150 Fun Boredom Busters for Kids to Do This Summer

“I’m bored,” are often two of the most terrifying words heard by parents.   But with a little brainstorming, they don’t have to be.  Instead, you can turn boring into a wonderful time of fun, learning and adventure!

Growing up my parents didn’t allow “boredom”.  Any time I even acted sort of bored they would “find something for me to do!”(some of the most terrifying words to a child!)   As a result, I never developed an aptitude for boredom… at least not that I would admit!  This list has grown out of many of those early boredom busters.  

Saying NO to Boredom and YES to Fun

I love to brainstorm and brainstorming with kids takes it to the next level.  “Play” is their language and their brains are hardwired to process through play and fun.  They are the world’s most natural brainstormers which, of course, makes the prep part as much fun as the doing. 

Getting Ready

There are lots of ways to make Boredom Busters.  Let’s start with the easiest.  For that, you will need to print out the Boredom Busters and cut them out.  You’ll notice there are several blank cards for the brilliant ideas you and your kids will come up with.  Add more if there aren’t enough and remove any that aren’t appropriate for your situation. 

Fold or roll them up and put them in a large plastic jar with a lid.  Then whenever boredom raises its ugly head all a child has to do is reach in and draw out a fun activity.  Some kids may want a little more choice so in that case let them draw two or three and choose which they like the best.

Fancier Versions

I recommend using what you have on hand if possible to make an upgraded Boredom Buster. Some things you could use…

• Popsicle sticks or ping pong balls, or smallish smooth rocks or brightly colored paper

• Something to put them in like a flowerpot, old coffee cup, canning jar for sticks and a big plastic jar with a lid for pebbles and ping pong balls… you get the idea.  Bonus points if you have a bingo tumbler hanging around your house.

• Permanent markers (thin line) if you will be writing the activities on something.  If writing out everything is too much you could write numbers 1-150+ on sticks, balls or rocks and then match the number they draw to the activity list

FAQ: 

Some of this is too old (or too young) for us.  Now what?  What a great opportunity!  Most of the more challenging activities could be explored with a parent or possibly an older sibling or deleted from the list and replaced with other activities.  As for the easier activities, your child can draw again or do the activity with a younger sibling or just enjoy doing an easier activity.  You may be surprised by what they come up with!

Get The Printable List!

Grab our printable list of all the ideas so that you can quickly print and paste them! Easy!

