Top Ten Tips - Keeping Bored Children Amused

School’s out for the summer, which, for many parents and caretakers, usually means more wails of, “I’m booooored!” from children who just don’t know what to do with their classroomless-days. Here are some suggestions:

• Sign The Child Up For A Summer Class - Whether sports, arts-and-crafts or even a day camp, there surely is something that will pique your child’s interest. Check your local library, school or house of worship for ideas.
• Check Out Your Library’s Summer Reading Program - Many libraries have summer reading programs that have activities, prizes and other event based on your child’s summer reading. Since your child likely has required summer reading for school, these programs are just added incentive to crack open a book.
• Unplug The TV And Computer - Children will park themselves in front of television sets and computers if they have nothing else constructive to do. But both can get addictive, so there’s a point where you should unplug the devices and force the child to find another activity.
• Encourage Play Dates - Encourage your child to invite friends over or go play at another child’s house.
• Have The Child Put Together A Complex Puzzle Or Build A Model - Puzzles and model-building take time, and will fill up a few summer afternoons. Your child will likely want to work through to see the end result. You can even participate, if you’d like.
• Redecorate A Room - If your child’s bedroom or playroom hasn’t been updated in a while, make it a project for both of you to redecorate it. Go shopping for paint, accessories or even just move furniture around for a totally different look.
• Garden - Gardening is another activity that will likely take multiple days, so find a patch of dirt and start planting.
• Volunteer - Bring the child to a local soup kitchen, Habitat for Humanity project or another volunteer effort.
• Take Trips Together - Go on day trips or a vacation together, whether local or far away. Just getting out of the house is enough to relieve boredom.
• Have The Child Get A “Job” - Even though it’s likely your child is too young for a work permit, have them do odd jobs around the house and for your neighbors, like mowing the lawn, weeding, dusting or walking dogs. Or go for the summer classic - setting up a lemonade stand.