Learn How to Make a Bored Jar

April 9, 2020

One of my favorite phrases, and one I tell my children when they say they're bored is, "Only boring people get bored". I saw this quote somewhere many years ago and have used it ever since. In a nutshell this quote is saying that you need to use your imagination, think outside the box, empower yourself to learn to occupy your time- don't BE boring. And while I've enjoyed this time to slow down and spend more quality time with my family, this time has also allowed myself and my children to really explore what we are passionate about and what brings us joy, outside of work, school, and activities. I think for our family, we've all been going at a 'Too-fast' pace for too long.

This new way of life has probably effected my daughter more than anything. She's 14 and she's a competitive gymnast. She's been in the sport for over 9 years, and while gymnastics offers many positives, it's year around and very consuming. She trains 20 hours a week on top of school, studying, etc. This sport has left her with very little time to "be bored", but it's also left her with very little time to develop a hobby, or a love of something outside the gym.

The tears were many the first week. Imagine such a structured life for as long as you can remember, and then nothing. Nothing. We talked a lot during this time and I tried to throw out so many suggestions: knitting, painting, online piano lessons, writing, you name it. Nothing could fill this void for her. Of course as time has gone on, she's settled in. She's reading more and dancing. She's been on many bike rides and a picnic with her baby brother. She's hammock'ed and tried her hand at the piano. And she made a "Bored Jar".

If you're like me and you're trying to help your child fill the void they're experiencing with social distancing, a Bored Jar is exactly what your family needs. Simply find an empty Ball jar or any empty/washed condiment jar. Feel free to decorate your Bored Jar with stickers, labels, signatures of your children. We personally had several popsicle sticks here at home, so we wrote down our fun and simple activities on each stick. You can paint the sticks or keep them plain. You can also write ideas down on little pieces of paper. This is your family's Bored Jar, make it what you want.

Ideas for your Bored Jar

Our family has several years between our oldest and youngest child ,so we needed to come up with several ideas that were tailored to school-age and teen-aged children. The popsicle sticks were color coded accordingly. Below you'll find ideas for preschoolers and beyond.

Bored Jar Ideas for Preschool/Grade School-Age Children

Some of the ideas for preschool and grade school aged children are:

Do a puzzle
Blow bubbles
Brush the dog
Playdoh
Play with balloons
Dance party
Log roll down a hill
Do shadow puppets in a dark closet
Make cards for family, friends, people in the hospital
Jump up and down 20 times
Make sock puppets with old socks
Have a puppet show
Borrow moms phone to take pictures of nature
Make a bird feeder
Make a family band
Put up the tent out back
Play in the bathtub
Research the Titanic on the computer
Find five toys to donate
Make something on Pinterest
Play in the sprinkler
Race mom or dad
Hit a whiffle ball off a tee

A list of top ideas for a bored jar from pinnacle gymnastics

Bored Jar Ideas for Teenage Children

Some activities for teens might include:

Tie-dye a shirt
Make a duct-tape bracelet
Create a memory jar
Make a lemonade stand
Walk the dog
Have a water balloon fight
Make a music video
Write a play and perform it
Create a photo album
Create an art journal
Bake cookies
Make ice cream
Draw a self portrait
Look through a cookbook and make something
Play checkers
Play catch
Plant a mini-flower pot garden
Practice photography
Train the dog a new trick
Pack a picnic
Create chalk drawings outside
Work on a short story or novel
Style your sister or moms hair
Model with clay
Knit a scarf or washcloth
Play tennis against the garage

As you can see the ideas are many. Just use your imagination, let your ideas flow, and surprise your kiddos with a Bored Jar. They'll love it and more importantly, they won't "be bored".