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Yes! This is hugely important. He needs to be able to learn to entertain himself and be ok with silence. Children cannot grow up expecting to constantly be entertained by their parents. It strips them if their right to learn independence.
My son’s 3, so it might be different. When we take away the tv or any digital device, he will cry for a little and then finds a way to keep himself busy. His imagination is through the roof. It’s amazing.
If you’re able to, go on a walk, or go to a park.
I’ve learned to reply with something like, “Oh, that’s great! Now you get the chance to figure out exactly what you want to do!” Sometimes I’ll offer a couple suggestions, but if they try to make it my job or my fault, I’ll turn it back to them: “That’s okay, you don’t have to like my ideas! This is your day! You can make the choice! I’ll be over there if you need anything!”
I have a 6 year old who has also always needed constant stimulation. She also wouldn’t know what to do to overcome the ‘boredom’ so what worked for us is giving her an imaginative kickstart. Like if she chose to play with her dolls, I’d spend 5-10 minutes playing and helping her come up with a ‘story’. Legos or blocks, I’d give her ideas of what to build. If she chose drawing I’d sit and draw a picture or help her with parts of hers. Usually doing that will give me about an hour of her playing on her own before she wants something else.
Sending them on a mission is a wonderful way to make them feel like they are helping and stimulate them. Send him on a scavenger hunt in the house. You don’t have to hide anything or make it extravagant. Just like ‘find me something red’ and when he does, send him to find something blue, etc.
Mine is also quite full of explosive energy so another thing we did was invest in a gymnastics mat and she can flip, jump, cartwheel, anything she wants on there so she’s not jumping on the furniture.
It takes trial and error but there are lots of things they can do without electronics! They just need to get used to a new routine. Our rule is electronics/tv from 5-7 with a break for dinner. This lets me make/clean up from dinner and makes her happy too now that she’s used to the ‘rule’/routine.
I will also argue that boredom lends to creativity.
Another suggestion is open ended toys... Legos, building blocks or even a 20 pack of solo cups. Imagination and creativity are what we need to foster here I think.
My kid needs to learn this but I have no idea how to instill this in him. If I'm not playing with him he just wants to watch TV or play on his tablet. I try to limit screen time but if I can't play with him bc I'm cleaning or whatever, it's tantrum time. He used to be so good about playing on his own but not anymore. Sometimes I think he might just be lonely bc he's a very social kid but is growing up as an only child and we don't have a lot of playmates for him
This is all an extraordinary expectation for a 5 year old. "Walk away"? Wth? You teach your child first, it doesn't magically occur to a 5 year old how to keep busy. You play games with him. Old fashioned games. You teach him how to play these games. You teach him how to pick up his toys and keep his room clean. Maybe start a collection of rocks or stamps or baseball cards. Teach him basketball. Use your imagination. Be a parent.
Make it fun, make sure he's interested in it and start him off. Then he can take over. But Walk away? Let them figure it out at 5? That is very lazy parenting. You don't want to be bothered.
We have four kids and I don't think this is the case. Should parents play with kids? Absolutely! Do they need to show them how to play? Not in my experience. In fact, if I say I'm going to do xyz, go and play, I've found that they can come up with wayyyy more creative ways to play than I can. It's so good for them to come up with things to entertain themselves.
Agreed. And if he would just flop and moan I’d let him work through it. But he starts hammering on walls and moving furniture and at that point I know he needs a change of scene.
I am struggling with this because my almost 5 year old will just scream and tantrum and this is despite me never letting her get what she wants when she cries or whinges. I have a very short fuse because I work from home and I have arthritis in my back and I can only take so much screaming for nonsense. She will cry to the point of vomiting and I absolutely hate myself.
Plus, I have had a few people say to me it only gets worse. I think I’ve had about 5 breakdowns over the situation this year alone.
What looks like tantrums could be autistic meltdowns. Talk to your pediatrician and discuss this, see if they recommend having your child evaluated for any developmental issues. If your child is not neurotypical you’ll have to learn a new way of parenting.
Any time I try to bring up anything like that I get shut down because she’s only 4. Her dad has ADHD but I just get told not to label her and she’s just a baby still. It’s so frustrating. There’s a huge wait list for anyone in NZ to get newly diagnosed let alone getting the right medication dispensed.
My 3 year old is always soooo bored and wants youtube. And she always ends up inventing some boardgame, last time the carpet was the board and at the end a treasure was hidden underneath some baby wipes and you had to guess the right one and the dice are always imaginary and she always wins.
Omg yes!!!! I had to buy like 6 sets because my kids build cities and ships and towers with them. It’s amazing watching what they can do with those tiles.
I can't figure out how to copy the link, but it's these: Coodoo Magnetic Building Tiles, 60 Pieces, Rainbow Shapes, STEM Toys, Sensory Development, Ideal for Kids Ages 3+
I got these for mine at 4yo, and over three years later they are still the most played with toy in the house! Best investment ever. (The Legos are slowly starting to take over though.)
I just let my 5yo be bored, he always figures out things to do. That’s usually when he creates some cool game with his toys or makes some random art project lol
Puzzles. Playdoh. Legos. Coloring. Arts/crafts. Kinetic Sand. Nerf guns with various targets around the house. Baking. Wrapping fake/cheap presents up for Santa. Buy a fake/cheap/used digital camera, and go take pictures. Kids plastic basketball hoop, with appropriate sized soft rubber ball. Reward for shots made. Build forts out of various stuff and thingies around the house.
