Things to do (indoors) to keep kids from saying 'I'm bored'

Another little trick to get them to practice their reading without them realising it. Little Man loves collecting these Disney/Marvel cards (that were available through Sainsbury's a couple of months ago) but any similar cards will do the trick. He sorts them out according to the movies/ characters and then reads out the characteristics on the cards. This takes a good half hour and helps him practice both his sorting and reading skills. Which also gives me enough time for a nice cuppa!

Create and Ideate with Lego

Yes, I know Lego is all about ideating and creating but we add a further twist to it for variation. I make little Lego creations (we usually pick a theme – the 'creations' in the picture below are weapons) and Little Man then ideates and elaborates on them, stating possible uses of the said figure. A fantastic way for kids to use their imagination.

 

When all else fails, I reach out for (no, not wine, ok, sometimes the wine) – the bathtub! This almost always does the trick. The combination of water, foam, bubbles, slime (sometimes) and toys often equals to a great distraction from being 'bored' or fed up and before you know it, your child/ children have spent a happy hour splashing and messing about in the tub.

I let Little Man take his superhero figures inside the tub and invent his own superhero v/s baddie games. Other times, he pretends the tub is his restaurant and I 'order' dishes (made with soap and foam) which he serves up in a bathroom mug (how fancy!!!). Another fun option is to add bath slime to the water or most often, just the soapy bubbles do the trick.

Set up 'challenges' and do one every day

Build a pillow house/fort

Indoor scavenger hunt

Paint leaves and stones

Add a fun twist to your art sessions by painting leaves and stones. Decorate them in different colours and patterns and then show them off in a little corner of your garden.

Teach (age-appropriate) life skills

This one could be a bit challenging but there's no better time than this to teach your child life skills (things like making their own bed, folding their own clothes or helping to unload the dishwasher). Of course this will more often than not be met with resistance, but if you make it fun or give them rewards, who knows, your child could emerge from the lockdown being the perfect home-maker!

PS: I'm still trying on this front!!!

The 'list'

This is often my first go-to when i hear the words 'I'm bored'. Little Man and I made a 'list' of all the possible things he could do/ activities he could engage in/ toys he could play with when boredom strikes. And which don't require mummy! From Lego to puzzles to colouring to playing with his cars and superheroes, it's all there!

I let him choose what he feels like doing rather than telling him what to do – the 'choice' often gives kids the feeling of doing something out of free will rather than instruction. Not to say that the 'list' always works, but sometimes realising that they can do X or would like to do Y helps when it's written down in front of them.

Below is a fab infographic on Engaging-At-Home Activities for Kids from ClickInks