Easy Boredom Busters to Save Your Summer Sanity
Stay ahead of summer boredom with easy, affordable boredom busters your kids will love. See the best ideas and must-haves to keep them busy.
There are only a few things worse than children whining. One being the words… I’m bored. Ugh! Summer is one of our favorite seasons, but as moms of nine kids between us, we know it can also feel like a marathon.
Summer is great for slower days and no homework or rushing around, but the boredom bubble is less than ideal. To help both you and us, we put together our favorite boredom busting options to make sure our kids have plenty to do this summer without nagging us left and right.
You can find our entire list of boredom busters right here, but at the end of this post we picked out some of our top ones if you’re having trouble deciding.
Let’s get to it!
Genius Summer Boredom Busters for Busy Moms
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here. As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Get Outside and Play
When in doubt, send them out! That’s our motto anyway, but if they are having trouble getting the creative juices flowing, we’ve got some good ideas to prompt them. We’ve written these down for you, but mostly for us so we have somewhere to reference when we feel stuck too.
We love a good set of water activities. Investing in some water balloons for a water balloon toss is a great way to pass them time and keep the kids cool. We also like having a slip ‘n slide or sprinkler ready and waiting.
Nature scavenger hunts are always a good idea, too and don’t sleep on the simple outdoor games, like hide-and-seek, tag, or even creating obstacle courses. The beauty of these options is you don’t have to invest in anything to keep them entertained.
If you’re looking for fun games for them to play at night, remember flashlight tag or firefly hunting as fun options.
Hands-On Craft Projects
Having a craft area ready to go when the boredom sets in is a great way to pass the time and get creative. We like to have our supplies ready, like paper, markers, glue, and scissors. This can create a space for open-ended creativity.
But, if your kids need help, you could set up themed craft days, like tie dye, origami, and other paper crafts to help them use their creative skills without having to think too much about what exactly to do.
You could also give your kids the assignment to create a summer family party where they have to make all the decorations. Whatever you choose, keep craft projects top of mind for an easy to grab-n-go option for curb your kid’s boredom.
Cook or Bake Together
One of our little ones absolutely loves playing kitchen. If nurtured towards the real kitchen, you can tell that they’d probably really enjoy it. That’s why keeping kitchen fun top of mind during the summer is a great option.
You could have a baking day where each kid picks a recipe, such as cookies, cupcakes, or an easy bread. Then everyone has to work together to create the recipe. You could also do a mini family bake-off too like they do on TV if you have kids who are more self-sufficient in the kitchen.
The key to making this fun and not exhausting for you is to make sure you pick recipes that are not super complicated and taste really good when they’re done.
Set Up a Backyard Campout
I remember when I was a kid how much fun it was to sleep in the backyard. It’s so easy to pitch a tent in yard for sleepover under the stars. You could make s’mores, tell stories, and enjoy a screen-less evening all together.
Backyard camping is a great way to make last memories because it feels like you’re doing something so out of this world, but it requires little to no planning because it’s right outside your home.
Create Science and Exploration Days
Last, but not least, use these long summer days for exploration. You can look up simple science experiments, like baking soda volcanoes or homemade slime and spark your kids curiosity with how things are made. In our list below, we found a cool DIY excavation activity with dino eggs that would be super fun for kids who are into dinosaurs.
Keep an eye out too for different kinds of building kits, puzzles, and even marble runs. These are a great way to keep their mind going and working even though they are our of the school setting.
Our Favorite Boredom Busters
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here. As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Ok, now we have to talk about our top ten favorites from this list. There are so many great things to grab, but these are some of our favorites.
- Throw Throw Burrito Extreme Outdoor Edition – Have you ever played this game? It’s hilarious! It combines dodgeball with cards. Our kids get a huge kick out of throwing the giant inflatable burritos.
- ThinkFun Gravity Maze – If you have older ones, this is a fun and challenging marble run puzzle that’s great for rainy days. It helps kids practice problem-solving skills while having a blast figuring out the different maze setups.
- Storybook Art Kit – All My Adventures Art Kit for Kids – If you have some creative kiddos like we do, this kit lets them make their own illustrated storybook.
- Fun Kids Baking Book: 110+ Recipes for Young Bakers – Are any of your kids aspiring bakers or love to play kitchen? There are over 110 kid-friendly recipes in this book to make getting your kids involved in the kitchen way more fun.
- Inflatable Jump-O-Lene Trampoline Bounce House – What kid doesn’t love a backyard bounce house, right? This one is a budget-friendly way to add a lot of fun without having to rent the big expensive ones.
- Tie Dye Kit for Kids Age 8-12 & Up – This is a classic! We can remember doing this as kids and this kit has everything your kids will need to create colorful shirts, socks, or bags.
- 12 Dinosaur Eggs Dig Excavation Kit – If your kids like hands-on activities, exploring, and dinosaurs, this is one is absolutely perfect. Kids can channel their inner paleontologist with this excavation kit and discover dinosaur eggs they can dig open to find hidden dinos.
- 20Ft Premium 3 Lane Slip Splash and Slide with Bodyboards – This one might not just be for kids. I’m sure some adults would love this one too! This extra-long slip and slide is perfect for turning your yard into a mini water park. It has three lanes so kids can race each other while staying cool.
- Preschool Paper Crafts: 25 Creative Crafts – This craft book is great for younger kids. It has some really easy projects that will also help them develop important skills like cutting and coordination.
- Outside the Box Origami – We use to love origami back in the day. This book is a fresh take on origami, with creative projects that go beyond traditional paper folding. We might even enjoy using this!
Summer is such a great time for making memories. We definitely don’t want our kids sitting in front of screens all summer or bugging us with the the dreaded I’m bored. That’s why we are in love with all these fun boredom busting activities and games so we can continue to make the memories without all the turmoil.
Which of these fun activities are you think of trying first? Let us know in the comments.
More Summer Fun Ideas
If you enjoyed these ideas, make sure to pin the image below to reference later!