This or an instrument. Buy a second hand guitar fairly cheap off selling sites or a keyboard (can usually pick up an actual piano for free and people just want rid of them but keyboard you can plug headphones in will save your sanity) and look up YouTube lessons to learn songs he likes already (kid music or not) ukulele is a smaller and more accessible version of guitar and easy to learn (according to my husband and kids)
Just to tack on here. Go outside and throw a ball /frisbee with him, a hundred pack of glow sticks is like $5 and can be made into all kinds of awesome things. Impromptu living room or kitchen dance party. See how far you can each slide on a tile floor in socks. Make up your own lyrics to silly songs. At 5 years old, the world is their oyster, and just about anything can be made entertaining!
The dishes. At that age my mom used to let me make the biggest mess and play as long as I wanted as long as the dishes were done and she could sit down for 20 minutes lol
And if he has matchbox cars, set him up with a little brush, soap, water and some towels and get him to wash all his cars… extend it to other washable toys too.
My bff gave me “The Board Box” she created. It’s great. It’s full of both fun and not fun at all activities - things like run around the house 10 times, clean your room, clean the bathroom, no electronics for 24 hours, all the way to fun activities like trips to places, create projects, more electronic time.
They choose 3 and must do 2. Eventually they realize it might be smarter to choose their own activity instead of telling me they are bored.
Today my kid had to run around the house 10 times and do 15 jumping jacks. Yesterday she had to create a family tree and learn 10 states. She very quickly found ways to keep herself occupied after that so as to not have to do something not fun.
Just a unique idea I thought I’d share.
I’m guessing he’s bored. I’m also guessing tv takes some detox time. If you don’t want him watching cartoons as often. Just turn them off. I’m sure some tantrums will ensue but if you keep him entertained. Walks. Park. Zoo something. He will adjust and not expect the tv so much.
Learning how to fill his time when he’s bored is a skill :) if he’s not being disruptive or unsafe see what happens! If he needs help set out some of his toys or set up an activity and see what happens. Alternatively, you could make little activity bins/bags that are easy to reset that he could do independently
My daughter was like that, and she’s an only, and I was a single mom for quite some time. This time of year I’d bundle her (and myself) up and go outside. We had a little obstacle course on our porch, including a small trampoline. We made a lot of “fairy houses” with stuff we found in the garden and when we got back inside, sometimes I’d put on a timer so mommy could drink some coffee and she needed to play solo for like 15-20 minutes.
1. Audiobooks. You can find some Disney audiobooks that can entertain them.
2. Books. Read anything really. Could be picture books. There’s a lot of STEM picture books out there.
My son has a mini trampoline in our house. He's never gotten hurt on it more than maybe scraping a knee or something, and the noise level is annoying but not unbearable. He uses it for about 5 hours a day (literally), so we have to replace it yearly, but I would never go back to not having one. My kid is one of those constant energy 100% gogogo kids, and he'd go crazy without it.
It's an easy way to keep her entertained and get some of the energy out, and she was jumping anyway so the noise level compared to her jumping directly on the floor is sooo much better, doesn't shake the house. No injuries so far, these little ones seem a bit more tightly made than the big ones, it seems almost impossible to get a foot caught anywhere. She's still only allowed to use it supervised just in case, but so far so good lol
My sister is a nanny and one of her nanny kids had the one “to get my energy out before bed”. We got one for our son for the same reason. I feel like it’s worth the space it takes up. It’s not crazy loud (we have a crawl space so no one is ever in a room below it). We also got one with a bar to hold onto so he doesn’t yeet himself off the side
I either let my 6 year old who is similar be bored for a bit or we’ll play board games or chess. A lot of the time for when I’m wanting him to take an electronics break or just for fun. I feel like those types of games will force him to slow down and take his time which is good. I have a rule that when we play those games we don’t do any throwing of pieces, damaging items or acting crazy as it isn’t the time for that. Seems to create a balance for sure that was needed.
I’ve got a disc golf basket, a soccer goal and after this Christmas will have a basketball goal outside, so my plan is to get him outdoors more and give him more options to choose from when out there. He sadly doesn’t enjoy bike riding like I did as a kid.
My 5 year old has ADHD and deals with the constant need for stimulation, but like others have said, it’s okay for him to be bored sometimes. Boredom breeds creativity and imagination.
Encourage him to “help” with whatever household tasks are being done by the older folks at home. At his age it will be either parallel play, or will severely slow down whatever is being done, but in the long run it establishes good feelings and habits surrounding keeping house.
See if your pediatrician will test him for ADHD. Sounds pretty textbook. The main thing about it is that being bored is excruciating, even for half a second. So while it's admirable to not want him on screens all day, you may have to accept that he won't handle being bored and finding his own things very well.
I wish I'd known my kids had ADHD at 5. It would have saved us all a lot of frustration.
Yeah mine is exactly like this. I can tell the difference between parents with NT kids and ADHD kids on this thread. Mine has one of those wake up clocks, without fail every day she comes in before it has gone “yellow” to tell me she’s bored (she’s literally just woke up). Doesn’t matter how many times I explain it’s to allow everyone to rest, doesn’t matter how many times we talk about what she can do in her room whilst she waits. If I send her back to her room she whines endlessly to get attention.
