50 Screen-Free Ideas to Beat Boredom at Home

Summer is upon us! According to the school calendar, that is. *Insert happy dance.* The cold winter, fool’s spring, second winter, and mud season have most of us – Midwesterners, at least – ready for the long days of summer. But for those of us with children, we may be facing long hours at home with kids who inevitably come to us with the dreaded words: I’m bored.

Not to worry! Read on for a list of 50 screen-free ideas to beat your school-age child’s boredom this summer. If you’re a family like us who limits screen time, this list is for you. Most of these ideas can be adapted to suit a broad age range. And if you don’t have kids at home, you may just want to tuck this list away for the next time the kids in your life visit…or even try them yourself!

Since my suggestions of chores are always met with groans by my children (can’t say I blame them), we came up with this list of fun, simple things to do at home on those days when there’s just nothing to do. Most are free, depending on what you do or don’t have lying around the house. I’m not claiming all these ideas are unique or mind-blowing, but it is nice to have them all compiled in one spot. Funny how easy it can be to forget the simple things when you’re booored. 😉

Here we go:

50 SCREEN-FREE IDEAS TO BEAT BOREDOM AT HOME

1. Paint
2. Bake
3. Read
4. Play in the hose
5. Frisbee
6. Play catch
7. Train the family pet to do a new trick
8. Write a real letter to a relative, friend, or celebrity
9. Exercise
10. Make up a dance
11. Play an instrument
12. Build a small boat out of household items and see if it floats
13. Play Doh
14. Board games
15. Solitare (with real cards)
16. Experiment with new hairstyles
17. Sidewalk chalk
18. Write a story
19. Write a song
20. Make up a skit
21. Make homemade puppets
22. Put on a puppet show
23. Have a family talent show
24. Dehydrate something (apple slices, for instance)
25. Search for toads or caterpillars
26. Puzzles
27. Balance a broom handle on your palm in the yard – try to beat your time
28. Leave wildflowers on someone’s porch
29. Design a family flag
30. Make a smoothie
31. Research safe, local edible plants and forage
32. Make a fort
33. Water balloon fight
34. Press flowers and use clear packing tape to create bookmarks
35. Leaf rubbings
36. Wildlife sketches
37. Dig a hole
38. Have a tea party – pretend with youngers or go all out with charcuterie with olders
39. Legos
40. Cross stitch
41. Knit or crochet
42. Make up jokes
43. Call a relative and ask them about their childhood
44. Wash the car
45. Play dress-up
46. Origami
47. Carve a bar of soap into a piece of art
48. Whittle
49. Practice starting a fire (in a designated fire pit with adult supervision)
50. Make a card for someone “just because”

Occasionally my kids lose screen time for one reason or another, and I have to say – after moping a little, they come alive and get really creative. I’m even planning on designating one day per week this summer as screen-free. Join me, and watch your kids develop new interests and ideas!

And if you have tween/teen children who could use some inspiration in their Christian faith this summer, my book, Power Up, was written exactly for that purpose. The spiritual formation of tweens is easy to overlook in a busy family life, so I hope you find this book to be a helpful resource this summer!

As precious as our children are, parenting is no easy task, and we need each other’s support, so feel free to share this with anyone who might find it useful. Also, let me know in the comments if you’re joining us for a screen-free day each week this summer! Let’s unplug and bring some simplicity and serenity back to childhood. And last, this list is certainly not comprehensive, so let me know below what ideas I’m missing – I’d love to extend our list!

Thanks for reading, and God bless!