100 Bored Jar ideas + free printable

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 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 and facilitate them using their imagination. 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).

Bored Jar ideas

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. 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. Play Dress Up
  8. Watch a movie
  9. Paint a picture
  10. Vacuum the house
  11. Draw a self-portrait
  12. Create a Bug Hotel in the garden
  13. Scoot around the block
  14. Make paper aeroplanes
  15. Conduct a Science Experiment
  16. Make your own slime
  17. Design and make your own board game
Bakedin: Baking Kit
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Kids Fort Building Kit
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Kids Paint kit
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Make your own Garden Bug Hotel
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Paper Planes
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Science Experiment Kits
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Slime Making Kit
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Make your own Board Game Kit
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  1. Play hopscotch in the garden
  2. Make Jelly
  3. Play a board game
  4. Colour in a book
  5. Create an indoor/outdoor obstacle course
  6. Play a card game
  7. Have a race
  8. Play Top Trumps
  9. Play musical statues
  10. Design your own flag
  11. Make your own pizza
  12. Cook something of your choice
  13. Create your own family coat of arms
  14. Make a Hot Wheels track/play with toy cars
  15. 30 mins outside on the trampoline
  16. Make your own video
  17. Build something with LEGO
  18. Make finger puppets
  19. Learn how to make a volcano
  20. Draw around your brother or sister
  21. Design your dream bedroom
  22. Make a bird feeder
  23. Have an ice cream or sweet treat
  24. Make your own family tree
  25. Use a paper plate to make a craft
  26. Write a poem
  27. Wash the car
  28. Make fingerprint animals
  29. Read a book
  30. Go for a walk
  31. Listen to a story
  32. Make a bookmark
Top Trumps
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Build our own Volcano kit
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Kids Bird Feeder Kit
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Bookmark making kit
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  1. Draw on the patio with chalk
  2. Make cards
  3. Craft with mum
  4. Draw a picture of our house on the outside
  5. Do a 30-minute workout
  6. Facetime your friends
  7. Make biscuits
  8. Do a jigsaw
  9. Play a game of chess
  10. Make popcorn
  11. Create your own comic book
Kids Chalk
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Chess Board Set
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Create your own Comic Book
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  1. Borrow a camera and take photos
  2. Make a rainwater collector
  3. Create your own Pokemon character
  4. Make a marble run
  5. Create an animal out of cardboard
  6. Ride your bike
  7. Draw a map of your house
  8. Make your own playdough
  9. Find five toys to give away
  10. Design your own food menu
  11. Do 10-star jumps in every room of the house
  12. Find rocks and paint them
  13. Make your own treasure map
  14. Write five things you love about each member of your family
  15. Do potato printing
  16. Have an indoor picnic
  17. Make salt dough
  18. Write and post a letter to your friends
  19. Learn a magic trick
  20. Hunt for bugs in the garden
  21. Make Hot Chocolate
  22. Play Hide and Seek
  23. Make dream catchers
  24. Make something out of origami
Marble Run
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Rock Painting Kit
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Kids Origami Kit
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Chocolate Brownie Kit
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Amazon: learn to tie shoe laces kids
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  1. Make chocolate brownies
  2. Draw a robot and label all its parts
  3. Play Hangman
  4. Practice trying your shoelaces
  5. Draw a family portrait
  6. Build a fort with blankets
  7. 30 minutes of free play
  8. Take photos of 5 favourite things around the house
  9. Have a Nerf battle
  10. Do a word search
  11. Make a mug cake
  12. Draw a picture blindfolded
  13. Face paint each other
  14. Do some bubble painting
  15. Make your own flipbook
  16. 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:

Bored Jar

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, and have a fantastic day using our bored Jar ideas.

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