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
- Paint
- Bake
- Read
- Play in the hose
- Frisbee
- Play catch
- Train the family pet to do a new trick
- Write a real letter to a relative, friend, or celebrity
- Exercise
- Make up a dance
- Play an instrument
- Build a small boat out of household items and see if it floats
- Play Doh
- Board games
- Solitare (with real cards)
- Experiment with new hairstyles
- Sidewalk chalk
- Write a story
- Write a song
- Make up a skit
- Make homemade puppets
- Put on a puppet show
- Have a family talent show
- Dehydrate something (apple slices, for instance)
- Search for toads or caterpillars
- Puzzles
- Balance a broom handle on your palm in the yard – try to beat your time
- Leave wildflowers on someone’s porch
- Design a family flag
- Make a smoothie
- Research safe, local edible plants and forage
- Make a fort
- Water balloon fight
- Press flowers and use clear packing tape to create bookmarks
- Leaf rubbings
- Wildlife sketches
- Dig a hole
- Have a tea party – pretend with youngers or go all out with charcuterie with olders
- Legos
- Cross stitch
- Knit or crochet
- Make up jokes
- Call a relative and ask them about their childhood
- Wash the car
- Play dress-up
- Origami
- Carve a bar of soap into a piece of art
- Whittle
- Practice starting a fire (in a designated fire pit with adult supervision)
- 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!
