Guest Post: Wallet Friendly Boredom Busters for Kids

Today's guest post is some ideas for fun crafts and activities to help your kids beat boredom this autumn - submitted on behalf of Primrose Schools by Emily Patterson who works for them as a Marketing Support Coordinator providing written work to the blogosphere which highlights the importance, and some of the specific aspects of a quality, early childhood, education.


Now that school is in session, it is important to keep kids active at home. After sitting all day, most kids need to release their built up energy. However, without parental guidance, children may not see the importance of staying active. That is when they decide to complain about being bored. They want to do something, but aren’t sure where to begin.

Activity is not only important for children’s health, but also their mental development. Getting outside and running around at home enables kids to focus better at school. Fortunately, it doesn’t require a lot of equipment and money to get your children active.

Here are 10 activities to get children off the couch and active during the fall:

1. Activity Jar: Have a family meeting to brainstorm activities for the whole family. Decide as a family what ideas to write down on slips of paper and put in the jar. Suggest that the children make the jar their own by decorating and labeling it. Whenever anyone is feeling bored, have them pull out an activity from the jar. This will encourage more family bonding and will eliminate the hassle of coming up with ideas on the spur of the moment.

2. Rake Leaves: Make a chore into a fun family time. Everyone participates in raking the leaves into a huge pile, then take turns jumping into the pile. Leaves can also be used to throw at each other like a snowball fight.

3. Bike Trails: Take advantage of the cooler weather and go out for a bike ride. Turn it into an exploration by making it an object hunt. Before the bike ride, list objects to find along the trail and see who locates the most during the bike ride.

4. Family Football: Invite another family over for a football game. Each family wears shirts representing their favorite college or NFL team. Beforehand, make a trophy for the winning family. Play several games throughout the fall, and pass the trophy over to the current victors.

5. Cooking Class: Pull out several recipes for the children to choose what to make. Each child can choose a recipe and then everyone pitches in to make them. Everyone has fun together, but they are also learning how to measure and cook. These are life skills that will benefit them as adults.

6. Camp Out: Pitch a tent in the backyard. Whether it’s a real tent or a makeshift tent, children will enjoy the experience. Pull out the camping bags to add to the atmosphere. Grill dinner outside or roast marshmallows in a fire pit. If the weather is not too cold, sleep outside under the stars.

7. Pumpkin Hunt: Purchase small pumpkins from the store and hide them throughout the yard. Send the kids out with a bag to see who can collect the most pumpkins. After the hunt, decorate the pumpkins with paint, glitter, rhinestones, etc.

8. Stories Alive: Read a new story from the library. Pick a subject interesting to the children, such as pirates, dinosaurs, firefighters, etc. Have the children act out the plot. They can also come up with new adventures for the characters. Help your children discover props around the house. A blanket turns into a cape and a pool noodle becomes a pirate sword.

9. Nature Walk: Take a paper bag on a nature walk. Collect nuts, leaves, and other interesting items along the path. Try to discover what types of trees are on the path by investigating the objects you find.

10. Do You Hear What I Hear? Lay a blanket down in the backyard and listen to the sounds around. Guess the sounds and then try to replicate them. This can be for fun or as a competition.

This list is just a few of the many wallet friendly activities available to children. It is important to keep children’s bodies active, as well as their minds. Encourage children to come up with their own activities so they are more likely to get involved. This fosters independence and creative thinking.

While planning autumn entertain, remember to take into account the children’s ages. Introducing something age appropriate is more likely to receive positive feedback from children. If things are too advanced, children are more likely to give up. Adjust expectations accordingly to get the best results.

Sit down with the kids and decide where to start. The goal is to have fun and take advantage of the cool autumn weather!