15 Stuck at Home Boredom Busters

| Allison

Hello, dears!

Are you guys self-quarantined? And are you getting bored of it yet?

Phones and computers are fun for a while, but I hope that’s not all we’ll do for weeks or months while we’re stuck inside! Today I’ve brainstormed some ideas of interesting activities that don’t require public places, large amounts of people, or social media (except this blog πŸ˜› ).

I’m usually rather disappointed with the boredom buster lists on Pinterest: they’re often just the obvious “read a book” or specific little crafts which don’t last long. Which is nice, but I feel like we all know those already… So hopefully you find a few new or at least less commonly thought of ideas here to keep you and your family from going stir-crazy. Make the best use of this unexpected time to create memories and beautiful things and maybe conquer your TBR list instead of scrolling your phone for 8 weeks! πŸ˜‰

Alright, let’s go bust some boredom!

These are in no particular order or categories. I’m just gonna throw them at you. Ready? Catch!

1. Have a Memory Show. Pull up some old photos on your phone or computer (connect to a bigger screen for easier viewing), pop some popcorn, and enjoy laughing over forgotten stories and beautiful memories. My family and I had so much fun with this at New Year’s!

2. Go for a drive. A great and simple fix to cabin fever! Gas is cheap right now and traffic is light, so take the opportunity to get out of your house without exposure to germs. Turn on some music and explore back roads you’ve never visited, go on a hunt for the prettiest spring trees, or take the scenic drive and enjoy a world that is beautiful despite everything going on right now. If you have young kids, find or make up a scavenger hunt: an “I Spy bingo” for collecting sights like a red car, daffodils, a pond, etc.Β Or bring out your favorite road trip games to make it an adventure!

3. Start an inspiration notebook. Find an notebook lying around to fill with quotes, pictures, magazine clippings, your thoughts about life currently, or ideas that inspire you and give your mind somewhere to go. You can literally turn this into anything you want! A dream house planning book, a gratitude journal or diary, an art journal, or simply a place to make a mess. Let yourself be creative without worrying about the result. If you don’t like it, tear the page out and start over. You can even throw the whole thing away if you want later. Whatever it takes to make creating less stressful for you. Check out Johanna Clough’s YouTube channel here for inspiration.

4. Take some Mystery Pictures. Turn your ordinary, boring surroundings into something mysterious by taking super close-up photos. (See one of my ancient MP posts here for examples.) If your phone or camera doesn’t zoom well, try cropping the photo after you take it. Then test someone’s detective skills by having them guess what your subject was.

5. Draw a character game. We have a card game version of this which you can easily make yourself. Create a couple of cards with face shapes (round, oval, square, etc.), one with different eyes (sad, surprised, frowning, cartoon, etc.), and so on for all the features of a face. Then draw one card from each pile and use it sketch a simple face. This one is fun to play with kids. You can all look off of the same cards, yet everyone’s drawing will turn out differently! You can add bodies or scenes or stories to the characters if you want.

6. Make your own paper dolls.Β Start with a template, either hand-drawn or easily obtained online as a printable. Paste in onto cardboard for easier handling. Then trace around the doll on sticky notes, pretty paper, or magazines to design clothes. Roll up a bit of washi tape or masking tape to stick the clothes on and take them off again while pretending.

7. Listen to an audiobook. It’s amazing how quiet kids can get if they’re all listening to (and interested in) something. It’s like a movie, but without the screen! Pull up a book you loved (or ask friends for suggestions) on Audible, YouTube, or the free site libravox.com. You can color or draw or knit or do all sorts of quiet things while you listen.Β 

8. Redo an old story or picture. Look through your old sketchbooks, file folders, or Word docs and pick out something you were proud of years ago. Redraw or rewrite it and see how much you’ve improved! This one is quite fun and satisfying, particularly if the old piece was made years ago.

8. Take an ordinary activity to the next level. Add a competitive or teamwork aspect to average boredom busters. Work together to finish a big puzzle in one day. See who can read the most books in a week. Challenge yourself to read only books that start with a certain letter or fit in a certain category. Color an entire coloring book, or work on one page collaboratively. Have everyone gather blankets, chairs, pillows, and maybe some string lights from around the house and build a massive fort; then read a story out loud in the cozy atmosphere.

