Activities to Try - when the kids get bored (5-6yrs)
I believe it's good for children to feel bored. Children should have lots of free, unstructured time. They need space (mental and physical) to breathe, to relax, to daydream and to be themselves - free from judgment. However, there are times when I want to do something with my children, particularly Otis and I don't have any ideas. Caspar has been on camp so Otis and I have been spending a lot of time together. We have made a list of all the things we could do that require very few materials or materials commonly found in our home! These are all activities that we would like to do together and could easily be done with a much younger child.
- Try finger knitting.
- Make a book.
- Make shapes on the geoboard.
- Write a poem together.
- Write a letter.
- Do a puzzle.
- Bake a cake or look for new recipes online.
- Go on a nature walk or a listening walk.
- Check and record the weather, what is the current temperature?
- Observe trees with binoculars, what birds can we see?
- Play with open-ended toys such as blocks, magnetic tiles, marble run.
- Find something to look under the microscope (or magnifying glass), can you draw it?
- Make shadow puppets or put on a puppet show.
- Set up a water table, use an empty tub and add household objects or model water animals, try the sink/float activity.
- Make window stars (or other shapes) or try origami.
- Press some flowers from the garden (or the neighbor's garden!).
- Listen to a podcast.
- Take (and print) photographs of five interesting things.
- Give the guinea pigs/pets a treat.
- Make some fresh juice.
- Make a salad (or chop vegetables) for dinner/start dinner early.
- Make and play with playdough.
- Make potato stamps or fruit prints.
- Make robots or create from recycled boxes and containers from the kitchen.
- Trace your body, cut it out and label the body parts.
We've written these in my journal and it's nice to have some easy ideas on hand!