When you are met with the word "bored" you will have a handy toolkit ready to go.
There is nothing that adequately prepares a parent for being met with the word "bored". The dreaded word pierces through our ears like nails on a chalkboard. Our little angels may be surrounded by their favourite toys and games but somehow find themselves in a state of boredom. As a parent this is a real challenge. We tend to respond with frustration because to the naked eye there is no genuine reason why they could possibly be feeling bored.
When our children state that they are bored there is usually a deeper reason. They may be feeling anger, sadness or anxiety for example. These things can cloud a child's ability to see their favourite things around them. It is also possible that they have too much around them and the choice overwhelms them.
Luckily we have a handy list of boredom busters that are perfect for indoors. When you are met with the dreaded word "bored" you'll have a handy toolkit to turn to.
Cheerios Challenge
For this one you will need a handful of cheerios (or any equivalent breakfast cereal) one piece of dry Spagetti and a piece of fruit. Using the piece of fruit as a weight simply pierce it with the piece of spagetti. The idea is to stack the cereal on to the piece of spagetti one by one. This is a great activity for fine-motor skills.
You can also use cheerios to "colour" a picture, like this one below.
Make Some Unicorn Toast
Simply toast a piece of bread, add a little cream cheese and add some sprinkles. Set up a little work station and allow the children to spread the cream cheese on before adding their sprinkles. The next part of the activity is to eat it of course.
Play Sock Ball Basket
Each child chooses a pair of socks. They each take turns throwing the pair of socks in to different containers (laundry basket, bowl, a pair of shoes). Time to practice your aim and hand-eye coordination skills. A great solution when boredom strikes.
Make Some Magic Milk
Kids absolutely love this science experiment and it's so easy. Set them up with a bowl of milk, some ear buds, food colouring and dish soap and let the create something beautiful.
Sock Matching Championship
You know that odd sock bag or drawer that is over-flowing? Turn it in to a game by making it a competition. Place them all on the kitchen table or floor and and put a time limit on it (it'll make them take it seriously). At the end of the game the person who has the most socks paired-up wins a prize.
Make These Bird Feeders
They are so easy. You just need an empty toilet paper roll, peanut butter and bird seed.
Create An Indoor Obstacle Course
The beauty of this one is that you can use whatever you see in front of you. "Walk around that chair three times" followed by "five jumping jacks" etc etc.
Spell Their Names With Objects
Each child has the task of spelling their name using objects from around the house. Each letter of their name should equate to an object in the house that begins with that letter - so "S" could be Salt and "T" could be Teddy Bear. They will love the "show and tell" element at the end.
Have An Indoor Picnic
Lay out a blanket somewhere in the house and provide a lunch box with some snacks in it. They will love the novelty of eating this way and we can almost guarantee you that it will turn in to some kind of game that lasts more than five minutes.
Give Their Toys A Bath
In our experience this one is a major winner. Fill the bath with a little water, add some of their plastic (non-electric) toys and let them give the toys a good clean with a cloth or dish-brush. Water play is always popular and the toys will be sparkling afterwards.