There are just times when we don’t know what to do with ourselves, or with our kids, who are always looking for something to keep occupied with. It’s nice when it’s something creative, social, or that involves actually developing skills and interpersonal relationships rather than video games and YouTube!
One great way to have fun things to do even when you can’t think of anything is a “Bored Jar.” Basically, you print out squares with activities (free activities or ones that are almost free basically), then cut them up, then put them in a jar and when you want to do something, you or your kid (or even the kid you’re babysitting!) gets to pick one out. An option is to make them different colors, so if you want free activities, one color; activities in the house, another color; outdoor things, a third color; things to do in town, yet another; and so on!
So we have 2 options: Paper, and Popsicle sticks. Read both:
One way to do it is to use a ruler on paper and draw a grid, then write out the activities, then cut them up. Another way is to print out sheets. You can get sheets from Mum in the Mad House, who made a really nice collection of them here.
You can also make these by writing on Popsicle sticks and putting them in a jar, and you can color the Popsicle sticks too! You can see some of those by Vicky Barone here.
