Mum, I’m Bored! Summer activities for kids

If you’ve ever heard those words, you know how hard it is to keep your kids occupied during the summer holidays. The NHS recommends kids between the ages of 5 and 18 get at least one hour of exercise every day, but even if you do get your kids to run around for an hour, you still have to fill the rest of the day.

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There’s a lot to be said for letting your kids be bored from time to time, since they’ll learn how to use their imagination and will become more self-motivated and self-reliant. But there’s a lot to be said for planning a couple of activities each week. They will keep their brains active, and you’ll be able to spend some quality time together.

With that in mind, we’ve scoured the web to find some of the most fun, coolest activities you can do with your kids to keep summer boredom at bay – at least for a little while.

Create salt dough crafts

Salt dough is the saviour of many a mum looking for cheap activities that don’t require expensive materials and equipment. Just grab 1 part salt, 1 part water and 2 parts flour. Mix the salt and flour, then add the water slowly until it forms a firm dough. Make sure it stays a bit dry, so that it’s not too sticky.

You can either roll the dough out and use cookie cutters to make shapes, or you can let your kids sculpt with it (though they will flatten and spread a little in the baking). You can even put little holes in the top so you can hang them up later, if you like.

Once you’ve got the shapes you want, you need to dry them. You can pop them into an oven for three hours on a very low heat until dry, or you can zap them in the microwave for three minutes. If they are still a bit wet, give them 20-second blasts until they are fully dry.

Let them cool down, and they’ll be ready for the kids to paint them. Use whatever paint you like. Once the kids are finished, let the paint dry, then coat the items with a clear sealant to preserve them.

Use old toys in new ways

Grab an assortment of items, like a basket, some towels, a ball and a broom. Give them to your kids, and give them 5 minutes to come up with a game everyone can play. Then play it!

Pull out the washable markers or face paints, and draw on each other’s faces. It’ll definitely be funny, but just be sure you don’t have to go anywhere for maybe a day or two, just in case.

Play with your food

Have you ever seen pictures of food that look like little sculptures? With a few toothpicks, some sticky condiments like mustard or whipped cream and a bit of ingenuity, you can create your own food monsters. Think about using cubes of cheese to make robots, or using strawberries and blueberries to make ladybirds.

Best of all, they make great snacks when you’re finished – provided you take the toothpicks out.

Make a playlist

It could be that your kids are a bit too old for the activities above. You can still hang out with them. Just sit down and make a playlist with them. Give it a theme, like Party Tunes or Love Songs, and alternate picking out tunes. It’s especially simple if you use an online program like Spotify, as you won’t have to merge media playlists and what not. Once you’ve made the playlist, put it on and dance around the house.

The best thing about this activity is that it opens up both of you to new songs and styles of music.

Get crafty without sewing

If your kids are handy, try this no-sew fabric craft. Get some cheap square, plastic bins, some fabric glue and some cute fabric. You can use tea towels, spare pillow cases or clothes if you don’t want to buy fabric.

Measure the height of the bin from just under the lip at the top of the bin to the bottom, and add about 1/2 to 1 inch (1.25 – 2.5 cm) to the bottom. Measure around the box as well. Those measurements are the dimensions of the fabric. Working on one side at a time, coat the side in glue and apply the fabric. Press it down firmly, and smooth out any air bubbles. Do this until all four sides are covered.

Turn the bin upside, coat the bottom with glue and fold the loose bit of fabric down, like you would when wrapping a present. Paint a bit more glue on the edges, just to make sure the fabric stays down.

When it dries, you have a nicely crafted storage bin. If you want to cover the top of the bin as well, you can cut a small strip of the leftover fabric, a pretty contrasting fabric or a ribbon to size, and glue that to the rim.

 

These are just a few ideas, but what do you do when you here a little voice cry out “Mum, I’m bored”?