9. Put away your phone for a day. DO IT. See how it makes you feel. This is an especially good time to take a break from the continual barrage of panic and bad news. Turn your phone on airplane mode and put it out of arm’s reach. Or, ask someone in your household to hide it from you! Then enjoy some of these boredom busters in peace. πŸ™‚ You can also use the app above, called Forest, as a motivational timer to take breaks in smaller chunks.

photo contest (44)

10. Make your own bubbles. You can easily and cheaply make bubbles with household ingredients! If you don’t already have bubble wands, you can make your own with wire or even your fingers. This article has a simple recipe and some bubble game ideas.

12. Go for a walk. If you have access to a peopleless space of woods or park, this one is pretty obvious but quite rewarding. Check out my “explore with me” posts (like, “nature art” and “tiny stories”) for fun ideas to turn this ordinary boredom buster into something more interesting and engaging.

13. Make your own stamps. Use craft foam and/or cardboard to make some stamps. Then decorate envelopes wrapping paper, or a sketchbook page. You can also look up tutorials for potato stamps, but my thought is, the less food you waste, the fewer trips to the store you’ll have to make. πŸ˜‰ Click here for my craft foam stamp tutorial. If you don’t have stamp ink, you can color them with markers instead!

14. Write a letter. If you can’t go out and visit friends or relatives, brighten their day and write them a letter instead! Especially elderly people and grandparents will treasure this. To make the experience even more special, package the letter in pretty envelopes like the ones above, or decorate your own!

15. Spend a whole day outside. Pack some sandwiches and other picnic food, fill some water bottles, and head outside. Take a camera and a sketchbook/journal if you like, but preferably no phone so you’re not distracted. Just soak up the outdoors without a deadline.

*********************************

That’s it for today, my friends! I hope you have a productive and lovely quarantine, if that doesn’t sound like too strange of a wish. πŸ˜› Feel free to pin the photo above to save and share, and let me know…

What are your favorite boredom busters? Let’s share suggestions and ideas in the comments!

Thanks so much for reading, dears, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

76 thoughts on “15 Stuck at Home Boredom Busters”

  1. Ooo these are fantastic ideas, Allison! I’ll definitely be trying these while I’m stuck inside. I LOVE the inspiration notebook idea – I did something similar on my bulletin board and loved it! I’ll have to try the notebook, too! πŸ˜€
    I hope that you and your family are staying healthy and safe during this time! ❀

    Like

    Reply

  2. Thank you, Allison!! And Yup, totally agree with you, I really hope we aren’t all spending our time on screens 24/7! And can I just say this whole post was a bit of a boredom buster πŸ˜πŸ˜‰πŸ˜‚

    Like

    Reply

    2. Wow they’re way more unique than I thought it would be! These are some very great tips!
      I think cleaning up and organizing your house completely really passes time too

      Like

      Reply

  7. These are some great ideas!Thanks for sharing!

    Board games and card games (and puzzles) are also a fun way to spend time indoors. Or if you have property and siblings enough then playing outdoor games and sports. My sisters and I used to really enjoy playing volleyball together. πŸ˜‰ If you have land, then there is really endless possibilities. My family only has five acres, but we still managed to spend most of our day outdoors having fun on our own property.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Why thank you! My pleasure.

      YES, I think board games are underrated. Oh, that reminds me… I was going to add “group games” to this list, like Psychiatrist, Fishbowl, and Four on the Couch (which you can look up for instructions!). You might only want to play it with your family, but they’re so much fun. Oh that’s a lovely idea! YES, having land is a huge benefit. Five acres is still plenty for lots of outdoor fun. πŸ™‚

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. I played Four on the Couch in college (not with my family. hehe). I actually didn’t care for the game too much, but that’s because it took too much concentration (and probably also made my competitive side come out too much).

        Like

        Reply

  9. These are all such great ideas! I am going to go do some right now! πŸ˜€ And I love all the pictures! πŸ™‚ Some of my favorites are sorting your bookshelf by color, playing a board game, or just organizing something! XD Wonderful post! πŸ™‚

    -Laura ❀ πŸ™‚

    Like

    Reply

  13. Yay! This is wonderful Allison! πŸ˜‰ This morning my mom and I painted together! πŸ™‚ And I also tried the pencil shaving project that you did in a past post! πŸ˜‰ I even made some cards like that too! πŸ˜‰ It was fun! And later, we hope to go on a family drive. πŸ™‚ Thanks again friend!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Aww, that sounds like a blast! Really? That’s so neat! I’m glad you enjoyed it. πŸ™‚ Ooh, a family drive sounds like so much fun! Thank YOU, dear!

