We can go months without hearing these words…

…but then they crop up. And often they catch me off-guard.

I’m bored.

And it can be easy to respond with exasperation. “Really? You’re bored? I can find you more chores to do. Have you done… x, y, z?”

And I truly believe it’s important to teach kids the skill of entertaining themselves. It’s a skill that’s crucial to develop – that they shouldn’t just expect the people or things (or phones, tablets, etc.) to capture their attention, entertain, and engage them.

But having tools to help teach that is important, too. I wanted to share some of what we’ve used before to help with the I’m-bored-blues.

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“Bored Bin”

Keeping a “Bored Bin” (or basket or shelf, or whatever works for you!) is one way to help teach kids to work through their boredom.

Stock it with a few items that encourage open-ended play or creativity. I’ve got a great list right here if you’re looking for items to stick in your bin.

Wikisticks – So simple and yet so fun. (We also love using these for road trips – and we also like to keep these in our emergency kit, where they’ve been useful for trips to urgent care or other stressful situations where you need a small distraction.)
Sticker By Number books – My kids are obsessed with these. They will sit quietly for long periods of time doing them, and are so proud when they finish one.
Brain Teaser/Puzzle Games – One of my kids got a Minecraft puzzle game for Christmas a couple years ago, and it still gets played with. There’s lots of variations of these for different age groups and interests.
Pretend-Play Toys – Open-ended toys that encourage pretend play are amazing for helping cure the I’m-bored-blues. I often purchase Melissa & Doug brand since I’ve been really impressed with their quality, but there’s lots of options for this.
Craft Supplies – Keeping craft supplies on hand is a great way to encourage creativity and alleviate boredom.

See the full list of ideas here

If you’re looking for a quick win that for the boredom-blues that you can print and use right away, check these out:

Printable Activity Cards

I put together these kids activity cards (or “I’m bored” cards as we like to call them) a few years ago for our kids, and we’ve used them several times since then in different seasons.

I printed them out, cut them up, and threw them all in a glass jar. You can put a fun label in it if you want – or even better, have your kids decorate the jar themselves.

I added on a page of blank cards just for you all. Fill them in with your own activities, or have your kids brainstorm some ideas to add.

(Just pull out any cards that aren’t relevant to your family or kids.)

And these aren’t just for home!

Classroom Tip: You can use the blank cards for your classroom and fill them in with relevant activities.

Library Tip: Use the extra page to fill out book ideas or categories for kids to pull to give them a fun way to find a new book in the library.

Get the free printable here:

Whether it’s in the midst of winter where it feels like there’s never-ending hours inside, or summer time, or anywhere in between, I hope these boredom-busters are useful for you!