Here It Is, Friends: The Massive List of 150 Fun Things for Kids to Do

1. Put together a puzzle
2. Make a puzzle
3. Do a word search
4. Make a treasure map leading to a treasure you’ve made
5. Cast actors for a movie of your favorite book
6. Make and fly a paper airplane.  What’s the furthest it can go?
7. Make a garden in a pot for someone
8. Put together a purchased model
9. Make a model of something from things around your house
10. Read a book
11. Make a cartoon strip about your favorite joke
12. Cloud watch and see what crazy things you see in their shapes.
13. Swing
14. Play fetch with the dog
15. Teach your dog a new trick
16. Make a picnic lunch for your family
17. Invent a board game
18. Invent a card game
19. Decorate envelopes/cards/stationery for yourself or someone else
20. Write and send a letter/card 
21. Paint a watercolor picture of something unexpected
22. Go on an imaginary adventure in your backyard.
23. Shoot hoops
24. Play catch with a parent or friend
25. Make an RC car track/obstacle course
26. Write a song
27. Learn a new song on an instrument
28. Put on a play with others or one where you play ALL the characters
29. Learn three basic embroidery stitches and decorate something with it (napkin, handkerchief, jeans, t-shirt
30. Make a banner to celebrate the next holiday
31. Make a bracelet or necklace
32. Make cookies
33. Make a rag doll
34. Make puppets
35. Put on a puppet play of an original or favorite story 
36. Build a Lego town
37. Build a Lego robot
38. Watch a movie
39. Watch a documentary
40. Do a chore as a surprise that is normally done by someone else
41. Plant flowers
42. Plan and start a vegetable garden
43. Pretend you are going to Mars and make a supply list of all the things you will need/want to take with you.
44. Watch a NASA or SpaceX launch.  What questions do you have about it?
45. Design and draw a space suit.  What special features does it have?
46. Make a tangram puzzle and use it to make pictures for someone else to solve
47. Make a costume.
48. Write a funny story
49. Learn to moonwalk
50. Make popsicles
51. Learn a new dance by watching a YouTube video (with parental approval)
52. Learn to say hello, my name is _______, and what’s your name in as many languages as you can
53. Vacuum or sweep a room like Mrs. Doubtfire
54. Put on a fashion show
55. Play in the sprinklers 
56. Water the garden, flowerbeds etc
57. Make a pinch pot with clay, Playdoh, or even plain ol’ mud.
58. Make garden markers
59. Start a family cookbook with everyone’s favorite recipes
60. Adapt a Guess Who game to your friends, classmates or family
61. Make mini games that fit in a mint tin
62. Whittle something useful (with prior parent approval/supervision)
63. Give a kazoo concert
64. Make a book
65. Make lemonade
66. Write and send a thank you card to someone who probably doesn’t get thanked.
67. Run around the house five times
68. Play hopscotch
69. Jump rope
70. Make a map of your neighborhood
71. Take 30 digital pictures.  Experiment with lighting, distance, composition, color vs black and white.  Pick out your favorite one.  Get others to pick their favorites.
72. What can you make out of a cardboard box?
73. What can you make using a mint tin? A dollhouse, a sewing kit, fishing kit, repair kit, game box or something else?  (Pinterest and Google are great places to get even more ideas)
74. Learn Morse code
75. Explore your yard with a pair of binoculars
76. Make a wind chime out of everyday objects (check before using things that it’s okay)
77. Draw or paint a picture of your pet (or the pet you wish you had or maybe an imaginary one… dragons, unicorns, talking frog?)
78. Make a list of one item from each room in your house then write a silly poem, song or story about one of them.
79. Pretend you are an alien from another planet visiting your Earth friends.  What are some things you are curious about Earth that are different from your world?  
80. Make garden stepping stones LINK
81. Make a hot weather treat for your backyard chickens LINK
82. Water paint LINK
83. Play Corn Hole alone or with a friend
84. Play Frisbee with a friend
85. Paint and decorate a flowerpot (terra cotta works great for this) and then plant something.
86. Learn to play the harmonica or the kazoo
87. Watch a how-to video and practice juggling
88. Make and fly a model rocket (May need supervision and permission to launch)
89. Read a book or story aloud to a younger child
90. Build a rubber band airplane, boat or car.
91. Use a balloon to propel a small car.
92. See how many different kinds of birds you can spot in your yard
93. How many trees are in your yard… bonus points if you can name them!
94. Make a Shrinky Dink charm bracelet LINK
95. Practice soccer moves
96. Practice free throws
97. Play badminton with a friend
98. Play a dice game 
99. Make two encoder/decoder devices and send one and a secret message to a friend.
100. Use scraps of colored paper to make a mosaic picture
101. Make bookmarks
102. Make a video of you singing a song
103. FaceTime with your grandparents
104. Play with trains
105. Play house
106. Help someone learn a new skill that you already know
107. Make a garden fairy house
108. Use a stop action app on a phone to do a stop action video with your toys
109. Look at photo albums/scrapbooks
110. Play restaurant
111. Paint your fingernails
112. Play James Bond card game LINK
113. Listen to music (maybe try a new kind of music)
114. Set up a fun course and play miniature golf
115. Make a quilt for a doll or stuffed animal
116. Do forward or backward somersaults, cartwheels, or stand on your head
117. Fly a kite
118. Weed the garden or flowerbed
119. Play with bubbles
120. Play Chicken Foot or Mexican Train
121. Make a giant bubble wand
122. Play with PlayDoh or make homemade play dough
123. Make snowcones with fruit juice or drink mix
124. Make flower pencils or pens
125. Tie dye a t-shirt with koolaid or Sharpie markers (get permission first)
126. Read about an animal
127. Create a business 
128. Use your name to create a piece of art
129. Build the tallest tower you can with blocks
130. Make an ABC book around a theme
131. Brush the cat or dog
132. Play in the bathtub
133. Take a nap
134. Finger paint a picture
135. Play Solitaire
136. Play chess
137. Make up a story with Story Cubes
138. Read about a famous person
139. Make a flower arrangement
140. Look at a map and plan a road trip to go somewhere fun
141. Color
142. Make an acrostic poem
143. Play with Magnetic Poetry 
144. Make a poster
145. Make a pirate hat
146. Pretend you’re an astronaut traveling to a new planet
147. Draw pictures of your emotions
148. Set the table and make a centerpiece
149. Make a recording of you singing someone’s favorite song and send it to them
150. Make a suncatcher with colored tissue paper
151. Play Jacks or marblesPlay with a yo-yo
152. Bounce a ball

Other Fun Summer Activities for You and Your Kids

• Geocaching, a Modern Treasure Hunt

• Backyard Chickens

• Getting Kids Excited About Gardening