Banishing Summer Boredom Blues

Last month Primrose School reached out to me with an idea I’ve considered for a while, but had never put into practice: the boredom jar. The premise is simple: write several activity ideas on cards and place them into a jar; whenever your child comes to you and says, “Mom, I’m bored!” just have them reach into the jar and pull out an activity card.

The rule I stipulated with my kids is that the card is the boss. In other words, if they are so bored with all the toys they have and cannot possibly be bothered to find their own entertainment and must resort to the Boredom Jar, then no matter which card they pull out, they have to do that activity. This served two purposes: 1.) when thinking of activities to write on the cards, the kids actually tried to be creative and choose things they’d like to do and 2.) it stems the, “I don’t like that activity, I’m still bored!” routine.

The activities my kids chose?

• read
• ride bikes
• sew
• play outside
• walk the dog
• work on training the dog
• make a movie (I let them use my Flip camera and my computer)
• write a book (you have no idea how my heart flutters to know that my children love to write!)
• play with Imaginext/K’nex/Lego
• plan a meal (including grocery list, making the meal, and serving the meal)
• draw (my son has developed his own comic series–he blows me away)
• knit (my daughter loves to knit and, once I explained how it makes your hands strong for video gaming, my son was on board too)
• pool (obviously I have to take them, but hey, I love the pool)

So far this summer we’ve done a few of these, but for the most part, my kids are entertaining themselves. I think they like to have the jar available to them just in case, though. I’ve caught them fiddling with it a time or two.

Another thing you’ll notice about this list: it’s populated with things that are, for the most part, free. Yes, the pool costs money, but we join every year. Yes, if they plan a meal I have to spend money on groceries, but I’d do that anyway and this way they’re helping and practicing a skill. The benefit outweighs the bit of money.

Primrose School offers these other inexpensive ideas to help jump-start your kids’ creativity this summer and bust those boredom blues:

1. Stories Alive: It sounds too simple, but reading is one of the most important ways to keep young minds engaged during the summer. Make reading even more fun by finding ways to bring the stories to life.
2. Art Treasure Chest: Gather basic art supplies (child-safe scissors, glue, markers, tape, and construction paper) and put them in a special box along with empty oatmeal boxes and paper towel rolls, colorful magazines, and bits of aluminum foil. Occasionally add a special surprise like chalk, stickers, or stamp pads so there’s always something new for the children to find. Even if you normally have these supplies around the house, it‘s fun for children to know that the Art Treasure Chest is just for them. They’ll probably have some good ideas of other household items that can be recycled to fuel their creative energies.
3. Family Performances: Break out old clothes or costumes and encourage children to make up characters and create a play to act out.  They are the directors, actors, and producers.  They can also make musical instruments out of pots/pans, wooden spoons, empty canisters and have a parade; or everyone can play along to your family’s favorite songs. Record or video the performances, and enjoy the replay.  You’ll also be capturing a bit of family history everyone will enjoy for years to come.
4. Fort Building: Children love to build all kinds of structures–from small towns to large towers. Constructing forts or tents is an activity that can keep children focused and problem solving for hours. All the items you need can be found around the house: some chairs, cushions, blankets…and of course adult supervision.
5. Summer Scrapbook: All you need for this project is a spiral notebook. Encourage everyone in the family to draw pictures of favorite activities and collect mementos from special events throughout the summer.   Children love to go back through scrapbooks and albums and tell about what happened at each occasion.  They will also be building their storytelling skills at the same time.
6. Listening Game: Lie down in the backyard, in the den, or at the park and listen.  What do you hear? Do you hear what I hear? Can you imitate the sound? This is similar to watching the clouds and naming the shapes, and it encourages everyone to slow down and focus on listening.
7. Camping Out: Pretend to camp out in the backyard. Plan a meal, pack a backpack, and set up a campsite. You might even decide to spend the night!
8. Scavenger Hunt: Make a list or picture cards of common household items and have your children find the items on the list. Invite friends or neighbors to join in the fun to make it a competition.

“It’s important to keep children’s minds active during the summer, but it doesn’t take an expensive activity or big vacation to capture their attention,” said Dr. Mary Zurn, Vice President of Education for Primrose. “After all, imagination is free . . . Keeping children engaged with open-ended activities that stretch their imaginations during the summer months helps them develop their independence, creativity, and thinking. We want to help parents keep the ‘brain drain’ at bay while their children play.”

You can find Dr. Zurn’s monthly tips online at DrZandMe.com.

Tagged as: activity jar, Primrose School, summer boredom, summer fun