The summer school holidays are already here. If entertaining your kids past Christmas has you stumped, this little jar might just be your saviour.
“I’m bored!” — it’s the catch-cry of children around the country sweltering through a long summer break. If you want to put a stop to the “I’m bored” blues, here’s an idea that is sure to keep the kids out of your hair for the entire summer.
The idea behind an “I’m bored” jar isn’t new but it sure is effective. All you need to do is fill a jar with a bunch of paddle pops with various activities — both fun and necessary — written on them. Anytime one of your children says they’re bored get them to pick a paddle pop out of the jar. No matter what it is, be it baking a cake or cleaning their room, they (and you!) have to do it!
Supplies:
- Paddle pop sticks
- A jar
- Cardboard to make a label
- Pens to write on the sticks
Instructions:
Gather all your supplies
Cut out a label and attach it to the jar
Write activities on the paddle pop sticks
Place the sticks inside the jar
ready for your child to pick out
If surprise cake baking isn’t your style, you can modify the jar to be a summer fun jar instead. Simply count up the number of days your child has in their school holidays then think of a fun activity to do each day. Pop all the activities in a jar and have your child pick one each night to do the next day.
Activity ideas
To give you a head start, here are 35 fun ideas you can use in your jar:
Indoor fun
- Make a racetrack
- Re-decorate your room
- Interview a family member
- Play a board game
- Make a treasure map
- Have an ice-cream party
- Do something charitable
Outdoor fun
- Go on a scavenger hunt
- Have a picnic
- Visit a farm
- Go fruit picking
- Build a sandcastle
- Make a tyre swing
- Explore your neighbourhood
Crafty fun
- Make a pet rock
- Paint a t-shirt
- Play with playdough
- Paint with marbles
- Make a collage
- Make a sun catcher
- Make a paper plane
Crafty fun
- Go for a bike ride
- Walk in the bush
- Go swimming
- Play a game of dodgeball
- Have a dance party
- Play a game of backyard cricket
- Have a balloon popping contest
Food fun
- Make a lemonade stand
- Bake cookies
- Make your own bread
- Create a new flavour of pizza
- Make your own marshmallows
- Have a reverse dinner party
- Make rainbow popsicles
More ideas for summer fun
Plan a family date night
Budget-friendly family activities
Create an edible canvas
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