A Week’s Worth of Boredom Busters: Turn Off the TV and Play!

ByAli Wright

This post is by regular contributor Ali Wright of At Home with Ali.

More and more TV has been creeping into our lives again. We have even started using it first thing in the morning. I am not a morning person and it is so easy to turn on the TV when the kids are up early and all I want to do is sit quietly with a cup of coffee.

I am fully prepared to admit that TV is a part of our lives but the early morning watching bothers me. The kids wake up full of jumping beans…. and then stay still and quiet in front of the box. I read this post by Tricia from Little Eco Footprints where she set up “speed bumps” to the TV. I thought it was brilliant and decided that I could set up activities at night once the kids are asleep and then they get up in the morning something interesting is waiting for them to play. Once my children start playing they soon forget about the TV.

I have been doing this for a couple of weeks now and it is working. Sometimes the kids are not interested in my play set-ups but most of the time they get stuck in. Often the activity does not last long but it is enough to get their playing mojo kickstarted for the day.

Here are a week’s worth of early morning boredom busters that take less than 5 minutes each to set up:

Childhood 101 | Boredom busters that take just 5 minutes to set up

1. Suitcases and a washing basket
This one is so simple. Find a small suitcase or bag and pair it with a basket of washing… we all have one of those hanging around! My kids responded by packing their suitcases and heading off on a make believe adventure.

Childhood 101 | Boredom busters-Indoor activities

2. Googly eye creations
Glue a pair of googly eyes onto a piece of paper. Add a handful of markers and wait to see what you child turns it into… an alien, a monster, a person… the possibilities are endless!

Childhood 101 | Boredom busters-5 minute activities

3. Office play
Leave out a selection of stationery, some stamps, pens and a calculator. You could even add a hole punch, a toy computer or an old keyboard.

Childhood 101 | My kids are bored! Activity ideas

4. Tea party
A true classic…. all you need is a picnic blanket, some furry friends and a tea set. Fill the tea pot with real water if you are feeling adventurous and don’t mind the mess.

Childhood 101 | Activity ideas for bored kids

5. Card making
This is a great activity when a friend’s birthday party is on the horizon. Fold A5 paper or cardstock into cards and leave out some matching envelopes. Add a box of colourful crayons or pencils, a glue stick, scissors and some collage materials like old wrapping paper or stickers.

6Childhood 101 | Boredom busters for kids

6. Doll hospital
Sick dollies need lots of care…. select a couple of favourite dolls, add some small blankets (or tea towels), bottles, cups, spoons and bandaids (sticking plasters) and let your little doctors go to work. You can download some simple doctor charts here.

6Childhood 101 | A weeks worth of boredom busters

7. Beads and pipe-cleaners
Who can resist the lure of sparkly beads? If you leave out beads and pipe-cleaners (or thread) then be prepared to leave the house adorned in tonnes of homemade jewellery.

What are your favourite ideas for quick play set-ups?

Ali Wright is mum to two young mini makers – their favourite place to be is around the craft table with glitter in their hair. Ali's focus is on process oriented art as she loves watching her kids experiment with creative materials. When not busy with art and craft, you'll likely find them at work and play in their small city garden. As the mini makers love a good mess, their days include lots of water and messy play!

17 Comments

  1. Love the googly eyes idea – genius and suitable for many different ages. Will definitely try that out.

    1. Thanks Mel, it is a fun one, the last time I did this one the kids drew some very scary looking monsters. 🙂

  2. LOVE this list of activities, Ali!!!! What a great post!

  3. Ooh What a wonderful list of fun activities Ali. Love them all and already use a few of them with my own girls. I totally adore the suitcases and clothes set up.. So easy and creative since most kids enjoy “helping” mommy fold laundry lol..

    1. Thanks Suja for your kind words. I get a lot of “help” too. I prefer if they pack the clothes from the wash basket than the clothes that have actuallly been folded and put away in the cupboard!! 🙂

  5. Emma McDermott says:

    Thanks so much for this terrific post. I’ve just had my second child and have been using the TV way too much to keep my older son entertained while I’m looking after the baby. My brain has been too fuzzy to think of fun things to do so these are exactly what I’ve been looking for. Much appreciated.

    1. No worries at all I hope some of the ideas help entertain your son. It is hard looking after a new baby and an older child, sleep deprivation is the worst. Thanks for taking the time to comment. You have made my day 🙂

  6. My kids got so excited by some of these pics!
    I love the simplicity of the google eyes and markers in the morning!

    Pinned it!

  7. Such simple ideas, yet so inviting. A new fresh way to think of alternative ways to start the day fresh! Thank you for the inspiration!

  8. Fabulous ideas, Alli! I love the googly eyes, and can’t believe we haven’t tried making a traveling adventure with our laundry and suitcases. Brilliant!

  9. I love the suitcases and clothes basket – I wonder if I could sneak a couple of drawers out of their room, and leave them with the clothes basket, would they be inspired to sort the laundry for me? ;-P

    I sometimes leave the train set partially set up or a puzzle partly done to engage my seven year old in some play while I’m still in bed on a Saturday morning (which is the time of the week we are most likely to have the TV on). The train set, or some half started lego creation can even still engage my 11 year old too, though more often than not he has a book he’s reading.

    1. It would be awesome if they sorted the washing!!!!

      A partially completed puzzle is a great idea, I am going to try that one tonight.

  10. Such great ideas! I have the added benefit of a TV the lower level, which means if we engage him right away, he doesn’t think of it because it can’t be seen. But I love the idea of having a few things out when he wakes to get him started off, since Daddy is fighting off sleep himself and too tired to direct morning play.

  11. You can use these ideas even if you don’t have a TV. My grand kids just spent 10 days here & as they were jumping all over the place one day & I was trying to think of how people entertain their kids I remembered that most folks have TV ‘s which we do not so there is an even greater need for your very practical ideas

  12. Love these ideas! My kids are a little older – both in primary school – but school holidays I need to keep them busy or they want TV and “iTime” all day! As much as I love going to bed with a tidy living room, I find that if I let them leave the Lego they were building before dinner on the living room floor, or the cubby house set up then they will come back to it as soon as they get up the next morning.

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