Hi Paula, help! My 2 kids (5 and 8) have already started with I’m boooored and we’re only really on Day 1 of Easter Holidays. Any other parents have this, and any tips to combat the boredom?
We had a big reaction to this – lots of tips but also lots of good ol’ Irish “cop-on-ery”. Don’t know what that is? Read on!
- “Paula that really irritates me – I have 2 kids and if they’re bored SO WHAT. Every minute doesn’t have to be micromanaged – let them go outside and find a game to play. For gods sake who’s the parent here? Sorry, just how I feel!” – A
- “Great to have you back Paula, as for your listener with the bored kids, our mom would say there plenty of work to do around the house, vacuuming, dusting, washing windows, sweeping the yard etc. Before she could finish the sentence we were gone!”
- “I agree in principle with that texter - let them be bored but there is many variables that can make that easier said than done! Mainly the number of kids and what age they are, 2 is manageable enough plus they can play with each other. In our house there are 4 and it's a constant war zone, age range 2-9! Go find something to do is grand if the weathers good but with a wet enough week forecast there could be plenty of time indoors! Then they just wreck the house and by poor wife's head! Our oldest 2 are doing an Easter camp, half the workload. It can be a stressful on everyone!”
- “Morning young sweetpea, I find give the kids a job to do in the house such as hovering or polishing, it doesn't take them long then to find a game to play!” – Jayo
- “Thank god I’m not the only one who thinks this way! The pressure to submit to holiday camps is unrelenting, when all the kids need is some down time with no timetables. I know that’s not possible for everyone, the hours I work allow me that flexibility.”
- “Send them out the back garden to play? Ya right that’ll keep my 4 and 6 year old entertained for all of 5 mins. Despite having swings, slides, paddling pools, sandbox they get still get bored!”
- “Park time! I wish the local councils would enforce fines on dog owners who seem incapable of picking up after their pets. Our local park is great except that my 3 and 5 year olds olds seen to be like magnets to the dog mess. Ugh!”
Although most of the listeners agreed with the points above, here is a list of some things you could do if the moaning gets too much (let’s face it, 2 weeks is a long time!)
- Local swimming pool! Sometimes they have activities or discounts during school holidays.
- Musuems and galleries sometimes have new exhibitions and events running when school’s off. opu. Many art galleries put on special events for children and families - this could be just the thing to stimulate your child's artistic streak.
- Join or revisit the library!
- If it’s raining, arrange a movie day - choose a couple of favourite films, get some popcorn and put your feet up with the kids.
- Get cooking - pick a recipe with the kids, go shopping for ingredients and cook something together that you can enjoy eating afterwards
- Baking! Even a rocky road which requires no baking can be fun and there will probably be so much leftover chocolate and treats it won’t even cost anything!
- Pick a hiking trail if the kids are old enough and pack for a day out – picnic and exercise!
- Organise a treasure hunt around your home and garden with clues and treats for the children to find. There will definitely be treats left over after the Easter Bunny has been!
- Hold your own mini Olympics with games that require little equipment... a sack race with pillowcases, spud and spoon etc!
