7 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU’RE BORED: FOR KIDS!

Your child suddenly says to you ‘I’m bored!’- what do you do!? Surely there’s plenty of things to do in and out of the house right?

The worst thing about boredom is that your kids can start getting fidgety and frustrated, which gets you frustrated too! However, the last thing you would want to do as a responsible parent is to let them watch TV or play online games where they don’t learn anything! You need activities such as with our range of awesome printables that engage your child’s senses and get them to use their imagination and creativity!

Well, here is the perfect guide for you so you don’t have to search for things to do and stress about it! This guide has lots of tips where your kids can have fun and learn new skills such as cooking, drawing, crafting and more! 

1. How do you make slime for kids? 

Slime is one of the most satisfying things for kids to play with that can provide hours of arts and crafts entertainment. Slime became extremely popular in 2020 with so many videos of people making slime becoming viral all over social media. It’s super easy and quick to make and so inexpensive! It basically only needs 3 ingredients- white PVA glue (100ml), bicarbonate of soda (1/2 tsp) and contact lens solution (1 tsp). This makes 1 small ball of slime but you can add more of those ingredients (equally) to make more. Your kids can get more creative by adding colours and textures like food colouring, glitter, beads or anything you can think of that will enhance their senses!

Be careful though, this can get SO messy and sticky, so make sure you use a plastic tablecloth or bin bags on the surface that your child will get creative on!

Instructions for your kids (under your supervision!):

1. Mix the glue and the bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl.
2. If you chose to add a colour using food colouring, add a few drops of that into the mixture and mix well. The more drops you add, the brighter and funkier the colour!
3. Add the contact lens solution and mix until the slime starts to get stringy and gradually forming into a neat ball.
4. Once it’s formed into the neat ball, take it out the bowl and knead with your hands until its smooth and not sticky.
5. Finally, if you want, add your extras like the beads, glitter etc. into the ball and continue kneading a little more.

That’s it! Now you have one of the best creative kids’ home activities, perfect for a rainy day! Just remember that each time you want to play with the slime, make sure to store it in a Tupperware container.

2. How to make a cake for kids who are so fussy!

There’s nothing worse than a child who kicks and screams at the sight of healthy food! Not to say that this recipe is of a cake made of vegetables- can you imagine!? We want to show you a cake recipe that’s absolutely DELICIOUS but also much more on the healthier side that you and your little ones can make together!

Here’s what you’ll need to make a tasty Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Cake:

• 2 bananas
• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 a cup sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• A pinch of cinnamon powder
• Half a cup of mixed dry fruits & nuts (like raisins, almonds, walnuts etc).

Instructions:

1. Mash all the bananas in a bowl with a fork until it’s smooth and without lumps.
2. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla essence and mix properly.
3. In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon powder together. Then add the mixture into the bowl with the banana mixture.
4. Next, add the fruits & nuts and mix. If the batter is too thick, you can add some milk of your choice (eg. soya milk, oat milk, almond milk etc) so you get a nice dropping consistency.
5. Grease a cake tin with a little oil and dust with some flour. Then pour the mixture into the tin.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.
7. Once the 45 minutes is over, take it out the oven and do the toothpick test to make sure it’s baked well.
8. If your kid wants, you can serve the cake with a glass of milk.

Enjoy!!

3. How to draw a house step by step for kids

Has your kid ever said to you ‘I can’t draw this, you draw it for me’? Maybe you gave in and continued the drawing for them, just to make the situation easier and to avoid a tantrum. However, this isn’t the right thing to do- you need to motivate them to want to keep drawing and not give up.

Drawing from a young age is really important for children as they can express their thoughts and emotions through it. It allows them to use their imagination, creativity and visualisation. It also improves their memory, as when they draw an object they’re familiar with, for example a dog, they need to remember what the dog looks like to be able to imagine it and then draw it. If your kid hasn’t developed a passion for drawing yet, there are so many ways to make it easier.

Here’s the perfect step-by-step guide on how to make a creative drawing for kids, of a cute country house! 

You can also use our cute set of crazy colourful crayons shaped like animals, insects and more to colour in the house!

4. How to draw a fairy step by step for kids

Drawing a fairy is something most girls love to do as it takes them out of reality and takes them into a world of fantasy (like some of the characters you see in cartoons and Disney movies, like Tinker Bell in Peter Pan!).  

To draw your very own beautiful fairy, follow this simple step-by-step tutorial. You’ll need a piece of paper, a pencil, rubber and colouring pencils or coloured felt tips.