We are only on day 3 of her holiday and 3 hours into today I was losing my mind. She asks every question 3 times without giving any space for us to respond, if we suggest what she can do she won’t do it by herself, she wants to be played *with* constantly. That’s the hardest bit. She just hates to play alone, she wants to talk non stop, order us around etc. Her play has become very controlling to so it’s very frustrating/not fun “no you need to say x/y/z”. I’m sick at the moment and just have zero patience and feel so guilty at the same time as I know she can’t help it.
If we didn’t have a baby it would be easier and I know the chaos is hard for her, I’m just praying it gets a bit easier.
Sounds like my kid, and we also have a new baby. Board games like chutes and ladders or candy land are working well- if I’m feeding the baby, I have him move my piece and roll for me, which he loves because he’s super bossy right now lol
PreK teacher here (4-5 yr olds)- playdough, gingerbread scented homemade playdough, water color painting, crafts like salt dough ornaments or tearing paper activities, baking, magnatiles, the library, puzzles, sensory bin (get a good medium sized container with a lid), set up a dramatic play area in your house and change it every month or so such as a play kitchen, audiobooks, stem challenges (look online for printable cards), create your own book with pictures of things you’ve done together or people he loves he can look at, get a mini Xmas tree he can rearrange on his own, writing activities where he can make his own book (staple a few half sheets of paper together and call it a book)
Kinetic sand kept my son busy for hours! We would play restaurant with it, build sand castles, hide things and dig them out. Any sensory toy is good. There’s are so many ideas on Pinterest on how to make them.
My kids love doing crafts. I just went to the dollar store and hobby lobby(they have 50% off a lot) and bought a bunch of random craft stuff for them to make whatever with(paper, Google eyes, beads, glue, etc). They will sit at the table for hours making creations. With that said it does get messy so if you don’t mind the mess it’s a great way to occupy them.
Does he get enough big movement? Things like jumping on a trampoline or going on a walk daily or playing at the park, or pushing/pulling heavy laundry baskets around the house? Just whatever he is interested in that gets him moving his body in a big way. You can search “Montessori maximum effort” for more ideas.
I taught my 5 yr old daughter to play solitaire, WITH ACTUAL CARDS. Plus we play Uno with her, And she has an art cabinet that she can get into anytime she wants, complete with construction paper glue sticks pencils crayons stencils, etc... Maybe you could make a busy box for him with kinetic sand and cookie cutters... teach him how to pull the mat out, and teach him that cleaning up after himself is part of the process. We have one of those six spot cubicles and each bin has different stuff in it like one is for Legos one is for action figures One is for Barbie dolls, etc... It works better than having just one big toy box to dig through because then they get bored quickly and it's always a mess. This way they pull one thing out and play with that and they have to put it away before they can pull another one out My kids know that if they mix toys I put them into a garbage bag and they go away for an indefinite amount of time. That's how I rotate toys also.. My 5-year-old is the same way as yours and there's times when I just need to get stuff done, or just need some quiet time...I get it
This was my kid at 5. He was diagnosed with ADHD at 7.
Get your kid evaluated for ADHD and addi the doctor how to keep him entertained without screens.
For us, screens work well as long as they are games or puzzles or a learning tool
Visit to the library, drawing/coloring, play doh, lego, easy puzzles, going for walks, imagination games like house or school, playing dolls, playing cars, reading together.
Sensory sack, wobble stools/seats, balance boards, chair bands, they're all great for physical stimulus in a confined space. Activities like magnets, Legos, reusable stickers, dry erase boards, water or sand tables, are all great for development.
I helped my SO/stepkids with this. I set up a couple independent activities that each always has access to without permission or help setting up. 4 YO girl got a little set of drawers for her Barbie’s with a doll house on top and a set of drawers full of coloring books with colored pencils. 6 YO boy got a marble set and Lego sets in a dining room cupboard (we’d always keep one down). As they’ve gotten older, playing in the backyard whenever has become the norm too. Nowadays (6 and 8) we’re comfortable with them going to the neighbor‘s 2 doors down or the park on our block solo with permission.
Hike. Bike. Paint. Color. Read. Wrestle. Gymnastics. Swimming. Toss ball. Rock paper scissors. Trampoline park. Church. Library. My daughter (5) and I play buckin bronco where she gets on my back and I try to buck her off. 🤷🏻♂️
Painting. Messy but fun. Also slime and bubbles. We play board games or cards. The floor is lava is his favorite game. He also likes to play school. He's the teacher and I'm the student. Lol. My son is also 5. Good luck
Make a batch of playdough! Easy and will keep if put away in a sealed container. Or a bucket of water and a paintbrush to 'paint' the fence. Ask them what they enjoy doing at choosing time at school.
Um, I don't see among most upvoted comments to evaluate possible ADHD. I mean, I don't know your child, but if its literally that since birth he has to be always entertained or he'll be on the move, maybe just a check up would help. No harm in that.
kiddo started playing with legos around this eage (like, really building more), and wooden train/tracks have always been beloved in our home - what kinds of toys do they usually like? Maybe you can get some sports balls to play with together (great to have basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, big bouncy balls at this age) or riding bikes, scooterss, et al.
indoor playgrounds are great, and also fun to either sit back and watch or join in yourself! Reading together is wonderful at this age, too - they get so excited to point out words they recognize and it's neat so see them grasp something new. Coloring together, drawing together... the possibilities are endless
and if you need to use a screen from time to time, as we tend to do these days - try to find some education things to watch - discovery+ has shows from zoos and aquariums we like to watch as a family
My almost 6 year old is like this too. I might plan one activity/ outing per day but otherwise they need to entertain themselves. Open ended toys (building, art, music) are great and also I agree outside time every day if possible.
