I remember when Both Charlie and Suzzane was little and hearing I’m bored. Or there isn’t anything to do. I wanted to let you know you don’t have to spend money every time your child says, “I’m Bored”.

If your like me and you have children, you’ve probably heard those words more times than you can count. And sometimes, without even realizing it, we start thinking the solution has to involve spending money.

Maybe they need a new toy or they need a craft kit. Maybe we should go somewhere or there’s an activity center nearby. Maybe we need to buy something online. But what if we stopped for a minute and looked around our own homes?

What if the answer to boredom is already there? Because children don’t necessarily need more stuff. Sometimes they simply need permission to use the things they already have in a different way.

I wanted to share some suggestions I learned when my children were little and yes, that includes my niece and nephews to. Before buying another toy, open the toy box. When was the last time everything in there was actually played with?

If your children are like my children were they often have toys they’ve forgotten about. Pull a few things out and put them in a basket. Let your child rediscover them. You might be surprised how exciting an old toy becomes when they haven’t seen it in a while.

You can even rotate toys which is simple pick some of the toys and put them away for a few weeks, then bring the toys back out. For children it can feel like getting something new without spending a dime. Which was a Godsend for my family.

If you’ve ever watched a child receive a new toy and become more interested in the box it came in, you already know this one. A cardboard box can become almost anything. Including a house, a car, a castle.

A store, a spaceship or puppet theater. How about a robot or a pet house ie dog house. The sky’s the limit with a box and there imagination will be used while playing. Let the kids have fun.

Give children some crayons or markers and let them decorate it. The box doesn’t have to look perfect. It just has to become whatever their imagination says it should be. Take time to decorate the box with them and create new memories.

If your home is like mine you have paper somewhere. Which might be Printer paper or construction paper. Notebook paper or old envelopes. Even the back of something that was going into the recycling bin can become art.

Have children: Draw pictures. Make paper airplanes. Create comic books. Write stories. Make greeting cards. Draw maps. Design their dream house. Create paper puppets. Make a family newspaper. The possibilities are limited mostly by imagination.

Let the children build something and have friends and family join in. Look around the house for safe items children can use to build. Plastic cups and boxes. Paper and blocks. Pillows and blankets. Craft sticks if you have them.

Then give them a challenge. “Can you build the tallest tower?” Or: “Can you build a house for one of your toys?” Or: “Can you make something that can hold five books?” Now boredom has become a problem-solving challenge. And nobody had to buy anything.

Charlie and Suzzane used to like to create a Restaurant when they were little. Which can be especially fun. Let the children pretend they’re running a restaurant. They can create a menu using paper.

They can set the table. Make pretend money. Choose the restaurant name. Decide what they’re serving. They can even make place cards. If you want to involve the kitchen, let them help prepare a simple snack for the “customers.” Suddenly an ordinary afternoon has become an entire imaginary world.

Something else my family used to do was host a Talent Show and we would ask our friends and family to join us and perform. Most of the time the kids even got the dogs involved in there acts making it a true family affair.

There is no, equipment required. Someone can sing and someone can dance. Someone can sing and dance. Someone can tell jokes. Someone can perform magic. Someone can read a poem. Someone can demonstrate a skill.

Parents can participate too. And don’t worry about whether anybody is actually talented. That’s not the point. The point is laughing together and spending time with your friends and family while creating new memories.

Suzzane used to like when I would create a Scavenger Hunt for her and her friends. You don’t need prizes. Write down things for children to find around the house. Something red. Something soft. Something round. Something that begins with the letter B.

Something older than you. Something that belongs in the kitchen. Something you haven’t used recently. Something that makes you laugh.

For younger children, keep it simple. For older children, make the clues harder. You can even let them create the next scavenger hunt for someone else. If you know your neighbors you can even take the Scavenger Hunt outside through the neighborhood.

If the weather is safe and pleasant, the outdoors gives you an entire world of free activities. Take a walk with or without any pets you may have. Play tag. Look for birds. SIt down and look at the Clouds. What do you see?