These printables of fairytale elements are an excellent fantasy addition, once your child finishes the fairy drawing. From unicorns to rainbows, we've got something that will fit any girl's wildest dreams!!

And parents, remember to praise your children when they finish their drawing. No one’s drawing will look exactly the same so remind them that their wonderful piece of art is still beautiful and one of a kind!

5. How to make bath bombs for kids!

Bath bombs are one of the best arts and crafts toys for kids to use as part of their exciting bath routine! They really play with the senses through the different colours, scents and textures depending on what ingredients you use to make it. Bath bombs are recommended for kids over 8 years old so use with caution and definitely supervise your kids when you’re both making them!

Our Bath Bomb Making Kit for Kids is the perfect way to spend some quality time with your little ones. It’s also a great way to teach them about teamwork and collaboration while having lots of fun! The best part is that the kit comes with everything you need, including a step-by-step guide, so you can start making bath bombs right away. Your kids will love watching them fizz and bubble in the tub, and they’ll be excited to take home their very own creations.

Alternatively, you can follow this recipe and use ingredients you may already have in your home.

Here’s what you need to make 4 bath bombs:

• 100g bicarbonate of soda
• 50g citric acid
• 25g corn flour
• 25g Epsom salt (optional)
• 2 tbsp oil – (eg. sunflower, coconut or olive oil)
• ¼ tsp essential oil (eg. orange, lavender or chamomile)
• A few drops of liquid food colouring (any colour of your choice)
• Something to decorate the bath bomb (eg. orange peel, dried rose petals etc)
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Plastic moulds (you can buy moulds specific for bath bombs online but you can also find reusable items around your house such as yoghurt pots, silicone cupcake cases or even plastic biscuit cutters placed on a tray etc.) 

Instructions:

1. Whisk the bicarbonate of soda, citric acid, corn flour and Epsom salt together in the bowl.
2. In a separate smaller bowl, mix the base oil, essential oil and food colouring together.
3. Slowly add the oil mixture from the small bowl into the first bowl, whisking little by little. Then add a few tiny drops of water and whisk again very quickly as the mixture will fizz. The mixture needs to slightly clump together and keep its shape when pressed in your hands- make sure it’s not too wet.
4. If you’ve chosen anything to decorate your bath bombs such as the dried rose petals etc, add those to the bottom of your plastic mould. Then pack your mixture on top into each mould, pressing it down and smoothing out the top with a spoon.
5. Leave the bath bombs in the mould for about 2-4 hours so it dries fully and once the time is up, you can very carefully remove them.

That’s it! Your amazing bath bombs are ready to be dropped into your kids bath and they can watch as they fizz and move around in the water! 

6. How to make a game for kids

Playing games is a great way to keep your kids entertained and to involve yourself or the whole family at the same time. What better way to play games than making your own!? It’s one of the most creative things to make at home for kids! Here’s a great blog of 50 awesome homemade games to play and learn from with different topics like literacy, fine motor skills, logic, maths and many more!

We also have a blog about the Top 13 fun & entertaining games for your kids & family for when you might not have time to create your own game and want some simple family fun on the weekend!

7. What are some good movies to watch for kids?

We don’t want to tell you that movies are bad and that kids shouldn’t watch them, because that’s not true at all. Of course its much better for kids to utilise their time wisely, getting creative and learning things rather than just watching a screen for hours. This is why we’ve left this section for last- as a kind of last resort. There are millions of movies that kids will enjoy, but only a handful of them are actually teachable lessons from which they can learn from or be inspired by. We have searched and selected movies that we think you and your kids will love to watch.

Here is the list and roughly what they stand for/represent:

• Babe (1995)- Finding the purpose to life and writing your own destiny!
• Inside Out (2015)- Encourages you to talk about your emotions and your mental health.
• Up (2009)- It’s about setting your mind on something and following your dreams!
• Brave (2012)- Being brave and standing up for what you believe it.
• Happy Feet (2006)- Following your heart and believing in yourself.
• Frozen (2013)- Importance of having a loving family to support you.
• How To Train Your Dragon (2010)- Being courageous.
• Shrek (2001)- Beauty doesn’t define you- it’s who you are as a person that people will love, not what you look like.
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)- Not following what others do and instead being true to yourself & doing the right thing.

Indulge in a little creative writing at the end of your day with your kids by getting your own Mindful Dreams notebook. Jot down together what you're grateful for, which activities you enjoyed most, how they made you feel overall and even share any dreams that come to mind!

That’s it- the 7 wonderful things you can do with your kids when they get bored! Let us know in the comments if you did any of them with your little ones and how the experience was!