Between summertime and social distancing, it's easy for kids to start feeling restless. That's where a bored jar comes in.
As the name suggests, a bored jar is a fun resource that kids can turn to when they're, well, bored! These jars are a low-cost way to provide hours of entertainment for your kids.
And all you need to get started is a jar.
Step 1: Create the jar
The first thing you need to do is create your jar. A glass jar works, but you can also use an empty coffee tin, a shoebox, or anything else that can hold your activity ideas inside.
Creating the jar can be a fun activity for your kids in itself. Have them decorate the jar with stickers, paint, markers, or any other craft supplies you have on hand. Then add a label so they know the jar is all theirs.
Step 2: Fill the jar with activities
Once the jar is finished, it's time to fill it with fun activities! You can print out activity ideas or write your own on slips of paper or popsicle sticks. Drop the ideas into your bored jar and tell your kids to pull one out when they get bored.
The life insurance website Bestow.com came up with some fun ideas to get you brainstorming:
1. 30 minutes of TV time
2. Build a pillow fort
3. Finger painting
4. Make masks out of paper plates
5. Draw with your left hand
6. Play dress-up
7. Have a picnic
8. Call a relative
9. Play a board game
10. Pillow fight
11. Play hide-and-seek
12. Play tag
13. Do a handstand
14. Have a crab walk race
15. Recreate a classic art piece
16. Make a scrapbook
17. Go bird watching
18. Climb a tree
19. Have a dance party
20. 1 hour of video games
21. Have a thumb-wrestling battle
22. Make a puppet show with socks or dolls
23. 30 minutes of computer time
24. Make an obstacle course
25. Plant a seedling
26. Learn the alphabet in a different language
27. Play basketball
28. Play soccer
29. Play kickball
30. Draw a picture
31. Create your own board game
32. Run outside for 15 minutes
33. Make paper airplanes
34. Make a collage from magazines
35. Do a puzzle
36. Make a musical instrument
37. Draw a comic book
38. Create a time capsule
39. Read for one hour
40. Watch an educational movie
41. Make slime
42. Learn the alphabet backwards
43. Write a short story
44. Write a poem
45. Draw a constellation
46. Draw your favorite animal
47. Draw the solar system
48. Ride your bike for one hour
49. Make your family tree
50. Count to 10 in a different language
Download a printable label and list of activities including blank spaces to come up with your own here.
Printable Activities
Performing a Puppet Show
Puppet shows are not only fun, but they're also great ways for kids to reflect their creative muscles. Your kids can create their own puppets from paper bags or plates, or you can provide these printable ones. Attach the puppets to straws or sticks so kids can hold them upright. Then, create a makeshift stage, gather the family, and have everyone sit down to watch the puppet show!
Planting a Garden
Gardening is a fun activity that can teach children important life skills. Use these garden labels and printable growth trackers to turn your garden into a fun art project, and then watch your seeds as they grow. Watching them week by week can help teach kids patience and responsibility. Easy herbs and veggies for kids to grow are basil, beets, and radishes.
Burying a Time Capsule
A time capsule is a fun way for your family to bond and look together toward the future (especially during this crazy time of Coronavirus!). First, get a tin or box that can withstand being buried. Fill it with fun objects from your daily life, and include a letter to your future self. Decide on a time when your family will dig up the capsule, then plant it somewhere in your backyard.
Step 3: Keep it fresh
To keep your kids interested in the bored jar for the whole summer, only add 30 or so ideas at a time. Refresh and replace the activities every month so your kids will be continuously excited about what they are going to find.
I love the idea of doing a time capsule, although I'm not sure our neighborhood association would appreciate us burying things in the yard. Ha ha! If time capsules aren't your thing, then maybe one (or two or ten) of the other ideas on this list will work for your kids. And feel free to share other activity ideas in the comments below!
Thanks to Bestow, an online and convenient life insurance company, for providing the content for today's post.
As the name suggests, a bored jar is a fun resource that kids can turn to when they're, well, bored! These jars are a low-cost way to provide hours of entertainment for your kids.
And all you need to get started is a jar.
Step 1: Create the jar
The first thing you need to do is create your jar. A glass jar works, but you can also use an empty coffee tin, a shoebox, or anything else that can hold your activity ideas inside.
Creating the jar can be a fun activity for your kids in itself. Have them decorate the jar with stickers, paint, markers, or any other craft supplies you have on hand. Then add a label so they know the jar is all theirs.
Step 2: Fill the jar with activities
Once the jar is finished, it's time to fill it with fun activities! You can print out activity ideas or write your own on slips of paper or popsicle sticks. Drop the ideas into your bored jar and tell your kids to pull one out when they get bored.
The life insurance website Bestow.com came up with some fun ideas to get you brainstorming:
1. 30 minutes of TV time
2. Build a pillow fort
3. Finger painting
4. Make masks out of paper plates
5. Draw with your left hand
6. Play dress-up
7. Have a picnic
8. Call a relative
9. Play a board game
10. Pillow fight
11. Play hide-and-seek
12. Play tag
13. Do a handstand
14. Have a crab walk race
15. Recreate a classic art piece
16. Make a scrapbook
17. Go bird watching
18. Climb a tree
19. Have a dance party
20. 1 hour of video games
21. Have a thumb-wrestling battle
22. Make a puppet show with socks or dolls
23. 30 minutes of computer time
24. Make an obstacle course
25. Plant a seedling
26. Learn the alphabet in a different language
27. Play basketball
28. Play soccer
29. Play kickball
30. Draw a picture
31. Create your own board game
32. Run outside for 15 minutes
33. Make paper airplanes
34. Make a collage from magazines
35. Do a puzzle
36. Make a musical instrument
37. Draw a comic book
38. Create a time capsule
39. Read for one hour
40. Watch an educational movie
41. Make slime
42. Learn the alphabet backwards
43. Write a short story
44. Write a poem
45. Draw a constellation
46. Draw your favorite animal
47. Draw the solar system
48. Ride your bike for one hour
49. Make your family tree
50. Count to 10 in a different language
Download a printable label and list of activities including blank spaces to come up with your own here.
Printable Activities
Performing a Puppet Show
Puppet shows are not only fun, but they're also great ways for kids to reflect their creative muscles. Your kids can create their own puppets from paper bags or plates, or you can provide these printable ones. Attach the puppets to straws or sticks so kids can hold them upright. Then, create a makeshift stage, gather the family, and have everyone sit down to watch the puppet show!
Planting a Garden
Gardening is a fun activity that can teach children important life skills. Use these garden labels and printable growth trackers to turn your garden into a fun art project, and then watch your seeds as they grow. Watching them week by week can help teach kids patience and responsibility. Easy herbs and veggies for kids to grow are basil, beets, and radishes.
Burying a Time Capsule
A time capsule is a fun way for your family to bond and look together toward the future (especially during this crazy time of Coronavirus!). First, get a tin or box that can withstand being buried. Fill it with fun objects from your daily life, and include a letter to your future self. Decide on a time when your family will dig up the capsule, then plant it somewhere in your backyard.
Step 3: Keep it fresh
To keep your kids interested in the bored jar for the whole summer, only add 30 or so ideas at a time. Refresh and replace the activities every month so your kids will be continuously excited about what they are going to find.
I love the idea of doing a time capsule, although I'm not sure our neighborhood association would appreciate us burying things in the yard. Ha ha! If time capsules aren't your thing, then maybe one (or two or ten) of the other ideas on this list will work for your kids. And feel free to share other activity ideas in the comments below!
Thanks to Bestow, an online and convenient life insurance company, for providing the content for today's post.
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