      Like

      Reply

  14. Good ideas! πŸ™‚ I don’t get bored very often, but since it’s very rainy right now where I live and I can’t ride my horses, I am stuck inside and a little bored. 😦 We never asked to be quarantined. It just seems like there’s nothing else to be done, since everything’s cancelled and the grocery stores are almost empty most of the time. But hey. I guess this is an adventure. *shrugs shoudlers* :-/

    Like

    Reply

    1. Saaaame. Ha ha, shucks. I KNOW, same here! It’s like you have no choice. But yesss! (Can you tell I feel the same way? XD) It does feel like an adventure; a great story to tell our kids. πŸ™‚ If a sad one in some parts…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  15. Wow! Cool! I’ve already been doing about half of these. πŸ™‚ The memory show thing has been an almost-every-night event at our house. It’s so fun to dig through old photos – especial since I have siblings who haven’t been around as long as I have! πŸ˜‰ And with spring in the air, I’ve been outside a good amount. (It’s great to have enough acreage to walk around on!)

    I could share a lot of ideas + stuff that I’ve been doing, but it’d take more than a comment to go through it all. Maybe I should do my own post about it and link back to you, Allison. Any thoughts?

    Like

    Reply

    1. Really? That’s so fun! I love that. πŸ™‚ Being outside really gives you a better perspective, doesn’t it? It IS lovely to have land.
      Ha ha, well then, YES! That would be great! If you do the post, you should definitely comment here and link it. πŸ™‚

      Like

      Reply

  17. I’m the exact opposite… I have soo much I want to do that takes awhile, and I don’t have enough time to do it! *laughs* I’ve been working out, making lots of food (banana bread, fried quinoa, fried ice cream for a social-distance birthday, cauliflower pizza, and zucchini pancakes), reading a bit, and plotting my book! πŸ™‚ I hope you stay safe and healthy, my sweet!

    Like

    Reply

  20. These were some awesome suggestions, Allison! I went on a nature walk yesterday with some of my family and friends and it was super relaxing! Hope you have good quarantine too! πŸ˜›
    *hugS!
    -kaelyn

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. These are some great ideas! Being quarantined might not be great, but it definitely allows us time to do some fun things we wouldn’t be able to do otherwise, which is a good thing! I love going for drives just for the sake of it, and audiobooks are fun to listen to.
    I have been doing a lot of baking this past week, since I usually never have time to. πŸ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes, exactly! Ahh, yes. Oh fun! Shucks, that reminds me… I was going to make bread today. XD Oh wait, I actually still have time, so… farewell. I’m off to do some baking too. πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  23. I really enjoyed these creative ideas! Definitely more interesting and exciting than a list that you would find on Pinterest full of typical things. I’ve been going outside for at least 3 hours every day just soaking up the spring sunshine and going on mini runs and bike rides. I also enjoy blogging so right now is a good time to do lots of that! Thanks for these cool ideas Allison! – Hope Leilani

    Like

    Reply

    1. Why thank you! That makes me happy because it’s just what I was going for. πŸ™‚ Ahh, that sounds LOVELY. It’s hard to be too full of worry when you’re outside in the spring sunshine and soft breeze and warm air. And yes, yay for blogging! Thanks again for the lovely comment. Enjoy your day! πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  24. Pingback: 20 Things To Do at Home – Kenmore Pines 1

  25. Wow, all of these ideas are amazing! You are so creative and I will definitely be doing some of this activities😁 God has blessed you with a great writing ability and I will be praying for your families health during this timeπŸ™πŸ»

    Like

    Reply

  26. Oooh, these are great ideas! I’m going to try them. πŸ˜€ Lately, I have been (aside from doing school) taking photos, reading, blogging, memorizing Psalm 119, catching up with friends (virtually), watching stuff with my family (including the National Bible Bee. It has been fun watching it with them, even though I have already watched every round like a thousand times! πŸ˜†) and pen pal writing. Even though it’s been odd being at home all the time, this has given me a chance to do things I normally cannot do! It’s been kind of fun!!

    Like

    Reply
  27. Pingback: FREE things to do during quarantine – life without a latte

  31. This is so creative and so much better than anything you would find on Pinterest! I’m going to work on the journal idea. Absolutely in love with all the pictures of the farm on your blog! It always feels serene to look at it especially at a time like this. Keep up the good work!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Wow, that is high praise! Thank you so much. Aww, I’m glad you enjoy them – I enjoy sharing them. Thanks for the lovely comment, and I hope you have fun making your journal!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Your comments make my day! Please keep them clean and respectful so everyone can enjoy this blog. :) Thank you!