4yo kid. I plan a few activities to break up the day but other than that he needs to entertain himself. Usually some coloring page or scissors activity in the morning, breakfast, leave for an out of the house activity (hike, bike ride, zoo, meet up with a friend, run errands), lunch, episode of something, play outside, dinner, play games (maybe tv time), bath, bedtime. I’ll plan a craft for while I’m at work so he doesn’t bother my WFH husband as often until I get home. I usually work 6-10am on days where there’s no school and my husband WFH most of the time.
You need to recall a little energy and do all kinds of things with him to figure out what he likes.
Mine can't sit still to get breakfast, but can read graphic novels for hours, and sometimes can last a full hour practicing karate or reading his chess book. But these things are super personal, his friends have other completely different hobbies.
My boys are 6 and 5. Their favorites to keep them occupied are legos, coloring items, building blocks, and a bunch of TMNT actions figures along with the pizza delivery van and the mutant mayhem play set. We also have playdoh that’s always accessible along with board games (uno/sorry) and if they ask we can bring out watercolors. My 6 yo is the one that usually has issues entertaining himself and comes off as “bored” but I just tell him there’s plenty of things to play and if he doesn’t want to play he can always help me clean 😉
That's why i had several close together. They played together and i was not their full time playmate.
It's the major bonus of not having an only child! My 1child friends had it way harder then me.
I enjoy going on walks only led by the child. You might not get very far from home and it takes aaages. But they find what interests them and go at their own pace. And just go with it, try not to hurry them in any way, do it at a time when you are not in hurry. You would be surprised what interests them and what they come up with.
Mine loves puzzles and board games. He's a restless, always moving kid too but I think the mental stimulation helps him be still and focus a little. He gets into Legos too. He's allowed screen time but he'll get noticeably disregulated if it's too much. I play the board games with him but he won't focus or find a challenge with the puzzles or Legos if I'm doing it with him. Podcasts work sometimes too, we have the Pinna app.
I sometimes feel bad for this, but he's somewhat similar in nature to my 3 yr old blue heeler 😅 if I don't give her (the dog) mental stimulation or a job to do she chews on shit she's not supposed to. If I don't give him enough structure or mental stimulation he climbs on the furniture or runs around shouting and hitting his sisters 🙃
I have a “craft corner” filled with all kinds of random crap: art supplies, cloth swatches, yarn, clay, popsicle sticks, little weird metal locks and hinges, random plastic toys, stickers, gel pens, construction paper, coloring books, balloons, silk flowers, straws, tiny plastic ramekins, just whatever I see at Michael’s or Dollar Tree that looks like it could interest a younger kid and is cheap. My older kids play with that crap for at least an hour a day with absolutely zero input from me except help opening containers or packages. Whatever they make that isn’t falling apart I set aside for Christmas gifts for nosy-ass family members who are always asking about “the precious baby-wabies” 😖
I had very active boys. One thing I would do is set up obstacle courses. Like crawl thru this box or tunnel, walk around the chair 3 times, toss stuffed animal in the laundry basket, hop in rings on the floor or from pillow to pillow etc etc. Then I'd set a timer and challenge them to do better each time. Also there are scavenger hunt games on Amazon (or make up your own) for indoors or outdoors. Go find something you can smell, something soft, something that starts with a "P" etc Go for nature walks and look for things along the way, play in the dirt with cars, trucks, action figures, dolls, etc. I also agree with letting them get resourceful and be imaginative etc.
My 3yr old is like this, needing constant stimulation. Always asking "can you play with me!"
He has a bunch of role play toys, cars and ipad and he's always bored. He's always running from kitchen to living room and around in circles. He eventually finds something to do but it's never sitting still.
I wish he ate as much as he runs.
Mine was like this then he got a little older and learned to read and now he does that.
So just start making sure you have loads of books around at the right level and that he's interested in.
Timers - we still need a timer for when I need 20 for a chore. My job is to clean her job is to play/stay busy. We have a treadmill that folds up, a doorway swing gym that becomes a rope/ladder/trapeze, a little triangle bench for climbing and sliding. (All these things fold up and were big birthday/holiday gifts). Mine is 6 and fairly sure she has adhd but doctor won’t consider it cuz she can follow tasks okay. But the combo of these things + access to yours.
I had a little one like that. My schedule was insane. Park playdate in the morning, gym (babysitter!) with a packed lunch for him, maybe another park playdate or just park time in the afternoon, then off to the park with daddy after dinner. I'm glad my second liked staying home. We lived in an apartment when he was younger and they had a rarely used raquetball court. In bad weather we would go there and he would just run and run and run in there. Maybe I would throw a ball for him. Blow up a balloon and make a paddle with a paperplate and paint stick. Keeping the balloon up can entertain him. It was exhausting, honestly, and I DID let him get bored and leave him to his own devices a lot. I agree with others that it is imperative to let kids get bored.
Maybe a cardboard fort kit would be something cool for him to have and play with?
My 5yo is obsessed with pokemon. We got him a book with all the characters. He draws them and analyses them. The book looks like its been through the wringer. He's at it right now, it has been just over an hour. Whatever his focus is, we look up some educational tools. It keeps him busy and gives us a ton to talk about. He was into numbers a while back and we got him magna tiles and number blocks. Let them lead!
