• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MomsWhoSave.com

Living Well. Shopping Smart. Family, deals, recipes, travel, reviews, home and decor, beauty, fashion, and much more!


More results...

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
  • home
  • all posts
  • lifestyle
    • parenting and family
    • health / self-care
    • home / diy / crafts
      • home
      • diy / crafts
    • personal finance / careers
    • pets
    • education
    • beauty / fashion
    • reviews & entertainment
      • reviews
      • entertainment
  • gift guides
    • all gift guides
    • amazon-exclusive gift guides
  • printables
    • holiday / seasonal
    • home / kitchen
    • kids’ activities / learning
    • party / entertainment / gifts
    • planning / organization / money
    • health / self-care
    • travel / adventure
  • recipes
    • entrees
    • side dishes
    • appetizers
    • desserts/treats/snacks
    • beverages / smoothies / popsicles
    • recipe roundups
    • seasonal / holiday recipes
    • misc. recipes + tips & techniques
  • travel
    • travel posts
    • search travel deals
  • deals
    • deals
    • daily deal sites
    • freebie list
    • freebie posts
    • free / frugal activities
    • store list
  • giveaways
  • blogger resources
  • about / pr
    • about
    • pr
    • privacy
    • disclosure policy
You are here: Home / kids crafts / Bored Jar Ideas: Create a Bored Jar For Your Kids (+ Activity Ideas & Printables)

Bored Jar Ideas: Create a Bored Jar For Your Kids (+ Activity Ideas & Printables)

By Teresa

Disclosure: Articles may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no additional cost to you). See our full disclosure here.

Last updated on June 26th, 2025 at 06:14 pm

Do you need some bored jar ideas? Wondering what a bored jar is? Keeping reading to learn how you can keep kids busy and entertained anytime with a “bored jar.”

bored jar ideas for kidsThe dreaded phrase: “Mom, I’m bored!” 

As summer goes on, your go-to boredom buster ideas can start to wear thin. It can get increasingly harder to find ideas that keep children entertained, ideally while also teaching them some sort of life lesson or new skill.

A bored jar can help fill this need. A bored jar is a jar, box, or tin filled with fun activity ideas that your kids can turn to when they need some inspiration. All you need to get started is a container to put your ideas in! 

Bored Jar Ideas: How to Create a Bored Jar For Your Kids

Grab a jar, shoebox, coffee tin, or anything else that can hold your activity ideas, and let your kids decorate it with paint, markers, and stickers. Then, have them write their name on the jar, or print out a label so they know it’s all theirs. 

Fill the Jar With Activities

how to make a bored jar

Articles may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you).

Print your bored jar labels (choice of colors and sizes) and activity ideas, including blank activity slips, so you can come up with your own ideas. 

Once you’ve got your jar created, it’s time to fill it with all of your bored jar ideas. You can print out our list of activities below, or write your own on slips of paper or on popsicle sticks. The best part: activities can be a mix of traditionally fun activities and educational, crafty, and health-inspired ones. 

  1. 30 minutes of TV time
  2. Make a pillow fort
  3. Finger painting
  4. Make masks out of paper plates
  5. Draw with your left hand
  6. Play dress up (dress-up clothes for kids)
  7. Have a picnic
  8. Call a relative
  9. Make a puppet show with dolls or socks
  10. 30 minutes of computer time
  11. Draw a constellation
  12. Play a board game
  13. Pillow fight
  14. Play hide-and-seek
  15. Play tag
  16. Do a handstand
  17. Climb a tree
  18. Have a dance party
  19. Create a time capsule (Head below to see how to make your own time capsule.)
  20. Read for one hour [Also read: Tips for Reading Aloud to Your Kids]
  21. One hour of video games
  22. Have a thumb wrestling battle
  23. Make an obstacle course
  24. Learn the alphabet in a different language
  25. Play basketball
  26. Play soccer
  27. Run outside for 15 minutes
  28. Play kickball
  29. Draw a picture
  30. Create your own board game
  31. Make paper airplanes
  32. Make a collage from magazines [Also read: Magazine I Spy Game With Printable]
  33. Do a puzzle
  34. Make a musical instrument
  35. Draw a comic book
  36. Have a crab walk race
  37. Watch an educational movie
  38. Make slime
  39. Learn the alphabet backwards
  40. Recreate a classic art piece
  41. Plant a seedling
  42. Make a scrapbook
  43. Go bird watching
  44. Write a short story
  45. Write a poem
  46. Draw your favorite animal
  47. Draw the solar system 
  48. Ride your bike for one hour
  49. Make your family tree
  50. Count to 10 in a different language

