Student Wellbeing 

12 easy ways to beat school holiday boredom at home

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a parent or grandparent or caregiver than the sound of the words, "I'm bored". Here's what to do to avoid them.

Margaret Rafferty

6 min read

August 28, 2020 - 1:25PM

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a brave mum than the sound of the words, "I'm bored". Here's what to do to avoid them.

Already starting to quake at the thought of the kids moaning "I'm bored!" five seconds into the first day of the school holidays?

Here are 12 fun activities to keep them occupied without leaving the comfort of home sweet home.

1. Hold a cupcake/cookie decorating competition

A cupcake or cookie decorating competition is the perfect way to keep the kids amused for a few hours AND get the kids involved in baking a batch of cupcakes or cookies, then set them loose with a rainbow of icing colours, bowls of sprinkles and lollies and their imaginations to come up with the the most amazingly decorated cupcake of the day.

How it works: each child receives an equal allocation of the freshly baked cupcakes to decorate, then chooses their favourite for judging, either by a family member, friend or neighbour. The winning cupcake decorator then gets to choose the movie to be watched that evening or a similar treat.

A fun variation on the idea is to play this  cupcake decorating games

Be sure to check out Kidspot Kitchen for more great recipes!

2. Enjoy a movie marathon

A rainy day is the perfect time to organise a movie marathon. Perhaps choose a movie series such as Spy Kids or movies with a theme, such as space, nature or comedy.

The perfect movie snack

Source: iStock

How it works: turn the idea into an event by creating invitations for everyone attending. Give every family member something fun to do - smaller children make great ushers and popcorn sellers, and the 'projectionist' can man the remote and pick the first film. Why not help the kids create a box office out of - what else - a box? Kids can then sell handmade tickets and popcorn from their box office window.

3. Organise a bug hunt in the backyard

There's no better way for kids to learn about the world around them than by getting out into it. Bug hunting encourages children to explore their own backyard in an open-ended way that will lead to adventures and imaginative play.

Get the kids searching around flowers, bushes and the bases of trees. Turning over small or medium-sized rocks will also usually yield some creepy crawlies.

Once they've found a bug, place some clean dirt in the bottom of a container and pick him up with a spoon or tweezers, then place him carefully in the container.

Kids can examine the bug through the container using a magnifying glass. Once they're finished, they can keep their specimens for a day or two before returning them to the garden.

4. Let the kids loose in your wardrobe to put on a fashion parade

Obviously this idea will strike fear in your heart if you're a designer clothing queen, but if you're not precious about your fashion why not give the kids carte blanche to organise a parade wearing your clothes. They're guaranteed to think it's hilarious fun.

How it works: place a lamp at each end of the hallway, grab the camera and pop on some fun music - then let the kids get creative.

Another variation is to make spring cleaning your kids' wardrobes fun and easy by getting them to model each item from their wardrobe on the catwalk. As they dress up in all their clothes you can decide what still fits, what needs repairing, and what items are past their prime or can be handed down.

Either way, the kids will love playing dress-ups and pretending to be supermodels for the day - brave mums might even get the make-up out!

5. Turn the dining table into a cubby

Help the kids create a table tent with sheets, rugs and tablecloths and it will become their own little sanctuary where they can do whatever they please. If you're handy with a sewing machine, you could even make a special tent that fits over your dining table.

Check out the instructions for the amazing one below ...

Kidspot also has easy instructions on making an indoor teepee, click here for details.

6. Have a craft day

Every mum knows there's a world of imaginative fun in the craft box, but for those who need some inspiration on what to DO with all that crafty stuff, you simply must check out our fantastic slideshow of fun Kiddie Crafts - there's something for all ages, and all made out of stuff you can find around the home. Since it's spring, you could also try some "nature painting."

How it works: mix a small amount of glue with tempera paint and get the kids to use natural objects such as feathers, pine cones and flowers to brush the paint onto the paper.

To add to the artwork you can even leave some of the objects on the piece of paper to create a fun 3D collage.

7. Grow a herb garden

Herbs are fun to grow and your kids will love having their own garden to tend. They're easy to grow from seed, requiring little patience as some herbs, like cress and rocket, should start to sprout in as little as two days!

How it works: find a sunny spot in the garden – most herbs need lots of sunshine. Fill your pots almost-full of potting mix. Add a sprinkle of compost or blood and bone and mix in well. To sow seeds, follow packet instructions. To plant seedlings, make a well in the pot that is as deep as your seedling. Gently prise the seedling from its container (you may need to tap on the bottom of the container to loosen the roots). Give the roots a little room by carefully loosening the soil around them. Plant into your pot, making sure the new soil stays level with the soil the seedling is planted in. Press down firmly around the plant to compact the soil a little. Once your herbs are in, give them a good watering to help them settle into their new soil. When planting herbs together in the same pot, remember to keep ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ herbs separate. This will make it easier to keep the conditions right for each herb group. Wet herbs like moist to wet soil conditions and dry herbs like well-drained soil. You’ll need to water wet herbs more regularly than dry herbs. Or kick things up a notch by making a fairy herb garden with these fun instructions.

8. Make a home movie or stage a show

There are heaps of apps out there that help kids create their own movies. For example, with Magisto Video Editor & Maker is a free app that automatically turns photos and video clips into edited movies, complete with your choice of music, cool graphics, and effects.

Not quite ready for the technology overload? Do things the old-fashioned way and get the kids to rehearse a show that they put on for Mum and Dad after dinner that night.

9. DIY science experiments

Science experiments are fun learning games that will delight any child. Watching how the world works is much more fun when it's something you've created yourself.

If you think science experiments are all about Bunsen burners and beakers, think again. Click here for 20 of the best science experiments for kids using things from your pantry and recycling bin: no goggles required.

10. Hold a LEGO building contest

Put that tub of LEGO to use and challenge the kids to each build a house - with a 30-minute time limit - then judge first, second and third prize.

You could also put pieces of paper with a range of objects and ideas in a jar then take turns choosing one and giving everyone three minutes to make one as fast as they can. Then a judge decides whose sculpture most resembles the object.

11. Have a "colour run" or "colour war" in your own backyard

Spotted "colour runs" popping up in your Facebook feed? Why not hold one in your own backyard or nearby park? Go to Cute As A Fox for a recipe for making your own colour powder and fun tips for holding the fight. As the weather is warming up, filling water pistols with coloured water is another fun suggestion.

How it works: get a group of kids together in cheap or old white T-shirts. Each child is armed with a water gun filled with water that has been dyed with a different food colouring. Then play a paintball style game where players try and tag each other with their colours.

Enforce these rules - players can only "get" each other if they score a hit on the back, chest, or stomach. Arms and legs don't count and head shots are strictly forbidden.

Players are eliminated once they've been "tagged" with all the other colours. The last man "standing" wins.

12. DIY a slip 'n' slide

There's no need to shell out for an expensive slip 'n' slide, make your own with a roll of thick plastic. Lay it across the grass, hose it down, pour on some baby oil or dishwashing liquid to make it more slippery, then let the kids go crazy. You could make it even more memorable by covering the plastic with jelly or oily spaghetti instead of water, then hose the kids off when they've finished.

This article was originally published 03/07/2017 and was updated 28/08/2020

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