25 simple, fun, boredom-busting things to do in the summer holidays (with no screens!)

Summer hols feeling a bit long? Switch off the tablets and TVs and try one of these proven boredom-busters. Misti Traya offers a handy list of 25 fun childhood activities that have really stood the test of time…

“I’m boooor-ed’….

How many times have you heard that from your child, especially during a long holiday? At the beginning of summer, my daughter is always excited as the potential for fun feels limitless…there’s the end of year class picnic, then ice cream cones on the heath, a week of dance camp to look forward to… But there is inevitably a day when all this is forgotten. A day she only wants to watch telly and gets mopey when I make her turn it off. This is the day we hear “Mummy, I’m bored.” 

I find it difficult when my child comes to me like I’m the social director of a luxury cruise ship as I haven’t always got a fun activity planned. So here’s a list of 25 tried-and-tested, screen-free boredom-busters. The sorts of things you did as a kid, and so did your parents and grandparents. Each time, I hear “I’m bored,” I will pull it out for inspiration. I hope you find it useful too. 

Outside in the sunshine

1) Tree climbing – Risk play is great for children so long as the risk is minimal. Here’s a good article from a tree expert offering tips on how to teach your child to climb. (And why not join them in the branches? There’s a great book by Jack Cooke about the benefits for adults called The Tree Climber’s Guide!)

2) Rope swing – When I was little, I could lose myself for long periods of time, pretending to be a bird flying up into the sky. Then I’d hop off and wobble back to the house with jelly legs for a snack. I swear it made the popsicles taste that much sweeter. Rope Warehouse gives instructions on how to build a great one.   

3) Stargazing – This activity can be harder if you live in a city because light pollution gets in the way. But if you don’t, it can be a wondrous experience. All you need is a telescope and a night sky. Give your children a star map so they can familiarise themselves with the constellations and why not learn together all about the mythology behind those lovely names. 

4) Make a fairy garden – If your child is like mine and cannot walk past a drain in a garden wall without exclaiming, “Look, mummy! It’s a fairy door!” then your child might enjoy making a fairy garden. Country Living is full of inspiration. 

5) Pick fruit – Google your nearest Pick Your Own farm and go. If you live in or around London, here is a list from the Londonist about where to find the best berries. For me, strawberries are the flavour of summer – here’s what to make with them.

6) Build a den – Den making is a wonderful way to pass the time. The National Trust has great tips on how to make one. 

7) Skip rope – Skipping rope is great exercise and also really fun. If you have more than one child or rope, encourage them to double dutch.

8) Play jacks – This was one of my favourite games when I was a kid. In case you’ve forgotten how to play, Masters of Games lays out the rules. If you’re in it to win it, here is a helpful video. Lots of people think Jacks is a game for adorable little children. That doesn’t mean they can’t be ruthless. 

9) Clapping games – Remember all those silly songs the kids used to sing at school whilst clapping? “A sailor went to sea-sea-sea” and all that. No? Then here is a helpful site if you need a reminder (the cups game is particularly brilliant).

10) Make and fly a kite – Country File offers a brilliant tutorial that will have your little ones feeling like stars in Mary Poppins in no time (as you can see from the picture of my daughter above) 

11) Crabbing – In Britain there is so much beautiful coastline, if you’re near any of it, do go. Gone Crabbing has excellent tips on how to catch ’em.

12) Grow things – Make grass heads: Emmy will show you how. Or if you want to do it a more basic way, just decorate a paper cup to look like a face, then sow seeds that will grow into hair. My daughter loves planting chives or cress as it means she gets a tasty sandwich each time her creation gets a haircut. Now is also the ideal time to plant sunflower seeds which will come into their own once school starts.  

13) Make Flower Crowns – Whether your child wants to look like a Roman emperor or a Greek goddess, this tutorial on The Wishing Elephant will help. 

Inside fun for rainy days

14) Put on a puppet show – Be warned: if you suggest that your children put on a show of any kind, you have to watch it. That is the deal. (I find it’s most productive when they write a script or choreograph. Here are some tips.)

15) Board games – Call me old fashioned, but sometimes all you need to fill an afternoon is a few hours of Monopoly and an entrepreneurial spirit. Risk and ludo (most fun with four players) are quite good too if you want games that can go on forever. Draughts another favourite and a good primer for learning chess. Qwirkle is a tile-based game that looks a bit like Dominoes and but has more in common with Scrabble – it’s supposed to promote lateral thinking. For younger ones, Beetle is always fun.  

16) Story Soup – My daughter and I play a game that we call Story Soup. I give her some ingredients (at least 10 different words) and she has to use them to make up a story. All that’s required is a piece of paper, a writing utensil, and some imagination:

Arts and crafts

17) Make a shoebox diorama – When I was young, I read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett with my mother. Afterward, I made a secret garden diorama and taped my book report to the back of it. Last year, I did the same with my child. You don’t have to base your diorama on a book, but if you do, it’s a lovely way to combine learning with a leisure activity.  

18) Paper Dolls – The Origami Resource Center will tell you how to cut paper dolls, but think outside the box when dressing them up. My daughter likes it when we buy magazines and cut out clothes and hair from the photos then paste them onto the dollies. Just because you’re cut from paper doesn’t mean you can’t don haute couture.

19) Make a papier-mâché mask – If your child wants to make a mask, remind them that patience is a virtue because they’ll have to wait for this to dry. Is it worth it? Completely. The Spruce will tell you how to do it. 

20) Make tin foil tiaras and crowns – This is still one of favourite pastimes. It requires so little, yet yields so much joy. Paper Crafts for Children has easy to follow instructions. 

Making and baking

21) Grow crystals –  Grow a salt crystal with a few simple ingredients. Or opt for sugar crystals and make your own candy. 

22) Make slime – If you’re a mad scientist (or a masochist), give it a go. Here is the easiest version I’ve seen. 

23) Make a volcano – This is always a favourite science project. 

24) Make balloon cars – Make them then race them! 

25) Get cooking – There are lots of cook books just for children – seek inspiration at your local library. We love The Winnie The Pooh Cookbook and Winnie The Pooh’s Teatime Cookbook. And when my daughter was younger, she loved I Can Cook on CBeebies. Their website has lots of kid-friendly recipes you can help your child make – so perhaps TV isn’t all bad, after all!

Misti Traya is a writer and mother from London.

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