Having gone straight from the excitement of Christmas and into new COVID-19 restrictions, including homeschooling, means that parents need to get creative to avoid hearing “I’m bored!” from their children. The pandemic (and the typical seasonal weather) may have kept us inside for weeks on end, but it is now after all the Disney films have been rewatched that kids start to get restless.

Entertaining bored kids is no small feat, as many 7- to 11-year-olds will turn their noses up at activities that don’t involve technology. Whether it’s a rainy day, a much-needed break from schoolwork or a kid’s birthday party, you need to have a few activities up your sleeve to entertain the kids. 

Check out these fun boredom-busting activities to keep the kids...and adults entertained!

This is a great way to get your child’s imagination going. Each person gets a pencil and a piece of paper. They each write a few lines of a story onto the paper and then fold the page until only the last line or few words are visible. Pass the paper over to the next person, who writes the next few lines, then covering it up and passing it to the next person. Keep going until the page comes back to the original author. 

Since each player only knows the last few lines or words of each story, the result will be mixed-up, funny stories that will leave you all in stitches. It’s a great game to play when bored inside.

One player thinks of an object, person or place, and the others have to guess what it is. They are only allowed to ask questions that have a “Yes” or “No” answer – and it’s limited to only twenty questions. The first one to guess right gets to pick the next item and is asked questions by the rest of the group. With no need for equipment, this game is great for when you’re in transit.

Encourage your children to get creative by creating a trailer or music video for their favourite song. Let their imagination run wild as they create costumes and props to enhance their video. As well as being a creative task, this also allows your children to get active.  Using a video editor app, place the images and clips into a trailer template and watch it come alive with music and slides. You could even ask them to record a news report for you or a recipe video where they walk you through how to create their favourite dish (chaperoned by the parent, of course).

Need to get your children to burn off excess energy? This is an easy game to set up and provides hours of entertainment. Simply set up two cones (or jumpers) 100 metres away outside – or however much space you have available to use.

All players must start at one side and move over to the other cone, racing against each other. You could simply walk or run, but it’s better to get creative and make it harder. Have the players dribble a ball through the cones and back. Maybe hold a hopping or lunging round. The possibilities are endless!

There are so many crafts your child can create with a few pens, felt, glue and sequins. From pictures to bird feeders to ornaments and more, stock up your arts and crafts box and encourage your kids to create something from scratch.

What kid doesn’t want to play with slime? Homemade slime is a cross between Play-Doh and silly putty but made from household ingredients. Conduct a science experiment with your kids to create a glob of goop for them to get creative with.

Not only is it fun to create the slime, but slime is great for sensory play and strengthening little hands. Grab the shaving foam, PVA glue, cornflour and glitter to create slime in five easy steps.

Even if you can’t manage a seaside getaway this year, you can still have some fun creating seaside shapes made out of baking soda dough. The mixture is easy to whip up and you can give texture and details to each shape to bring them to life. They work well painted and can be given as gifts, Christmas ornaments or put on display as summertime keepsakes.

Follow the recipe below to create the dough:

• baking soda (1 cup)
• corn starch (1/2 cup)
• water (3/4 cup)
• warm above ingredients in a bowl via the microwave or a stove
• spread the dough on parchment paper to cool
• using sculpting tools – or toothpicks and pencils – create starfish, seashells, coral and fish

Baking is a wonderful way to entertain the kids while creating something you can enjoy and let’s be honest, can we even call it a lockdown without baking banana bread? 

Baking is a scientific process and takes more precision than knocking up a coq au vin - honestly! It’s also relaxing, and nothing says I love you better than sharing a piece of home-baked cake and a cup of tea.

The right supplies can give you hours of entertainment at home or on the go. At Ryman, we have everything you need to turn a bored child into an entertained one, all year round. Stock up on arts, crafts and more, so you’re always prepared.