Adding chores 

If you want, you can even add a few household chores into the bored jar. Consider incentivizing these tasks with treats or prizes, so your kids will be excited to pick one out of the jar. [Also read: Chore Charts for Kids (Free Printables) + Why Kids Need Chores]

  1. Wash the car
  2. Sweep the kitchen
  3. Clean the windows
  4. Vacuum the floors
  5. Clean the bathroom
  6. Clean your bedroom
  7. Pull weeds in the garden
  8. Sweep the hallway
  9. Clean your closet
  10. Make your bed

Print your bored jar ideas, including blank activity slips here.

Activity Printables 

Think of activities that will be fun while also presenting an opportunity for your children to learn new skills. We’ve included some fun ideas below, along with free printables.

Plant a Garden

seedling mock tomatoes

Gardening is a terrific activity for kids. Not only does it promote a love of the outdoors, but it can also teach kids responsibility and patience.

Print out these garden labels and printable growth trackers to add an element of art and care to your garden. Recommended herbs and vegetables for kids: basil, beets, and radishes.

Bury a Time Capsule

time capsule mock

To make your own time capsule, first get a tin or box that can withstand being buried, then fill it with fun objects from your current life and this letter to your future self.

Decide on a time that your family will dig up the capsule, and bury it somewhere in your backyard — finally, just enjoy the wait! 

Perform a Puppet Show

puppet printable

A puppet show is a great way to get the family together and allow your kids to be creative. First, have your kids design their own puppets, or grab these printables puppets, then attach them to straws or sticks. Create a makeshift stage from a table or box, and have the family come together to watch your kids perform their own puppet show. 

Bored Jar Ideas: Create a Bored Jar For Your Kids (+ Activity Ideas & Printables) | #kids #free #printables Share on X

Refresh the Activities

These bored jars can provide hours of entertainment for your kids. To keep things fresh, consider filling the jar with 20 to 30 activities at a time, and rotating them out every month. This way, your children will continue to be excited to pick new activities!

Also read:
Family Movie Night Ideas + Create Custom Movie Tickets
Energizing Brain Breaks + a Free Printable
Fun With Food (Free Printable)

You can find MomsWhoSave on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. Join us for updates.

Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe to MomsWhoSave’s blog posts below!

Filed Under: kids crafts, kids' activities / learning, parenting and family, printables Tagged With: bored jar activities, bored jar ideas

Previous Post: « Teaching Kids About Money: 7 Smart Tips
Next Post: 3 of the Best Travel Activities for the Whole Family »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tami Vollenweider

    at

    Cute idea! I know my grand son gets a little bored sometimes and is always trying to find something different to occupy his self! His Mom could come up with ideas,but I know he has some too!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Amazon
  • Email
  • Etsy
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Threads
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Amazon favorites

summer fun

Kids Bowl Free This Summer! (Up to 2 Games Every Day)

kids bowl free

Summer Bucket List for Kids: 40 Fun Ideas + a Free Printable

Summer fun bucket list
MomsWhoSave bio

Footer

newsletter

SIGN UP for the latest news & updates!
Read our privacy policy.

follow along

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright MomsWhoSave © 2025 · Genesis Framework
Stock Photos provided by Depositphotos