with Play-Doh or kinetic sand
Collect nature specimens
Make torn paper art
Build with LEGOs, K’NEX, or magnet tiles (these are our favorites)
Make paper plate masks
Play with toy cars and trucks outside
Create an “All About Me” book
Put on a magic show
Make folded paper chains, paper link chains, or crochet chains
Build a domino run
Make paper “bridges” out of paper and see how many pennies it can hold