My 9 and 11 year olds say they're bored like every 5 minutes during summer break. I've tried the whole "here's a list of chores" thing but that just makes everyone mad. Do you guys have actual strategies that work or am I just destined to hear this 47 times a day for the next 6 weeks? Asking for a friend (that friend is me, I'm losing it)
my 8yo was doing the same thing. turned out he actually needed more structure, not less. we made a weekly calendar together where HE picked activities for each day. now instead of bored complaining he's checking the calendar. cost us nothing
Unpopular opinion: sometimes you gotta just let them be bored for a bit. Kids won't die from boredom and they actually get creative when you stop solving it for them
stop making it a punishment. instead try: "you're bored? cool, teach me something you learned this week" or actually sit down and play that stupid video game WITH them for 20 mins. boredom dies fast when a parent shows up
the chore list backfires every time because they're detecting the "keep busy so i don't have to parent" energy. they KNOW it's a dismissal, not an actual task
"I'm bored" from a 9yo is usually code for "I need your attention." try the chore thing but do it WITH them, make it goofy. like "we're racing to clean the kitchen" with music blasting. suddenly it's fun
Split the difference - give them a menu of stuff (walk the dog, water the garden, build something, cook something) and they HAVE to pick one but it's their choice which. Feels less like you're forcing them into activities
summer break is brutal. honestly we just accepted that screen time gets higher, set a limit (like 2 hours daily), and stopped feeling guilty about it. then the other hours we actually DO stuff with them instead of trying to make them self-entertain
For my 9yo I started a 'summer challenge jar' with like 50 small stuff written down - build a fort, make a comic, create an obstacle course, learn a TikTok dance. She picks randomly and it's way less 'dad solve my boredom' energy
The chore angle makes sense why it backfires - feels like punishment instead of an activity. Have you tried just saying 'the pool/park opens at 10' and letting them figure out what sounds good?
'I'm bored' in summer is basically kids saying 'entertain me now.' The chore list backfires because it feels like punishment. Try giving them specific 30-min project options instead and let THEM pick
library card. free books, free programs, free AC. our kids would literally go every other day if we let them
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Screen time limits probably aren't helping either tbh. Summer break without restrictions and suddenly they have too much downtime. Maybe rotate between outside stuff, creative projects, and yeah some gaming