Just as we’re starting to get into some kind of routine with homeschooling, the Easter holidays are about to land! Now, I don’t know about you, but I am really looking forward to not having to juggle working from home and homeschooling at the same time. However, this also means the boys will not have a set routine to stick to, which inevitably means I will hear the phrase “I’m bored” throughout the day.

I have decided to try to combat this by creating a Bored Jar. I saw the idea on Instagram and thought it was worth trying.

What is a Bored Jar?

A jar containing several labels or slips of paper with ideas for fun activities and things to do when the kids say they’re “bored”. The idea is for them to pick one out of the jar to do. The jar can be used again and again for the easter holidays, summer holidays, Christmas, etc., and you can tailor each new jar for the time of year too, and it can be a great source of much fun and hilarity.

But why should you create a Bored Jar for the whole family?

Firstly, they’re a great source of ideas for those days when inspiration is running low, and you can compare your great ideas and inspiration when it hits and keep adding to the jar over time so you never run out. They are perfect for those times when keeping the kids busy seems like hard work, and you don’t have any time for them to veto all your ideas when they’re inevitably bored. Plus, Bored Jars are great for helping kids learn new skills and independence, facilitating them using their imagination and reducing screen time, too. They get to do fun things and fondly remember their time off school as they make adventures or crafts using the entire house as their canvas (within reason, obviously). Plus, you never know. Your boredom jar might set the ball rolling for other activity ideas from your kids you can add to the jar; after all, their own ideas will definitely be more fun in their minds.

Please note that this list contains some new activities, including suggestions not contained in the list of activities in the download, but are easy to add to little pieces of paper for additional fun ideas for your bored jars and are mostly free activities you can do at home or using items you might have at home.

Bored Jar Ideas

Below are just some of the ideas in our Suburban Mum Bored Jar, ready for Easter. Of course, due to the current COVID-19 lockdown situation, all of these are based around the house but are still great boredom busters. However, The Mad House also has some fantastic ideas in her Bored Jar post for both indoors and outdoors. There are Bored Jar ideas for tweens and young children alike, and the beauty is that they can be easily adapted to your child’s age and abilities.

Download Bored Jar Printable here

1. 30 mins on your computer console
2. 30 mins YouTube
3. Bake a cake
4. Build a Den
5. Play football in the garden
6. Tidy your room
7. Have fun improving your handwriting
8. Play Dress Up
9. Watch a movie
10. Paint a picture
11. Vacuum the house
12. Indoor obstacle course
13. Draw a self-portrait
14. Create a Bug Hotel in the garden
15. Scoot around the block
16. Make paper aeroplanes
17. Conduct a Science Experiment
18. Make your own slime
19. Design and make your own board game

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Make your own Garden Bug Hotel

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Paper Planes

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18. Play hopscotch in the garden
19. Make Jelly
20. Play a board game
21. Colour in a book
22. Create an indoor/outdoor obstacle course
23. Play a card game
24. Have a race
25. Play Top Trumps
26. Play musical statues
27. Design your own flag
28. Make your own pizza
29. Cook something of your choice
30. Create your own family coat of arms
31. Make a Hot Wheels track/play with toy cars
32. 30 mins outside on the trampoline
33. Make your own video
34. Build something with LEGO
35. Make finger puppets
36. Learn how to make a volcano
37. Draw around your brother or sister
38. Design your dream bedroom
39. Make a bird feeder
40. Have an ice cream or sweet treat
41. Make your own family tree
42. Create a time capsule
43. Use a paper plate to make a craft
44. Write a poem
45. Wash the car
46. Make fingerprint animals
47. Read a book
48. Go for a walk
49. Listen to a story
50. Make seasonal decorations
51. Create their own themepark
52. Make a bookmark

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50. Draw on the patio with chalk
51. Make cards
52. Craft with mum
53. Draw a picture of our house on the outside
54. Do a 30-minute workout
55. Facetime your friends
56. Make biscuits
57. Do a jigsaw
58. Play a game of chess
59. Make popcorn
60. Create your own comic book

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11/10/2025 12:16 am GMT

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61. Borrow a camera and take photos
62. Make a rainwater collector
63. Create your own Pokemon character
64. Make a marble run
65. Create an animal out of cardboard
66. Ride your bike
67. Draw a map of your house
68. Make your own playdough
69. Find five toys to give away
70. Design your own food menu
71. Do 10-star jumps in every room of the house
72. Find rocks and paint them
73. Make your own treasure map
74. Write five things you love about each member of your family
75. Do potato printing
76. Have an indoor picnic
77. Make salt dough
78. Write and post a letter to your friends
79. Learn a magic trick
80. Hunt for bugs in the garden
81. Make Hot Chocolate
82. Play Hide and Seek
83. Make dream catchers
84. Make something out of origami

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85. Make chocolate brownies
86. Draw a robot and label all its parts
87. Play Hangman
88. Practice trying your shoelaces
89. Draw a family portrait
90. Build a fort with blankets
91. 30 minutes of free play
92. Create a scavenger hunt
93. Take photos of 5 favourite things around the house
94. Have a Nerf battle
95. Do a word search
96. Make a mug cake
97. Draw a picture blindfolded
98. Face paint each other
99. Do some bubble painting
100. Make your own flipbook
101. Interview a family member

Download our Bored Jar List!

To make it really easy, I have created a free printable that you can download of our Bored Jar ideas so you can just print them out, cut them up and pop them into a jar with minimum effort.

Download Bored Jar Printable here

Pin it for later:

If you’re looking for something different to do, you could look at starting a collection of enamel pins or patches – there are so many different types to choose from. Pick things that interest you – like your favourite film, book, music. You can even get customer enamel pins and custom patches made online if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for.

We hope you found this post useful and that the free printable comes in handy for a fun activity or two you hadn’t considered, whether you have a treasure hunt, try bubble painting, or do a jigsaw. Let me know if it’s a success or sparks a great idea or two, and have a fantastic day using our bored Jar ideas.

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