I think having a boredom jar is a great tool but could lead to the kids saying "I'm bored" constantly just so they can pull out a slip of paper from Mommy's jar ! So make sure your a step ahead of them and throw in some Chores too ! Now don't make the chores too hard, you don't want to stop what your doing to teach or help them. Remember this is to keep them from getting bored ~ So make sure to have age appropriate ones. If you have a wide range of age spans, mark the outside of the slip of paper with the # of the child it corresponds too.
For instance "Wash mommy's car" Of course you do not want your 5 year old to pull this one out, especially if your busy making dinner in up to your eye balls in cookie dough for the Sunday bake sale at church. This one is more for your 11 or 12 year old on up child.
On the slip of paper that you fold in half to place inside the jar, Mark it with a 11 or a 12. That way your 5 yr old knows that ones for brother/sister and can choose another one that has his age on it.
here is a printable version of chore charts for children. You can go here to get a list so you can cut them out , fold up and number for your "Boredom jar"
http://www.paintedgold.com/Organize/chore-charts2.pdf
Here are some fun things to do while at home to keep boredom at bay.
Here is the website to visit and where I copied the list from.
http://www.discoverfun.com/freeinfo/500fun/home.html
- Build a tree house
- "Borrow" an ugly ornament from your neighbor's yard - see how long it takes them to notice
- Build a home for you gerbil or small pet
- Dress up on a Saturday and go to Open Houses and act like you have the money to buy the place. Fabulous for decorating ideas too. Bonus points in a wealthy neighborhood
- Get all the grandchildren to perform a skit at a family gathering
- Get some pink flamingos for your lawn
- Have a back yard talent show
- Host a yard sale
- build an obstacle course in the front yard
- Make a list of all the fun craft ideas and images to do at home, then round up all your supplies and get crafty for some family fun crafts
- Make a slip and slide in your back yard
- Give kids magazines and paper to make a collage of what Summer means to them, what is their favorite things
- Make an entertaining phone answering-machine message
- Stop phone solicitors from calling you by acting like a total wingnut when they call
- Paint your hardwood floors like a gym floor
- Plant some tulips or any kind of plants
- Put a pond in your yard - with fish
- Put a rock-climbing wall in your house
- Put a water slide out your bed room window
- Put strings of lights on your houseplants.
- Set up the tent in the backyard like it is a campground in the wilderness
- Make a neighborhood parade,decorate bicycles & wagons ,and make your own hats !
- Sing in the shower with all your might
- Design a fitness program or workout routine
- Tie ribbons to anything that doesn't move.
- Use window markers and draw rainbows on your windows.
- Wash the Dog
- Play wacky golf - use strange clubs like a shovel or a baseball bat and strange golf balls too
- Make a mini golf game in the backyard
- Play hide and seek
- Have a Backyard Vacation
- Mess with the family pet - put a dress on them or a fancy hat and take a picture with your camera phone
- Spontaneous Inside Fun and Rainy Day Activities
- Compile a list of Fun Road Trip Games to have ready for your next road trip
- Board games by a toasty fire
- Get an astrology book and read out loud horoscopes for each family members zodiac sign
- Get a gazpacho recipe or some other kind of strange dish and make it. More food and drink ideas
- Build a mini weather station at home
- Build a time capsule
- Ask your friends or family some fun questions - like when you were the most scared or what your dream in life is
- Start planning your Halloween costume
- Load up some new music on your ipod
- take a corner of the house that is not being used and build a fun corner
- Make a happiness shrine
- Look at old photo books
- Research your family tree
- Make some Music cd's for a friend
- Write a postcard to someone even if they are in the same city
- Every night before you go to bed sit as a family and each person tell one ting that made their day today
- Sign up for some language lessons
- Watch a movie trailer or a movie online
- Change your Myspace page
- Make your own comic bookGet your digital camera and take pictures of crazy items in your house.
- More Spontaneous Inside Fun and Rainy Day Activities
- Buy a tabloid and read it aloud to whoever is in the room with you
- Play nerf football or basketball
- Set up a beauty salon day at your house and have your friends bring one beauty tip or you can all change your hair color
- Crank up the music and dance in your pajamas
- Do crossword puzzles or a soduko puzzle
- Have a video game competition
- If you have a webcam send a video to Grandma or put it it up on Youtube
- Either take lessons or hire a belly dancer for your next party
- Get a blanket or sheet, and go somewhere you probably won't hurt yourself if you fall. Then have your friend hold one end of the sheet and start spinning so the blanket twists around you, then get your friend to pull his end of the blanket really hard and you should spin around till u run out of sheet.
- Go to disco night at your local bowling alley
- Pick winners off of American Idol and then bet household chores with each other to see who is right
- Have a carpet picnic
- Have a dinner that is focused around laughter
- Have a limbo contest
- Invent a new dance
- Pick a fun party idea then start planning the party - what will the party invitations look like? What will you have for party appetizers
- Play Nintendo Wii or Xbox live
- Have a scary movie marathon
- Listen to classical music, lights off, lying on the floor, and take turns saying what it sounds like
- Jigsaw puzzle
- Nothing beats a Bollywood movie
- Cluedo
- Play foosball
- Play video games
- Scrabble
- Start a pillow fight
- Tell scary stories to each other, kick it up a notch and let the kids video tape one another.
- Washable crayons are a wonderful invention. Pick a wall and invite friends
- Make some of your own crayons, peel old broken ones, make piles of same color families, put into containers *muffin papers inside muffin tin" and bake,look online for baking times.
- Make a play & have some "direct it" and video it for watching after dinner.
- Make homemade playdough ,There is edible recipes and even sand castle recipes.
- Let them fill up the little kiddy pool and take outside baths taking turns to hold the hose *like a outside shower* wear swim suits ! Bring out towels and shampoo.soap !
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