25 Things to do when you’re bored at home

I’ve been feeling the heaviness of this pandemic for well over a week now. I’ve had some other content planned for the blog this week but it didn’t feel authentic to dive into a bunch of shopping links when people are scrambling to figure out whether or not their jobs will be impacted by this crisis. I do understand the need to have a glimpse of normalcy through this storm and I hope to be that in the coming weeks, however, for now, I’d like to provide some content that will be helpful for the coming days/weeks. Last Monday I canceled all upcoming plans, went to the grocery to make sure we had enough food for several weeks, and started talking to my family about the potential of us being home for a while. I’m a homebody by nature so when someone tells me to stay home you won’t hear me object too much. It won’t be too long before the girls start asking, “What can we do? We’re bored at home.” Even then as the days start to tick off you get a little antsy. Since we’re all (or at least should be) home for the next days/weeks/foreseeable future I’ve been brainstorming some activities and ideas of things that you can do when bored at home.

Things to do when bored at home

1. Play a game | we love Sequence, cards (Tonk is our favorite game), dominos, and Yahtzee. The girls also love the game of Life and we just ordered Sleeping Queens to try out.
2. Read a book or finish a book you’ve started | I’m notorious for starting books and never finishing them. So this is a great time to finally finish the half-read books on my shelf.
3. Listen to books on Audible, Scribd, or Podcasts | With the girls at home, we listen to a book on Audible or a podcast while doing our morning work. They sit at the table and work on schoolwork quietly while listening. We especially love Frog and Toad and the Wow in the World podcast.
4. Do a puzzle | Matt and I got into puzzles when we lived through a couple of hurricanes. Now we pull them out whenever we have more than a few days off it’s one of the classic “things to do when bored at home” activities. I really love the Charles Wysocki line by Buffalo Games.
5. Bake something | Try a new recipe or bust out an old family favorite. My kids love decorating cupcakes so we made a batch for them to decorate.
6. Make an indoor picnic lunch | We do this often. I make a picnic lunch, lay out a blanket in the living room and we have an indoor picnic. The girls think it’s so special and fun. I also have added sandwich bread to my weekly bread baking which takes one thing off my shopping list.
7. Organize a space in your home | It doesn’t have to be super ambitious. Try organizing a junk drawer, your pantry, or a closet. You can find my tips on organizing a small pantry here and closet organization here.
8. Binge a new or old show | Here are some series’ we love:
– Parenthood
– Friday Night Lights
– The Office
– Schitt’s Creek
– Madmen
– Kids Baking Championship (we watch as a family)
– Aquarium (we watch as a family)
9. Enjoy some live streams | The Cincinnati Zoo is live streaming on Facebook exhibiting different animals each day. You can watch several webcams from the Georgia Aquarium. Artists (Coldplay and John Legend are examples) are offering live stream concerts on their social media.
10. Watch a documentary and learn something new
11. Do a service for someone | Send a card to someone in a nursing home, offer to grocery shop for an elderly neighbor, check in on friends and family, donate food, etc.
12. Plant a garden or some flowers
13. Do some yard work
14. Decorate a space in your home
15. Create something/crafts | here are some ideas:
– Perler bead kits
– Weaving with a loom
– Rock Painting
– Watercolor painting
16. Make a step bet with friends | staying inside can make being active difficult. Challenge a friend to a step bet, get out in the open air and go for a walk.
17. Do some yoga | there are many free yoga routines on Youtube. I can recommend Yoga with Adriene for you and Cosmic Kids Yoga for your kiddos.
18. Write a letter or a card to a friend | In the world of social media, the art of letter writing is nearly dead. Write a note to a friend letting them know you’re thinking of them will surely make their day.
19. Make a photobook | We’ve been making yearly family photobooks for several years now. It’s a great way to get your photos off your phone and onto something tangible. Here’s a rundown of how I create our books.
20. Take an online class | I’ve seen ads for MasterClass and I’m really intrigued. They have a cooking class from Gordon Ramsey, a photography class from Annie Leibovitz, and a writing class from David Sedaris. Now would be a good time to learn something new. There are also classes on Lynda.com, Skillshare, and Teachable.
21. Support local businesses | Just because you’re home doesn’t mean you can’t support the local businesses you love. Buy a gift card to use later, order takeout or shop online.
22. Watch a TedTalk
23. Start your spring cleaning | Check out my series on Clutter Free Organizing here.
24. Make a fire and do s’mores
25. Have a movie marathon | watch a bunch of comedies, classics, or my favorite movies from the 80s.
Here are some 80s faves:
– The Breakfast Club
– Sixteen Candles
– Jaws
– Steel Magnolias
– When Harry Met Sally
– Dead Poets Society
– Top Gun
– Karate Kid
– Say Anything

15 More activities to do at home with KIDS

1. Create a Scavenger Hunt
2. Play with bubbles (my kids could do this for hours)
3. Make a board game
4. Read Aloud (We’re currently reading the Harry Potter series)
5. Make homemade playdough
6. Write a book – individually or together as a family write a story and draw illustrations.
7. Take virtual tours. Many resources are offering virtual options like a virtual tour of the Great Wall of China and Yellowstone National Park.
8. Make a robot. We have tons of recyclables around. Give the kids free range to make something amazing with it.
9. Create an obstacle course
10. FaceTime, Skype, Marco Polo friends and family
11. Write letters and draw pictures to elderly family, neighbors, and friends.
12. Make a themed lunch together. Ex. all things green, Mexican, finger foods
13. Science experiments and discuss the scientific method.
14. Play movie theater. Pick a movie, make tickets, grab some popcorn, and enjoy.
15. Tie-dye something.

What kind of things are you doing now to keep the boredom at bay? What do you do when you’re bored at home?