I can’t get past that you are already on break. I live in another area and kids are in school through Friday.

give them chores to do

When my kids start complaining about being bored and have nothing to do, I always then tell them if they can’t find something else to do they can go organize their room or playroom or I can assign them a cleaning task etc.

Usually this works and they’ll find something to do and stop complaining about boredom.

I'm jealous that you've already started break. I wish we had a real Christmas break here.

Great - go mop the kitchen and bathroom floors.
Okay - go dust the living room oil the dining room table.
Perfect - go Windex all the mirrors.

At 9am the first day of break they are telling you they are bored?! Damn.

I give mine a list of fun things they may do and chores I'd like then to do. They can choose on their own, but if I get involved then I get to choose.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve got two older elementary aged kids and the talk of boredom has commenced. Both kids have some social issues so it’s tough to generate play dates despite us knowing tons of people and doing plenty of activities etc.

How do you shut this down? We have family in town and plenty of Xmas projects and outings…..but not much with outside friends since many families are working during these two weeks or traveling.

Oh, I post a list of chores and when they say this I tell them to choose one. And there is no backing off at that point. If they complain, they get a chore.

I told mine they were no longer allowed to say they were bored. I pointed out that they had games, books, art/craft supplies, puzzles, musical instruments, indoor toys, outdoor toys, TV/movies, computer games (we didn’t object to screen time, but simply controlled the content).

I then told them that if, with all that, they needed me to find them something to do, that I could always find some chores for them to do until they could think of something they’d rather do. Surprisingly, they managed to find enough to occupy them without needing to ask me for chores.

Painters tape is amazing..... They can put it in doorways and throw balls or cotton balls at it to try to get it to Stick like a spider web.
They can cover stairwells with it and try to get through without touching it like lasers.

I can use it on canvas to make patterns and then paint and remove afterwards.....

Send them to the garage with a bunch of recycling boxes and craft supplies and tell them to build something.... A fort, a rocket ship, whatever they want

Sit down with them and write a list of ideas to do when bored. I would suggest reading almost every time. It was certainly how most of us cured boredom pre-internet.

Take them to the library and get some new books.

Ok, let’s be friends! Thank you for the great ideas and I’m with you, they need to figure it out.

I love the chore jar idea too.

Ignore them. I was bored as a kid and not one time did my mom give me a screen or set up and activity. I figured it out myself.

But if your kids really do need direction, make a jar with activity ideas and a jar with chores.

Tell them they can complain about being bored but every time they do they get a pick one out of the jar but whatever they choose they must do.

Some activity ideas:
Melty beads and holiday patterns for patterns of something they enjoy like superheroes.
Legos with challenge cards to build a Santa sleigh about that holds 100 pennies things like that
Read a short book handwriting alternate ending
Play a board game or card game!
Watch how to draw videos and draw five new things
Learn how to tie a certain knot
20 minutes of yoga
20 minute walk around the neighborhood

I’ve got two older elementary aged kids and the talk of boredom has commenced. Both kids have some social issues so it’s tough to generate play dates despite us knowing tons of people and doing plenty of activities etc.

How do you shut this down? We have family in town and plenty of Xmas projects and outings…..but not much with outside friends since many families are working during these two weeks or traveling.