Aibu to have completely and utterly ran out of ideas to entertain kids

[Boredombored]

I’ve got nothing. Still in lockdown and I’ve got to entertain kids for the next four weeks. I’ve completely ran out of ideas. Help me good people. I can’t spend any money either so we are talking pooh sticks Or colouring in stones with nail varinish levels of entertainment. Help! Give me your best ideas please otherwise they are just going to watch tv

How old are they and what kind of place do you live...city, rural, coast?

Assuming your kids are over 1 yr old stop entertaining them. You are not an entertainer and they are more than able to find their own ammusment. It takes some getting use to but kids don't need to be entertained.

If they are a little older and you are trying to ge them off their screens, planning, shopping for, cooking and serving dinner (restaurant style) is a good use of day. Add in costing and prices if you want to push it further!

You’ve probably done this already:

Washing up. Kids love it. (Weirdos).
Bucket of water and a paintbrush - ‘paint’ the garden fence/drive/street
Hide stuff and have a race to find it (while you sit in a chair, drinking tea)
Sew stuff to other stuff - buttons into old pillow cases, hem fragments of material (old pillow cases again, here) and then sew them together to make blankets for toys
Obstacle races - spend ages building a course from various random items, then kids race around completing the course. You time them and make them do it a million times to beat their previous time.
Make dens with sheets, clothes airers etc. Serve meals in the dens.
Looooooooong walks - get them to plot a walk on an ordinance survey map. Then walk it. (Not a favourite of mine as I can’t do it sitting in a chair, drinking tea)

Watching telly is good.

Depends on the ages, but really try to get them involved in home stuff. Cooking dinner together every evening is a start of their old enough to help out. Teaches a valuable skill too. Again, depends on the age

One more:

Archaeological Dig - furnish kids with digging tools (spoons work, if necessary) and gloves (if feeling fastidious). Kids dig holes in garden borders (if you have a garden) and place most interesting ‘finds’ (rocks, usually) on tea towel. Finds will need to be carefully washed (this will take a long time), dried and polished. They can then be displayed in a cardboard box which needs to be painted (if you are completely mad) or lined with old wrapping paper.

Did your parents entertain you during the holidays? Boredom is a life skill.

@Armi, I love you. That is all!

[quote SorenLorensonsInvisibleFriend]@Armi, I love you. That is all! [/quote]
Well, you’re only human!

It depends a lot on how old they are
I know what you mean though, I think we have done everything so much during lockdown.

Could they have friends round/meet up with friends? That seems to be the most excitement for mine (neither of them got to go back to school) .

Other ideas

• heads bodies and legs (just needs paper and pens)
• a treasure hunt around the house/local streets
• geocaching

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Junk marble run.
Turn subtitles on, mute the telly, they're reading.
Friendship bracelets.
Paper mache balloons.

I know you're looking for ideas, but, but, but...
Humans have been around on earth for thousands of years. It's only been in the last, what, twenty years(?), where there is need to entertain them. Kids can just play. Play and play with anything.

Colour in the stones, hide them in the neighbourhood- having drawn a map first - post map to friend so they can find the stones.
Scavenger hunt in the house - something from every letter of the alphabet.

My mother didn't entertain me; I didn't entertain my children. Where has this need for entertainment come from?

Give over, all you ‘kids don’t need entertaining’ types. Some kids need something to do to start them off playing independently. Not every child can play by themselves on command, and it can be particularly tricky for only children.

My DD didn’t start playing independently until she was quite old. Plus it’s nice for children and parents to interact and play together.

I agree with the just leave them (and let them go a certain amount with no screens) but for when you have a chance to play I'd recommend donkey and bomb as ball games, and if you have balloons volleyball, board games, charades, a treasure hunt, just throwing the ball to each other and seeing how long you can go for(same with rolling the ball), design a comic book story, set up your own version of The Cube game show (if you have tiles someone walk a certain path and you have to copy them, also count out squares, walk them and the other person has to walk the same number). Best of luck OP and hope I have the right age category

Take them out every day. Even if they complain. That way you can tick fresh air and exercise off.
We’ve had fun playing with a frisbee and playing dodge ball with wet balls in the park and garden over the last week.
Go for a breakfast picnic or dinner. We had chips in the park on a picnic rug one evening which dvd loved.

Tell them to do an activity on the table every day. Let them choose.
Mine would do play doh, painting, drawing, cutting and sticking, baking.
Bread baking is fun and takes ages.

We made lots of things out of toilet rolls when they were younger. Cars and fairy houses were a favourite.
Google easy toilet roll craft ideas.

Then it’s guilt free screen time.

Swap their toys?

I sometimes switch the tele off and tell them to get on with finding something to do because there will be no tele until 5 or whatever.

My parents didn’t entertain us either but we didn’t have screens to be addicted too and just played in the street with all the neighbours kids.
It’s not actually about entertaining them but keeping them occupied. It’s always hard when their favourite things are screens.

Ok this is a random one but it kept my dc entertained for over an hour and I had some peace and quiet.

They each chose a can of food from the cupboard...i gave them each a piece of paper and pencils and they had to draw it.

They loved it...!

Give them a pile of 2p coins or similar coppers if you're abroad and some ketchup and tell them to see if they can make them all shiny and new looking.

Teach them baking or cooking. I could cook by 11.
Visit the library.
Go for bike rides or walks.
Let them binge on YouTube whilst you’re doing mundane housework etc.
Plant some veggies (even now you can grow lettuce, radish, beetroot etc.)
Camping in the garden.
Could you teach sewing, embroidery or dressmaking?
Get them to ‘write’ a book.
Picnics.
Treasure hunts.
Board games.
Volunteering at any local charity or animal sanctuary.
Feeding the ducks, pigeons or squirrels at your local park.
Can you palm them off to grandparents for a week?
I agree that telly counts as entertainment.

Sorry if my suggestions are not all age appropriate. You didn’t say how old your children are.

Eight and five. These ideas are great! I’ve done loads of them but loads of new ones too! I’m excited to see what’s in the flowerbeds.

left to their Own devices they can entertain themselves but not all day every day. For those of you who have said I shouldn’t be entertaining them im not knocking up a Punch and Judy theatre or juggling fire sticks every day, but it’s nice to have a range of low key activities to offer as an alternative to screens.

Mine are contrary buggers so if I suggest playing with a particular game or puzzle they won’t do it.

But if I casually leave the game or puzzle lying around they will pick it up... Or even better, if I say it’s going to the charity shop, then they will definitely want to play with it.

Also if I give mine a boring task to do they will immediately think of something else they are desperate to do

Reverse psychology

Start at the beginning of your list and do it all again