30+ Boredom Busters for the Holidays.

Need some ideas for bored kids?

These 30+ boredom busters are perfect for keeping school aged kids busy!

Use the free printable boredom buster planner pages (see below to download) and this list of fun ideas for 5-12 year olds and you’ll never hear the words ‘I’m bored’ again… well almost never!

30+ Boredom Buster Ideas for the Holidays - plus a free printable boredom buster list and a weekly planner

Last school holidays I ended up writing a list of jobs my kids cold do and allocating them every time the ‘I’m bored’s got too many and began to drive me insane. It worked quite well, but when I saw Childhood 101’s parent smarter post about being prepared I knew that taking it a step further for the winter holidays was a smart move!

While I think a good dose of boredom is beneficial for my kids, even essential, sometimes it can really drive me bonkers when they are all wandering around doing nothing apart from annoying each other and fighting! And these school holidays my usual remedy of sending them all outside is not always going to be an option, given the cold wet weather we are expecting… so I am getting prepared now.

Together we are making a list of ideas, activities and boredom busters!

The list will include simple ideas, as well as more involved activities, and also places we’d like to visit. We are including things we’ve done lots of times before, and things that are new to us. We are writing them all down and sticking them on the fridge where we can all see it. Now when someone is at a loose end they can check out the list and pick something!

printed boredom buster planner on fridge

Free Printable Boredom Buster Planner Pages

Print out these boredom buster planner pages, get the kids together, and sit down and plan our some things to do during the holidays.

You might choose to simply write a list of ideas and stick it up somewhere so the kids can easily see it and choose something from the list to do. Or you might choose to make a more concrete plan for the week and decide which ideas you’ll do on each day.

The boredom buster planner pages include a list page and a weekly planner.

This printable is an A4 sized pdf file, you will need a pdf reader such as adobe acrobat to open it. It will fit to print on US ‘letter sized’ paper, just be sure to select ‘fit’ or ‘shrink to fit’ from your printer options to allow for printer margins.

printed boredom buster planner on fridge

Download The Boredom Buster Planner Pages

Click here to download the boredom buster planner pages

Please remember that the printables at picklebums.com are for personal use only, you may not sell, share, or link directly to these files.

Boredom Buster Ideas for School Ages Kids

To get you started making your boredom buster list or planning your week, here is a list of boredom busting activities that are perfect for 5-12 year olds.

Most of the activities will also work for younger kids too with a little adult support.

If you have younger kids pop over to Childhood101 for a matching list of boredom busting activities for preschoolers!

collage of 6 photos of indoor boredom buster ideas for kids

Fun Boredom Buster Activities to do Inside

Don’t worry if the weather isn’t cooperating, there are lots of fun things the kids can do inside.

collage of art and craft ideas for boredom busters

Art and Craft Boredom Buster Ideas

Keep the kids busy with these easy, low-mess, art and craft ideas.

collage of photos of easy recipes kids can make

Kids Cooking Boredom Buster Ideas and Recipes.

Get the kids busy in the kitchen. Older kids will be able to cook many of these recipes with minimal help.

Find lots more kid-friendly recipes and tips for cooking with kids here.

collage of 6 photos of outdoor activities for kids

Awesome Boredom Buster Activities to do Outside.

The kids will be happy to go outside to do these fun outdoor activities.

Super Fun Places to Visit with Kids.

Get everyone together and go on a family trip!

  • Visit the zoo or Aquarium! We’d like to visit Healesville Sanctuary.
  • Take a trip to a museum, or gallery. We are hoping to visit ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image).
  • Go to the park, we might make some kites to take with us.
  • Go to the beach! Even if it is cold, the beach is still a great place to visit. Make this nifty underwater magnifying glass from One Time Through to take with you so you can see under the water without getting wet!
  • Visit the library, see if you can find any of these awesome adventure book series for tweens

Family Activities to Do All Together

Get the whole family together and try one of these fun family activities. These ideas are great for kids of all ages and adults too!

That big long list of boredom buster activities should keep my kids busy for a while, I hope they keep your kids entertained too!

Don’t forget to visit Childhood101 for more boredom buster ideas!

What would you add to your boredom buster list?

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    3 Comments

    1. This list is AWESOME, thank you! We tried the one ingredient slime, I love that it’s non toxic and not sticky, my four year old doesn’t like sticky things very much.