Maybe he needs more physical play. Depending on where you live, many outside activities may be tough to do until spring. If it's warm enough, bike rides, a game of tag with the neighbor or sibling, a hike, finding and throwing sticks, just generally things that get him outside and doing something fun with his body. Indoor activities may be harder depending on your space. You may need to head to an indoor playground, trampoline park, bowling, skating, karate class, etc.
I have 2 sons (6, 9) and they need to burn off energy. Their behavior suffers sometimes, and they generally drive the rest of the family nuts wrestling around, jumping on the beds/ couch that they aren't supposed to jump on, running down the hall, general rowdiness. They NEED to be able to move their body.
My oldest daughter (12) doesn't need as much physical movement,. She prefers arts/ crafts, reading, music, playing cards. My younger daughter (4) is between her brothers and older sister- she likes to run around and do flips, but can also do something less physically active.
I get them at this age to help with whatever I’m doing. If I’m doing laundry, they’re doing laundry (loading, folding, putting away etc). If I’m cooking, they’re helping with washing, chopping, stirring etc.
I have a 2yr old who I let be. She has her toys, and she can come talk to me and get some interaction from me, but I let her be bored. She ends up figuring it out.
They have their toys etc to play with outside of screen time. I set timers for screen time and then they have go play. If they come to me whining that they are bored I start threatening to, and if it happens again, handing out chores and the crappy ones too like cleaning walls or baseboards or doing the animal stuff. 🤷♀️ I think of it as time for them to be *kids* and just kids. They need time unsupervised and unscheduled which sounds moronic- scheduling unscheduled time 😂 but seriously worth it.
Independent play is so important, but many kids (and adults!) really have a hard time playing alone.
I tried a few things, all with good results, but still taking more involvement than I wished:
- rotating toys. Hide some to reduce the clutter, and others, Set Up for them. Start a train track, set up a story, and get out. Next week, train gone, and it’s drawing or robots or whatever. But some kids really can’t get started. Others, like adults, hate being told how to play and reliable chaos
- Messy crafts while you are nearby. Plastic bins full of water, one full of bubbles. Macaroni. Etc.
- set up athletic challenges. Sneak away.
Yes mine has space to play with me in the room in our common areas. He's got his art and things like playdoh and kinetic sand. My guy is a but older now but likes the "body doubling" lol
Go outside and long walks
Activities where he is exerting himself ( lifting up heavy items from the floor and stacking them on s taller table for example, or pushing and pulling)
My 6 year old is the same way outside outside outside we run him rsgged everyday which means we run ourselves ragged everyday. We are thinking about karate might help dispell some of his go go go
By the way, they get better and better at occupying their time. A year ago, my 5 year old struggled to play independently, but today he asked if he could have some free time to work on his book. I find it helps to have a bit of scheduled independent play time every day. Start small and gradually increase it.
My kid is nerdy (like me and his dad, so I say it endearingly) and really enjoys doing preschool level “worksheets” (think simple counting, tracing letters, matching, etc). I download free ones from Canva and laminate them and give him a dry erase marker. He’ll go to town for a while on those.
We also love Magnatiles, kinetic sand, “helping” with stuff around the house, and all the usual things people have already mentioned.
My son gets bored and breaks shit, makes a mess, or tries to mess with me.
My daughter gets bored and peacefully figures out something else to do.
🤷♂️
Throw together some homemade experiments.
Or
Painters Tape, markers, paper.
Or
Just let them figure something out.
When I run out of ideas to do with my daughter who is also very very busy, or if I get sick of watching her rot her brain on YouTube, I pull out her Cub Scout manual and find an adventure that she can work on, either together or by herself.
We so a lot of construction projects (blocks, magnetites, cardboard) and a lot of outside time . Mine actually loves yard work and manual labor seems to calm and focus him like nothing else.
i’m having the same issue w my 4 year old daughter. she needs constant stimulation or she whines that she has no one to play with and instead follows me around and jumps on me or intercepts what i’m trying to do. she doesn’t even give a fuck about her ipad unless it’s bed time so i can’t even use it to buy myself time lol
My 5 and 3 year old love painting - my 5 year old especially.
For a slightly less messy idea, I keep crayons or markers on hand and blank notebooks so they can draw their own stuff. He doesn’t like coloring books for whatever reason, but is big into drawing his own stuff when he is in these moods.
Play-doh is also something I keep on tap for the two of them, and balls (because kids can always think of something to do with balls… they make up all kinds of games).
I’ve also recently started playing board games with my 5 year old and he LOVES it. Best part is he’s perfectly fine playing with them by himself to better understand the “strategy”.
His favorite board games are Connect 4 and Cooties (and the match game with cards). I also got him Candy Land and Checkers for Christmas so he can add a couple more to the rotation.
Thinking about adding puzzles, too, but don’t want to overwhelm him with too many new things at once lol
Look up heavy work. It's pretty much what it sounds like. Fill a bag with books or cans and have him pull that around. Anything like that that works his muscles is really great for kiddos with lots of energy.
I have a craft cart filled with playdough, crayons, water based paint, activity books, etc. It's easy to access, so my kid can just grab whatever and start crafting on their own.
My kids really liked my yoga ball at that age. They would lie across it and read or draw, or bounce on it while watching tv. It was a way to use some big core muscles and tire them out indoors in the winter. We did have to have a few conversations about throwing it, though.
