8 Affordable, Low-prep Activities To Do When Your Kids Are Bored

It’s no secret that kids can get bored easily. Boredom can strike at any time, whether it’s after school or while waiting in line at the store. To help keep your kids busy, we’ve compiled a list of eight affordable, low-prep activities you can do together. These activities are simple to put together and sure to keep your kids entertained.

Knowing what to do when your kids are bored can be difficult. Luckily, there are many easy and affordable activities that you can do with your children. Read on for eight ideas that will keep your kids entertained and give them plenty of chances to learn and grow.

(1) Guided Indoor Scavenger Hunt

A guided indoor scavenger hunt is a creative way to pass the time and keep your kids engaged. It offers many benefits for you and your children, such as improving thinking skills, providing the opportunity for flexible themes, and promoting parent and child collaboration.

To get started, you only need paper and pens or pencils. Work with your kids to create a list of items you need to find throughout the house. Include books, toys, clothes, and other items you have in your home.

(2) Make a Slip-n-Slide

An outdoor water feature is one of the most fun outdoor playtime activities. All you need are plastic sheets and water. Simply use tape or rope to secure the plastic sheets on the ground and add water for an incredibly fun activity. Make sure to take safety precautions when playing this game.

(3) Create a Science Experiment

Creating science experiments with your kids is super fun and educational. All you need is basic materials from around your home, such as food coloring, baking soda, and vinegar. If you want a more comprehensive experience, you could look into getting a slime-making kit or chemistry set. The next step is coming up with experiment ideas. Try making volcanoes using baking soda and vinegar or mixing colors using food coloring.

(4) Design a Sensory Bin

Sensory activities are great for stimulating brain development and developing motor skills in children. To make a sensory bin, you need a shallow container and sensory items like dry beans, rice, pompoms, or slime-making kits. You can even add tools like scoops or tweezers to encourage creativity in your little ones. Examples of fun games include sorting colors by scooping up colored beans with tweezers or digging through “dirt” made up of dry beans looking for buried gems.

(5) Make Your Own Art

Art projects are great for fostering children’s creativity and fine motor skills. Depending on how elaborate you plan to get, you’ll need simple supplies such as watercolor pencils, crayons, paint brushes, markers, and paper or canvases. Great ideas include finger painting, drawing favorite characters from books or movies, and creating collages with recycled materials.

(6) Work on Crafts

Crafts provide another avenue for developing motor skills in children while also being an enjoyable activity in its own right. Many different types of crafts are available, such as paper crafts like origami and scrapbooking or recycled crafts like making jewelry out of cans or bottles.

(7) Indoor Obstacle Course

Physical activity is key to any healthy lifestyle, so why not create an indoor obstacle course that gets your children moving? You can use everyday household items like cushions or beds for your obstacles and items like hula hoops for balancing games. Get creative by adding things like an imaginary fire that needs jumping over or stairs that need hopping up one at a time.

(8) Play With Toys

Toys are one of the best ways to encourage imaginative play in children due to their versatility. Popular toys like building blocks offer multiple opportunities for open-ended play with endless possibilities. Other great toys include dolls that encourage nurturing behavior, cars that facilitate pretend play, action figures that spark adventures, or arts and crafts kits that foster creativity.

Entertaining Kids Made Easy

When it comes to keeping your kids entertained and engaged, there are plenty of affordable and low-prep activities that can help. The possibilities are endless, from guided indoor scavenger hunts to designing a sensory bin or making crafts. These activities can help your children develop their problem-solving skills and creative thinking abilities while at the same time providing them with hours of fun. Don’t let boredom take over. Use our list of eight affordable activities to keep your kids entertained and engaged.