Ways to Keep Kids Occupied at Lower Cost

"I'm bored". It's not the phrase any parent wants to hear. There are some inexpensive and creative ways to help alleviate the situation. Let's take the fear and cost out of boredom.

~Make a boredom jar

This is a captivating way to introduce activities that may be new and different. Or they may be ones that just need to be done. The point is whatever they pull from the jar is the activity. After someone announces they are bored, everyone finishes the project they are doing and then they meet to pull from the jar. Here are some that are currently in our jar.

*Make a home movie

*Re-arrange the living room furniture

*Get newspapers, make paper snowballs and have an indoor snowball fight

*Make muffin tin crayons

*Listen to Dad's story about how hard his teachers were

*Go to the park

*Play a board game

*Read books together

*Make some home made musical instruments and have a concert

*Sing karaoke

*Everyone cleans one room in the house

*Make play dough from scratch and sculpt

*Make cookies

*Write letters to friends and family

*Put together a puzzle

*Dance

*Go through the closets and recycle

*Create a chalk mural

*Pitch a tent in the backyard and sleep out

*Play hide and seek

*Volunteer at the food bank for a couple hours

*Make a snowman (you can make it with cotton balls if there is no snow)

Sometimes the boredom list isn't an option. There can be a handy to do list on the fridge. This way household chores can be done as a family. Many hands make light work.

Cooking together can make dinner time fun. Get creative in the kitchen and make dinner an event. We had a candlelight dinner with china two nights ago. The menu was chili dogs and macaroni and cheese.

Get the local newspaper and highlight all the free upcoming events. Help plan an evening out in the next couple of weeks.

Maybe try a bike ride if they are something you have at home.

Chalk murals in the driveway are appropriate for any age.

A dollar movie is really quiet inexpensive and they still exist in some cities.

Write a story.

Send the kids to Grandma's for the night.

Maybe you should just make them do their home work.

Perhaps they should be forced to entertain themselves without any electronics for 20 minutes! I am really stretching here.

Finally as my mother used to explain to us, "If you can't find something constructive to do and stay out of my way I have an endless list of housework, yard work and down right dirty chores that have your name on them." It motivated us.