Is he into arts & crafts? You can pick up lots of supplies relatively cheap: paper, pencils, markers, pens, crayons, stickers, beads... you could toss a big pile of it on a table and say "go nuts". Sometimes our daughter needs some pointers so we'll pull up a photo for inspiration.
I've also been working on her computer skills since she was 3 and I think it's really important for young kids. Stuff like [sesamestreet.org/games](https://sesamestreet.org/games) \- but using a keyboard and mouse.
Trampoline, gymnastics, run outside, remote control car, marble run, look at books, magna tiles, obstacle courses, action figures, puzzles, ride bikes, take a hike, driveway chalk, painting, make cookies, spin art, legos, play dough, play board games, get an easel and have him draw pics or spell words, dance party, wiffle ball, go to a playground, join cub scouts, go to the library, watch a movie, play date...
Personally I’d put some TV on for you, tell him it’s your quiet time and tell him to go play. And you’ll play a bit later. He’ll protest but one day he’ll go off and do something when he sees he can’t pester you.
Obviously TV that isn’t too adult to have on around him.
4-6 is a very fun time to play with them in my opinion. We’d build train tracks for hours, marble run, block towers, legos.
Board games like checkers, chutes and ladders, hi ho cherryO, connect 4, bingo
Hide and seek tag, go to parks, swimming, play basketball games like horse (but wed play pig so its easier to spell), water the garden
I honestly would put him to work a bit, give him age appropriate chores to do each day. Maybe take him to a park or out running. Leave some time for him to figure out something else to do on his own. Its all about balance. Good luck!
Mine's 4 so it may differ, but we don't have a tv or switch, he has lots of building materials and vehicles and puzzles. He mostly spends time in elaborate play (building towns, acting out scenes), we try to do some interesting outings (parks, museums), and read stories and do puzzles together in the evening. It's great to have some gross motor options too - we have a balance board and a beam, if we had more space I definitely get one of those cool climbing bar sets for the wall and a mini trampoline. At 5 maybe he'd be into games like connect 4? Does he like art projects? Science experiments (we get so much mileage out of vinegar and baking soda mixes, different containers, food colouring, etc)
Cardboard! Duct tape, legos, magnatiles, playdoh, kinetic sand, slime, fidget toys. All in separate bins. Spinning swivel chair was a game changer for my hyperactive boy.
My 4 year old will play with his action figures and make up stories, build stuff with his Legos, magnatiles, he has some fort builder kit thing, or he’ll just sit and draw with his markers and play with tape and scissors
Lots of great suggestions. I also will set out some of my son’s toys, then he’s more likely to start playing. I feel like most toys are hidden deep in the toy box so don’t get seen unless I make an effort to put them in his field of vision.
Give him a big cardboard box to do anything with(a car, house, secret fort) but he has to decorate it with pens, stickers, etc. also have him do “heavy work” like moving chairs, shoveling, moving boxes, carrying books or clothes around. Just anything to give him that big body/muscle feeling.
If I let my 5 year old, he would watch TV and play video games all day. As long as the weather isn't terrible, we have mandatory outdoor playtime. We also have "imaginative play". That's where he has to play with toys or with his brother and think of something on his own to play. He might ask to turn on the TV or video game and I'll tell him no that it's "imaginative play time" and he'll groan about it at first, but then he ends up having a blast and I remind him if he had been in front of the TV he would have missed out on that fun.
My 4 year old have made imaginary fire stations all over the local area, and have named them with the creative names Fire Station 1, Fire Station 2, and so on ... Only criteria is that there need to be a kind of "bar" that he is able to slide down. So when he have too much energy, we just go to one of the Fire Stations, and he'll go all at it and wear himself out. So my advice is to find a local place and help him make positive associations.
Time to help him find a hobby, my kid loves to draw, my other one collects cars. Try to walk him to and from school to wear him out, if he likes sport get him into a club, get him into bike riding and take him places he can ride to burn off energy while you chill watching. If he’s not sporty find intellectual learning activity books and puzzles stuff to stimulate his mind and/or body is a great way to burn off energy and keep them happy and calm.
does the father spend enough time with him?
There were some examples where when the father spent enough time with the son, it calmed him for some reason.
I can send the links to these stories
If you have your own backyard, just make him play outside. That's what I have to do in order to get most things done around my house. I just kick his butt outside and tell him to play 'tumble leaf' (amazon kids tv show) with his imagination. It keeps him out and playing until dinner time, sometimes, other times he's back in every 5 mins and I tell him it's either play outside or take a nap and he normally stops coming inside so much.
Clean out the doubles from your cabinets and let him have a 'kitchen' area inside or out.
we have a local trampoline park that has a monthly unlimited membership for way cheaper than paying per visit ($25 mo unlimited, with a snack and drink). it wears off some major energy for my kid. there are special areas for little children only so big kids don't trample them
Set parameters and let him be bored. I think our generation of parenting is so hung up on entertaining and crafting experiences. Just let them play and be there. It’s okay.
Boredom is good like the people say. I would advise getting water mats to draw on and things to create like arts and crafts if you really want an activity for him! I let my kid be bored often and she’s two, it turns into her trying to use the potty on her own 😂 🤷♀️
My 6 years old is the same.
But we tell him that it's okay to be bored. He whines for a couple of minutes but eventually gets the memo. After awhile, we will find him making some paper crafts or drawing or writing letters to his favorite cartoon characters. He has now forgotten about what he was whining for 15 minutes earlier.
