25 Bored Jar Activities To Make Your Kid’s Summer Great

Once we reach the so-called doldrums of summer, it can be hard to come up with new, fun activities for your kids. Especially while social distancing.

To keep your kids entertained, consider creating a bored jar! As the name implies, bored jars are jars or boxes filled with fun activity ideas that your kids can turn to when they start feeling bored or when they need a fun activity idea. It’s a low-cost craft that can provide many hours of fun for your kids!

And as a bonus, they're also easy to create. All you need is a jar or box, which you can let your kids decorate with a decorative label, paint, markers or stickers. Then, come up with your ideas and write them on pieces of paper or popsicle sticks. You can also print out our included list of fun printable activities

Filling the Jar

label/activities printable download

Coming up with ideas is part of the fun! You can add a mix of educational, fun, crafty and educational ideas to help your kids learn new skills while having fun. You can even add household chores or other productive activities! Here are some fun ideas to get you started:

Traditional, Fun Activities

• 30 minutes of TV time
• Make a pillow fort
• Make a puppet show with dolls or socks
• 1 hour of video games
• Play charades

Crafty Activities

• Draw a picture
• Draw your favorite animal
• Make your own playing cards
• Draw with your left hand
• Create a time capsule

Health-Focused Activities

• Play tag
• Jump rope
• Ride your bike for 1 hour
• Play basketball
• Play kickball

Educational Activities

• Read for 1 hour
• Write a poem
• Plant a seedling
• Learn the alphabet in a different language
• Count to 10 in a different language

Productive Activities

Adding chores or other productive activities to your jar is a good way to get your children more involved in the household. Consider incentivizing these activities by rewarding them with snacks or prizes, so your kids are excited to pick one!

• Sweep the kitchen
• Vacuum the floors
• Clean your bedroom
• Pull weeds in the garden
• Set aside toys and clothes to donate

Download a printable label and list of activities including blank spaces to come up with your own here.

Printable Activities For Your Bored Jar

There are many ways to keep kids entertained while also teaching them life lessons and skills. We’ve included some fun printable activities below.

Start a Garden

PDF activity download

Gardens can teach kids many valuable lessons, like responsibility and patience. Start by having your kids decorate garden labels as a fun art project that you can use to organize and keep track of your seeds. As the seeds start to grow, use printable growth trackers to keep track of the growth.

Time Capsule

PDF activity download

A time capsule is a fun, exciting way to capture family memories. All you need is a box or tin that can withstand being underground, memorabilia to fill the container, and a letter to write to your future self. Fill your time capsule as a family, then bury it in your backyard. Decide on a time you’ll dig it up — and make sure to write it down!

Puppet Show

PDF activity download

Your kids can flex their imaginative muscles while having fun by creating and performing a puppet show. Have your kids create their own puppets or use printable ones, then attach them to straws or sticks. Set up a makeshift stage and have your kids perform their show for the family.

Kids can go back to their bored jar time and time again, so it keep them occupied for a long time. Refresh the activities every few months to keep the jar a constant source of fun!

Have fun, stay safe, and happy Wednesday,

This post was written in partnership with Bestow. Printables and images were supplied by them and as such are not owned by me, nor am I responsible for their content.