To help quell this boredom, make a bored jar! These fun easy crafts become fun resources for kids who are looking for entertainment — and all you need to get started is a jar, tin, or box.

Step one: grab a jar, shoebox, coffee tin or anything else that can hold your activity ideas inside. Have your kids decorate the container with paint, markers, stickers, or anything else you have on hand. Make the jar extra personal by adding a label with you kid’s name.

Fill the Jar With Fun Activities

Once you’ve got the jar created, it’s time to add the activities! You can print out our activity ideas below, or write your own on slips of paper or popsicle sticks. Place the ideas into the jar and encourage your kids to draw them when they’re feeling bored.

Fun Activities

• 30 minutes of TV time
• Make a pillow fort
• Play dress up
• Do a word search
• Have a picnic
• Make a puppet show with dolls or socks
• 30 minutes of computer time
• Play a board game
• 1 hour of video games
• Have a thumb wrestling battle
• Pillow fight
• Play charades

Healthy Activities

• Play hide-and-seek
• Play tag
• Jump rope
• Do 50 sit-ups
• Do a handstand
• Climb a tree
• Have a dance party
• Go swimming
• Ride your bike for 1 hour
• Make an obstacle course
• Play basketball
• Play kickball

Crafty Activities

• Draw a picture
• Make paper airplanes
• Finger painting
• Make masks out of paper plates
• Draw your favorite animal
• Draw with your left hand
• Make a collage from magazines
• Do a puzzle
• Draw a comic book
• Draw with sidewalk chalk
• Make a scrapbook
• Create a time capsule

Educational Activities

• Read for 1 hour
• Learn the alphabet backwards
• Recreate a classic art piece
• Write a short story
• Write a poem
• Draw a constellation
• Draw the solar system
• Watch a documentary
• Plant a seedling
• Memorize a famous monologue
• Learn the alphabet in a different language
• Count to 10 in a different language

Printable Activities

Take your activities to the next level with these fun printables!

Plant a Seed

Gardening is a great activity for kids, both recreationally and educationally. It not only allows kids to learn to love the outdoors, but it also teaches kids patience and responsibility. Use these printable garden labels and printable growth trackers to make your new garden into a fun art project. Allow your kids to notice how the seeds grow week by week to teach them about patience, nurturing and the outside world!

Create and Perform a Puppet Show

If you’ve got a creative kid, they’ll love to flex their performance muscles with a fun puppet show. Have your kids create their own puppets from paper bags or plates, or use these printables ones. Attach the puppets to sticks or straws, then create a makeshift stage from a box or table. Bring the family together and let your kids perform a puppet show!

Make a Time Capsule

A time capsule has been a fun family activity for decades. First, get a tin or box that can withstand being buried underground. Fill your container with fun objects from your current life, and a letter to your future self. Pick a spot in your backyard and bury the capsule as a family, then decide on a time that you’ll dig it up!

Swap Out Activities

To keep kids excited about their bored jar, only put 25-30 ideas in at once. Replace activities every few weeks to keep things fresh!