Draw with sidewalk chalk if you have some. Blow Bubbles and remember you can make Homemade Bubbles. Collect interesting leaves. Play hide-and-seek. Have a race. Make up a new game. Sit outside and read. You don’t need to visit a theme park to have an adventure. Sometimes the backyard or front yard is enough.

This may not sound like an activity children are going to cheer about but let them help. But hear me out. Children can help by folding towels. Matching socks. Putting away toys and organizing books.

They can wipe the table down and help prepare lunch. They can feed the pets and water the plants. Straighten their room. Sort a drawer. Depending on their age, they can learn all kinds of useful skills. And here’s the bonus: They’re busy and learning.

Let the children have a reading challenge and parents can participate to. Pick a book. Set a timer. Read for a set amount of time. Then talk about what happened. Or let each person choose their own book.

You could even create a family reading goal. How many books can everyone read this month? No prize is necessary. The accomplishment can be the reward and spending time together.

Let children create a memory book or scrapebook. You don’t need a scrapbook kit. Grab piece of paper. Fold it in half. Staple it if you can. Then let children create a little family memory ie scrapbook book.

They can draw pictures and write stories. Record funny things people said. Draw pictures of pets. Write about favorite meals. Describe a family outing. Older children can write more. Younger children can draw. Years later, this may become one of the things you treasure most.

Let your children play “What If?” Ask questions. What if you could live anywhere? What if you could have any animal as a pet? What if your house became a spaceship? What if you woke up and were ten feet tall? What if you could invent a new holiday?

Let children answer. Then ask them to draw their answers or write a story about them. This can lead to some wonderfully creative conversations. Don’t just let the kids answer the questions parents answer them to and ask your friends or neighbors and see what they have to say.

Put up some music and turn it up. You don’t need a special activity. Now dance the crazier the better. Sing. Have a silly parade through the house. Grab some old clothes and dress up and put on a concert.

Play freeze dance ie freeze tag. Let the children choose the music. Then when everyone has had enough, turn it off and enjoy some quiet. While playing the quite game as everyone rests.

Charlie and Suzzane always love making fort’s using blankets, pillows, tables and chairs. When building the fort that is all you really need. Then decide what happens inside the fort they’ve created.

Maybe it’s a reading room or maybe it’s a campsite. How about a secret headquarters? Or a restaurant or a spaceship? Again, the activity isn’t really the blanket fort. It’s the imagination that happens inside it.

Let the kids rediscover the kitchen and you don’t have to bake a complicated dessert. Make popcorn or let them prepare sandwiches. Or they could make toast or they could mix up a simple snack.

Have children help set the table. Teach them how to safely prepare something age-appropriate. Cooking can become a life skill, a math lesson, a responsibility lesson, and family time all at once.

Sometimes the best way to get children busy is to get them thinking about someone else. Make a card or draw a picture. Write a note or make a thank-you message. Create something for Grandma or make a picture for a neighbor. Write a letter to someone you haven’t talked to recently. It doesn’t cost anything to make someone feel remembered.

Have the children help you clean out one small area and reorganize it. Like a toy box or toy shelf or a bookshelf. Or a drawer or closet. Don’t turn it into an overwhelming project. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.

Sort things and find missing pieces. Put things back where they belong. And when you’re finished, the children may discover toys or books they forgot they had. That’s a pretty good trade for fifteen minutes of work.

And after all these ideas, I’m still going to say something parents may not expect: It’s okay if your child is still bored. You don’t have to solve every minute of their day and you don’t have to spend money.

You don’t have to come up with a new activity every time they complain. Sometimes you can simply say: “There’s plenty to do. Take a look around and see what you can find.” Then let them figure it out. That is part of growing up.

We live in a world where we’re constantly being told what we need to buy. Another toy or another game. Or to sign up for another subscription, activity or gadget. But children have been finding ways to play long before any of those things existed.

They used boxes, sticks, paper and things found around the house. They used blankets, pillows and even books. They used there imaginations and each other. So the next time your child says: “I’m bored.”

Before reaching for your wallet, look around. You may already have everything you need. Because sometimes the best boredom buster isn’t something you buy. It’s something you create and the memories you make while spending time with your children.

Grateful, Thankful, Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates