Boredom Buster Box for Kids

Has it happened that your kid has a look of utter boredom after actively playing with his/her toys and says, "Mom, what do I do now?"

Has it ever happened that you're in the middle of something and that's precisely when your child decides he needs your attention? 

Has it happened that your children want to do some activity but you're drawing a blank?

I bet it has happened to you...on more than one occasion! 

This has become especially apparent during the Covid-19 induced quarantine. There are plenty of moments in the day when the kids are dawdling around the house, feeling like they want to do something but don't know what. Furthermore, as a mom working from home, I am not necessarily able to be with them all day. Yet, I feel like I need to have a ready supply of ideas to pull out of my hat! Wouldn't it be nice to create a setup where our children can take the initiative themselves to decide what they want to do as an activity? Well, this is what prompted me to make the "Boredom Buster Box" aka Krishnav's Idea Box aka WDID Box (*WDID = What Do I Do?). 

What is it?

It is essentially a jar filled with small folded-up strips of paper which contain ideas of activities, big and small. Whenever my son wants to do something, he can just reach inside the jar and pull out 1 or more strips of paper. The intent is for him to seek ideas for independent play and creative activities, especially if Mama is busy or indisposed. 

What are the ideas you have dropped inside the jar?

Well, this is precisely the purpose of this post. The Boredom Buster Box has been quite effective and useful so I'd love to share the ideas with you all. The ideas are a mix of my own plus that of my 6.5 year old son. We created it together as a mini project in itself. 

Here goes the list (organized according to different topics/themes but essentially all thrown together into the jar):

Lego-related challenges (I got a lot of inspo from Little Bins for Little Hands)

• Use Legos to create a catapult
• Make a Lego maze
• Create your initials using Legos
• Make a Lego zipline
• Create a model of your room using Legos
• Lego symmetry: Set up one side of the baseplate with an abstract image and have your child copy the same design using the principles of symmetry)

An actual functioning catapult engineered by my son
(with some help from Little Bins from Little Hands website)

Math riddles

• Math art: refer to this Zyndtel Design for printouts which we liked
• Include a few fun math brain teasers that are age-appropriate

Arts and Crafts

• Refer to a YouTube art channel for a tutorial on drawing your favorite cartoon character
• Create your own Sistine Chapel like Michelangelo - stick an empty paper under the table and create your own artwork under the table

My Michelangelo working on his masterpiece 

Writing

• Write a nonfiction story about any topic (or assign a specific topic)
• Write 5 sentences about _______. 
• Write a poem about ________.

Refer to books and activities you have at home (sometimes they just need to be reminded of what

they have already)

• Read a few pages from so-and-so book or do the read-aloud from the Epic app 
• Do a puzzle or make your own DIY puzzle 
• Play Bingo! 
• Play with your Beyblades 
• Pull out your boardgame (e.g, Connect-4, Snakes & Ladders, Uno, etc)

Printables (printed and kept at a designated place for your child to easily access when needed)

• Spot the difference printables (here and here)
• Free coloring sheets (many sources out there, for example try this link from Little Bins for Little Hands)

Exercise

• Do 10 jumping jacks, 4 burpees, 5 push-ups (repeat 3 times!) 
• Ball catching practice against the wall
• Do Cosmic Yoga on YouTube

Others

• A to Z scavenger hunt: find items around the house starting with each letter of the alphabet
• Create your own scavenger hunt for your parents!
• Line up wooden blocks and then create the domino effect
• Call up any of your family members for a quick chat (grandparents, friends) - I recommend Caribu app which is like Zoom for kids
• Create your own campsite with a makeshift tent
• Make your own riddles to ask Mom and Dad

There are endless possibilities! Hopefully this gives you ideas to keep your kids busy and out of your hair when needed! Of course, feel free to adapt to your child's age level, and please do share any ideas you might have as well. And if you liked this post, please share with your friends as well.

Cheers!