I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to spring
break – sort of – a little – maybe not so much.
Now that I’m home full time, I’m looking forward to not having to drag
myself and two teenagers out of bed and then out the front door for a week. I’m looking forward to doing a couple of
things with them locally that are free or inexpensive (remember, I’m not
working outside the home). I’m not
looking forward to the possibility that my kids (or one of my kids) will become
dysregulated due to the lack of routine.
I know I cannot afford my youngest kids the freedom to come and go
during the break like I could with their older brothers. (That would be way too scary and trigger
their abandonment issues big time.) I
also can’t arrange a bunch of playdates – at least not for The Princess. She’s struggling enough. The last thing she needs are several other
kids coming and going or a bunch of sleepovers.
(I’m thinking one, maybe two max.)
Since the kids will be home with me much of the time during
break, I’ve come up with a list of things to do when the “I’m bored” monster
rears its whiney head. Read through to
the end – there’s a surprise waiting (but don’t skip ahead!). Maybe some of these ideas will work for your
teens:
Helpful Things to Do
*Clean out the
kitchen cabinets – Go ahead, put the spices in alphabetical order. Take everything out of the frig and wipe the
shelves down. And while you’re at it,
wipe the cabinets down, too.
*Go through your
drawers and closet and pull out all the clothing that’s too small or that you
just never wear so we can get it to someone who can use it, or take it to the
thrift shop.
*Go through the
books and pull out the ones you’re too old for now. We may keep some. We may donate some.
*If your kid is
gentle enough and good with electronics:
Take the side cover off the PC tower(s) in the house and use one of
those air can sprays made for electronics to clean out all the dust that’s
collected inside the tower.
*Rearrange the
furniture in your bedroom. Get your
sibling to help you. (Ah, team
work!) Now help your sibling.
Crafty Things to Do
*Make an easy
(and so cute) button bracelet out of old buttons and a piece of elastic (uses
thread and easy hand sewing).
*Make some button
barrettes with store-bought barrettes, buttons, and a hot glue gun.
*Tie dye some old
tee shirts (pull them out of the pile the kids gathered when they went through
their drawers and closets to clean them out).
*Find six rocks
of similar color and size – flat, smooth ones work best. Take craft paint and paint an “X” on three of
them and an “O” on the other three. Now
you have a tic-tac-toe game to play on the driveway – just draw a grid with a
piece of chalk and use that same grid over and over. OR – for rainy days, take an old pillow case
and glue felt strips on it (with fabric glue) in the shape of a grid. You can store the stones inside the pillow
case.
*Make a rolled
paper (from magazines) cross.
*Make a fabric collage.
Things to Brighten Someone’s Day
*Make up “Random
Acts of Kindness” Baggies. Get some
snack size baggies and put a few pieces of candy or a couple of mints
inside. Write a one-sentence note of
encouragement. Put a few baggies in your
bookbag to take to school and give one to another kid (or teacher) who looks
like they’re having a rough day. When
you give it to them, only say, “Just because.”
*Take one of
those baggies to the widow who lives across the street and knock on her
door. Ask her if you can help her by
getting the dead leaves out of her bushes – or if there is something else she’d
like you to help with (take Mom along to knock on her door with you).
*Take one of the
baggies to the young mom down the street and ask her if she’d like a little break. Offer to play ball or draw on our driveway
with chalk with her little ones for an hour.
*Call your church
or local rec center office and ask if there are some odd jobs you could do for
them around the building one afternoon.
*Walk around the
block with your sibling. Take a couple
of trash bags and wear some work gloves.
Pick up any trash on the sidewalks or in the gutters.
Quiet Things To Do
*Roll coins. Pick out the wheat pennies as you go along (makes
the task more interesting and it lasts longer).
*Draw a comic
strip about . . . (pick something that would interest the child).
*String popcorn
and then put it on a tree outside. Watch
the birds (and squirrels) come!
*Find some pine
cones, put peanut butter on them and
roll them in birdseed. Hang them from a
tree. Again, watch the birds come!
*Write a note to
your pastor or principal and thank them for the job they do. Mail it in the “regular” mail.
Fun Things To Do
*Make tattle monsters out of tissue boxes. (Since you
know the kids will get on each other’s nerves and you don’t want to hear it all
day.) Have them write any tattles on a
piece of paper and put it in the monster’s mouth. At the end of the day, pull out the tattles
and decide which ones are worth having the monster tell Mom about. Put those back in his mouth and give it to
Mom to handle however SHE chooses.
(Always use the caveat that anything dangerous should be brought to Mom’s
attention IMMEDIATELY.)
*Make emotion
stress balls. Use balloons, Playdough,
and a Sharpie.
*Plan and arrange
a scavenger hunt. Invite 2-3 friends to
participate. (Get Mom’s approval for
what’s on the list.)
*Pitch a tent in
the backyard. Invite 2-3 friends over
for a “camp out.” So what if it’s
March. Do like the Boy Scouts and dress
appropriately and bring a warm sleeping bag.
*Have an airplane
making/flying contest. Look up designs
online with Mom.
Add Your Own
Okay, my brain is starting to hurt. Play along, please! Add your own ideas below. I’ll put all the names of those who comment
below into a basket and draw one name on the first day of Spring Break (here it’s
March 17th). The winner will
receive a $10 Amazon gift certificate from Trauma Mama T. Want another chance at winning? Share this blog post link on Facebook and comment that you did so. Get another chance by telling about this post on your own blog. (Again, tell me in your comment that you did so.)
These are some great ideas! I plan to keep my kids busy. Some of these cleaning ideas are things my own mom had us do during spring break - she called it SPRING CLEANING!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anonymous! Do you have any ideas to add?
ReplyDeleteMy teens had to write a list of 108 things to do when they're bored. Here's what they came up with: http://marythemom-mayhem.blogspot.com/2011/08/108-alternatives-to-boredom.html
ReplyDeleteMary