Summer Boredom Busters - No Screen Required - Clean Mama

As the school year winds down I/we get really excited for the summer. For me, I love the relaxed mornings, trips to the pool, a little vacation time, and less structure. I also know that we need a couple boredom busters to carry us through the summer because everyone needs a little downtime/ rest time, right? Best thing about this list? It doesn’t require a screen, an outlet, or a cord – hooray! You could re-purpose this for trips, things to do with a sitter, rewards for extra chores, etc.

Here’s what you need to do:

  • grab a basket, a bucket, a bag to gather your boredom busters – look for something that you have and can reuse.
  • collect existing coloring books, workbooks, and other resources that you already have around the house that you know your kids will enjoy during the summer.
  • add some new activities – I like to keep things in a couple categories to captivate the kiddos for an hour or so. Art, strategy, brain exercises, tactile activities, puzzles….
  • put together the bucket or basket and HIDE IT until summer – it’ll be a great surprise when the ‘I’m bored’ comments start!

small summer boredom busters

These are all items that we have, have used, or have bought for the summer – I know you and your kids or grandkids, or friends’ kids will love them. This list is best suited for the elementary-aged crowd, but there are definitely some preschool, pre-teen and early teen crossovers here as well.

Summer Boredom Busters - Clean Mama

Kids go crazy for this fun book that contains 50 3-D models of creative and silly monsters. The pages are perforated and tabbed to make construction easier. Papertoy Monster

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Star Wars meets paper airplanes. What’s not to love? Star Wars Folded Flyers

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Step by step directions make paper airplane making easy and fun! Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes

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This book is full of various brain games and puzzles to stump and challenge all minds. Kids Big Book of Games

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This puzzle book is so fun! Various mazes, word games, visual and logic puzzles, and more will keep kids busy for hours. Brainiest Insaniest Ultimate Puzzle Book

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Fun facts and challenges encourage kids to use their brains in new ways as they learn and solve puzzles. National Geographic Kids Brain Games

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These intricate dot to dot puzzles range from 300 to 1400 dots. Intricate and challenging to encourage high level thinking skills. Extreme Dot to Dot Animals

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Great for a variety of ages and skill levels, this book is full of fun and thought provoking problems that are sure to engage and challenge. Word Winks

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Intricate color by number artwork that is ideal for building concentration and encouraging relaxation. One for animal lovers : Color Counts: Animals

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And one that would be great on a road trip : Color Counts: Travel the USA

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The element of surprise in this coloring book makes it extra intriguing. Mystery Mosaics: Book One

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Who doesn’t love a good maze? The details and twist and turns in this activity book make it extra fun. Extreme Mazes

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These simple but intriguing water toys are a blast from the past. Tomy Pelican Water Game

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Tomy Dolphin Water Game

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Encourage higher level thinking with this ingenious puzzle cube. ThinkFun Adams Cube

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This gravity powered logic maze is wonderfully versatile for various ages and skill levels. Gravity Maze

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Encourage spatial thinking and logic with this addictive and challenging game. Rush Hour

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Mesmerizing and challenging, this three dimensional maze is fun for any age. Perplexus Epic

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And of course there needs to be one for me – The Inspired Room Coloring Book – it comes out July 1st, just in time for some lazy summer day coloring 🙂

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Have any other favorites to add? Here are a couple more posts that might help you get through the summer!

Kid-Friendly Cleaning Caddy + DIY Cleaning Spray via Clean Mama

Simple Chore Chart and Reward System Your Kids Will Love via Clean Mama

How to Organize Snacks + Lunches via Clean Mama