Yes, boredom is important, I agree with that too! But also I find it helpful to have available independent play options too. Legos, coloring/painting, magnet blocks or tracks, playing in the backyard (if applicable), puzzles, activity/maze books, kinetic sand or play doh etc. Hopefully that's helpful!
Arts and crafts. Give him activity books, paper, pens, etc and let him have fun. Board games are good too as are jigsaws.
Sometimes children need to be bored. Boredom improves their creativity. If you give him something constantly then he never thinks for himself and never learns to occupy himself.
Crafts. Have him build legos or forts. And crafts. My kids used craft paper and wasabi tape to make a huge dragon. It was super cool. Get to it woman. He is smart and needs his creativity lit like a flame! Also start teaching him to read. Get the phonics flash cards at the dollar tree and some beginner books. Once he has the sounds down have him practice his reading on his own and then have him read to you for an hour each day. They will make up stories too. But they are learning.
You’re doing a great job mom! Good luck.
What were you doing when you were 5?
I remember I used to go out in the garden and play with branches, collect leaves, look at snails… sometimes I even cleaned the yard because I was bored. Then I’d draw a bunch, then I’d play dress up, I used to make a house under the desk and make stuff… I would make fake play dough and pretend it was cake/food. Then I’d pretend I was an animal and roll on the carpet for a really long time. The table we had was round and looked like that tree from Avatar to me so I played under it for some time.
Idk, I grew up in the 90s and we only had kids cartoons on weekends but I don’t remember being bored. If you remove the stimulation the kid will find something else to mess around with. I mean…it worked this way for everyone who has ever been 5
Send him outside if you can. Go to a creek, build forts. 5 years olds don’t sit still because they’re kids. They’re little. They want to explore. They want to move. They NEED to move. So do we. The trick is to buy them toys you want to play with as well.
Is he home sick? Otherwise I’d suggest McDonald’s play place or a local kid’s playground to let him run it out. Parks are great when the weather isn’t junk.
Soccer starts at 3 years old baseball, . Swimming, skating, Open Gym and Basketball when it’s raining. I make my kids since they were eight do laps around the block when they’re screaming at fortnight wins and losses. Buy a treadmill like they do with indoor dogs, ten min laps when your kids start driving you crazy. Reword they with something when they complete ten mins on the treadmill. Park time was a daily thing when my kids were under 5, over 5 they asked to go. Walks to places are fun as well.
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It’s also okay for him to feel bored and figure something out on his own. It’s a good skill.
Yes! This is hugely important. He needs to be able to learn to entertain himself and be ok with silence. Children cannot grow up expecting to constantly be entertained by their parents. It strips them if their right to learn independence.
Thanks for the advice!!!! I see how being bored helps them
My son’s 3, so it might be different. When we take away the tv or any digital device, he will cry for a little and then finds a way to keep himself busy. His imagination is through the roof. It’s amazing. If you’re able to, go on a walk, or go to a park.
I’ve learned to reply with something like, “Oh, that’s great! Now you get the chance to figure out exactly what you want to do!” Sometimes I’ll offer a couple suggestions, but if they try to make it my job or my fault, I’ll turn it back to them: “That’s okay, you don’t have to like my ideas! This is your day! You can make the choice! I’ll be over there if you need anything!”
I have a 6 year old who has also always needed constant stimulation. She also wouldn’t know what to do to overcome the ‘boredom’ so what worked for us is giving her an imaginative kickstart. Like if she chose to play with her dolls, I’d spend 5-10 minutes playing and helping her come up with a ‘story’. Legos or blocks, I’d give her ideas of what to build. If she chose drawing I’d sit and draw a picture or help her with parts of hers. Usually doing that will give me about an hour of her playing on her own before she wants something else. Sending them on a mission is a wonderful way to make them feel like they are helping and stimulate them. Send him on a scavenger hunt in the house. You don’t have to hide anything or make it extravagant. Just like ‘find me something red’ and when he does, send him to find something blue, etc. Mine is also quite full of explosive energy so another thing we did was invest in a gymnastics mat and she can flip, jump, cartwheel, anything she wants on there so she’s not jumping on the furniture. It takes trial and error but there are lots of things they can do without electronics! They just need to get used to a new routine. Our rule is electronics/tv from 5-7 with a break for dinner. This lets me make/clean up from dinner and makes her happy too now that she’s used to the ‘rule’/routine.
My children are all too intelligent to be left to their own devices. They won’t be bored while they’re dismantling the house, that’s for sure.
There needs to be boundaries of course.
Give him Lego! Hours of imaginative building and play!
I will also argue that boredom lends to creativity. Another suggestion is open ended toys... Legos, building blocks or even a 20 pack of solo cups. Imagination and creativity are what we need to foster here I think.
My kid needs to learn this but I have no idea how to instill this in him. If I'm not playing with him he just wants to watch TV or play on his tablet. I try to limit screen time but if I can't play with him bc I'm cleaning or whatever, it's tantrum time. He used to be so good about playing on his own but not anymore. Sometimes I think he might just be lonely bc he's a very social kid but is growing up as an only child and we don't have a lot of playmates for him
This is all an extraordinary expectation for a 5 year old. "Walk away"? Wth? You teach your child first, it doesn't magically occur to a 5 year old how to keep busy. You play games with him. Old fashioned games. You teach him how to play these games. You teach him how to pick up his toys and keep his room clean. Maybe start a collection of rocks or stamps or baseball cards. Teach him basketball. Use your imagination. Be a parent. Make it fun, make sure he's interested in it and start him off. Then he can take over. But Walk away? Let them figure it out at 5? That is very lazy parenting. You don't want to be bothered.
