"The Bored Jar"

Bored Jar Activities

"The Bored Jar"
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com

Basic Materials Needed:

  • A clear jar or canister of any size
  • Popsicle sticks in any color(s), pieces of paper (plain or colored) cut into strips, or tokens ~ really anything you can write your activity on to
  • Sharpie pens
  • A label of some sort to place on the outside of the jar
  • Anything extra that you would like to include such as: washi tape, ribbons, paint, glitter, a fun style for a label, embellishments, etc. (make this as fun, as detailed, & as fancy as you want ~ just make sure to have the items on hand for the activities in the jar)
  • A timer (if you want a kid to be engaged for a certain amount of time with their activity)

Activities:

  1. Make a model ~ plane, care, action figures, etc.
  2. Make a nature book
  3. Make fun Play-Doh statues for at least 10 minutes
  4. Play with Kinetic sand for at least 10 minutes
  5. Play a game with your toys, or a sibling (if they get along)
  6. Clean you room, closet, dresser, or any area of your choosing
  7. Color/Draw
  8. Clean out the car
  9. Wash the car
  10. Take an Alphabet tour with a camera
  11. Write a letter to the President, Grandma/Grandpa, or another important person
  12. Learn a language
  13. Make a gift
  14. Build a Lego city
  15. Make flower or leaf prints
  16. Learn magic & perform a show
  17. Make a scrapbook
  18. Write a story
  19. Find bugs & watch where they go, did for worms
  20. Plan a dinner for one night that week
  21. Put together a puzzle
  22. Create some art with what's available
  23. Make a card for someone
  24. Make a list of where you want to travel to & why
  25. Create a treasure map or a scavenger hunt for the family to follow clues
  26. Dress-up/Cosplay
  27. Ask a friend if you can go play with them at their house
  28. Make fingerprint animals/bugs/monsters
  29. Read a book for at least 10 minutes
  30. Build a blanket fort
  31. Do some exercises
  32. Have a dance party, or put on a fashion show
  33. Have a picnic or a tea party
  34. Invent a new game
  35. Draw your family
  36. Watch an educational movie about something that interests you
  37. Look at a recipe book/cards & pick out a dessert to try later that you can help with, make a list of what is needed based on what's in the pantry
  38. Paint your nails
  39. Play with makeup
  40. Create & start a journal/diary
  41. Blow bubbles
  42. Create art with sidewalk chalk
  43. Make a new playlist
  44. Put on a puppet show
  45. Play balloon volleyball
  46. Learn to juggle
  47. Make an instrument out of things around the house
  48. Learn about the stars/constellations, or sharks, or types of plant life, etc.
  49. Jump rope, hula hoop, hopscotch, freeze tag
  50. Build a time capsule
  51. Make your own movie
  52. Learn ASL (American Sign Language)
  53. Rearrange your room
  54. Interview someone in your family or a friend
  55. Paint with ordinary items in the house like cotton balls, Q-tips, cookie cutters, empty toilet paper rolls, a cut up potato, sponges, etc.
  56. Make macaroni jewelry
  57. Bird watch in the yard
  58. Explore the yard with a magnifying glass, journal what you see/experience
  59. Make toy parachutes
  60. Learn Origami
  61. Make a photo album
  62. Make an obstacle course
  63. Take silly selfies
  64. Bathe the dog
  65. Run in the sprinkler
  66. Listen to music
  67. Fill a bag to donate
  68. Search for cool rocks
  69. Melt crayons in the sun
  70. Walk the dog or neighbor's dog around the block
  71. Ride your bike around the block
  72. Paint rocks to hide for others to find
  73. Paint a birdhouse
  74. Weed the garden
  75. Make a Dream/Vision board
  76. Make a marshmallow & toothpick towers
  77. Take interesting photos & document
  78. Create a multi-textured collage art piece
  79. Help with a chore that needs done
  80. Learn a new card game
  81. Sing karaoke with an app or your music, etc.
  82. Make a play & perform for your family
  83. Make a book
  84. Play with dominoes
  85. Listen to an educational podcast
  86. Create a gratitude journal
  87. Make a music video
  88. Pretend to be a fortune teller
  89. Have a photo shoot
  90. Solve brain teasers
  91. Make a DIY bird feeder
  92. Practice a sport or instrument
  93. Look in a mirror & draw a self portrait
  94. Make bead art/jewelry
  95. Create your own superhero
  96. Lay out on a blanket & watch the clouds ~ point out the shapes or draw what you see
  97. Research how to make paper airplanes & then race them
  98. Make a nature wand (find a good stick, wrap with strings, add flowers or feathers or other embellishments)
  99. Plant some seeds
  100. Help with a dinner or yardwork

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