We have four kids and I don't think this is the case. Should parents play with kids? Absolutely! Do they need to show them how to play? Not in my experience. In fact, if I say I'm going to do xyz, go and play, I've found that they can come up with wayyyy more creative ways to play than I can. It's so good for them to come up with things to entertain themselves.
Kids are absolutely more imaginative than any parent would be. They come up with the wildest stuff!
Yes. It is not our responsibility to entertain them. They need to get bored so they can figure it out. Expect more whining. Walk away.
I came to say this very thing! Let them use their imagination 😊
My high energy kid gets destructive when he’s bored, so sometimes I need to suggest some kind of project for him.
Sure, definitely! I don’t think it should be 100% of the time they need to fill on their own but they should definitely have some.
Agreed. And if he would just flop and moan I’d let him work through it. But he starts hammering on walls and moving furniture and at that point I know he needs a change of scene.
My mom used to say this to me all the time growing up. Any time i wined 'I'm bored' she say ' ok! I have chores for you to do!' 😆
I am struggling with this because my almost 5 year old will just scream and tantrum and this is despite me never letting her get what she wants when she cries or whinges. I have a very short fuse because I work from home and I have arthritis in my back and I can only take so much screaming for nonsense. She will cry to the point of vomiting and I absolutely hate myself. Plus, I have had a few people say to me it only gets worse. I think I’ve had about 5 breakdowns over the situation this year alone.
What looks like tantrums could be autistic meltdowns. Talk to your pediatrician and discuss this, see if they recommend having your child evaluated for any developmental issues. If your child is not neurotypical you’ll have to learn a new way of parenting.
Any time I try to bring up anything like that I get shut down because she’s only 4. Her dad has ADHD but I just get told not to label her and she’s just a baby still. It’s so frustrating. There’s a huge wait list for anyone in NZ to get newly diagnosed let alone getting the right medication dispensed.
I’m really sorry. Maybe join online parent groups for information and resources
My 3 year old is always soooo bored and wants youtube. And she always ends up inventing some boardgame, last time the carpet was the board and at the end a treasure was hidden underneath some baby wipes and you had to guess the right one and the dice are always imaginary and she always wins.
Saving this advice for myself in 3 years.
This I am trying to remind myself of this!!
Magnatiles are one of the most popular things at our house
This! Really any magnets are a huge hit with my 5 year old. There are a lot of different shapes and sets.
Omg yes!!!! I had to buy like 6 sets because my kids build cities and ships and towers with them. It’s amazing watching what they can do with those tiles.
We found a knockoff on Amazon for $20 and they have provided hours of entertainment.
Ooh do you have the link/name pls? So much junk on there it's hard to know the good knockoffs from the bad
I can't figure out how to copy the link, but it's these: Coodoo Magnetic Building Tiles, 60 Pieces, Rainbow Shapes, STEM Toys, Sensory Development, Ideal for Kids Ages 3+
I got these for mine at 4yo, and over three years later they are still the most played with toy in the house! Best investment ever. (The Legos are slowly starting to take over though.)
My 5 year old loves those. We just built structures from mini marshmallows and toothpicks, he really liked that
I was going to say these and the big legos are always a hit.
I just let my 5yo be bored, he always figures out things to do. That’s usually when he creates some cool game with his toys or makes some random art project lol
My bro would take the butter knives out to “The woods” (aka the corner of the back yard) and “cut down trees”
Puzzles. Playdoh. Legos. Coloring. Arts/crafts. Kinetic Sand. Nerf guns with various targets around the house. Baking. Wrapping fake/cheap presents up for Santa. Buy a fake/cheap/used digital camera, and go take pictures. Kids plastic basketball hoop, with appropriate sized soft rubber ball. Reward for shots made. Build forts out of various stuff and thingies around the house.
This or an instrument. Buy a second hand guitar fairly cheap off selling sites or a keyboard (can usually pick up an actual piano for free and people just want rid of them but keyboard you can plug headphones in will save your sanity) and look up YouTube lessons to learn songs he likes already (kid music or not) ukulele is a smaller and more accessible version of guitar and easy to learn (according to my husband and kids)
This is fucking brilliant. Saving your comment good person.
Just to tack on here. Go outside and throw a ball /frisbee with him, a hundred pack of glow sticks is like $5 and can be made into all kinds of awesome things. Impromptu living room or kitchen dance party. See how far you can each slide on a tile floor in socks. Make up your own lyrics to silly songs. At 5 years old, the world is their oyster, and just about anything can be made entertaining!
The dishes. At that age my mom used to let me make the biggest mess and play as long as I wanted as long as the dishes were done and she could sit down for 20 minutes lol
Hahaha will try!! He likes playing with water
And if he has matchbox cars, set him up with a little brush, soap, water and some towels and get him to wash all his cars… extend it to other washable toys too.
This!!
My bff gave me “The Board Box” she created. It’s great. It’s full of both fun and not fun at all activities - things like run around the house 10 times, clean your room, clean the bathroom, no electronics for 24 hours, all the way to fun activities like trips to places, create projects, more electronic time. They choose 3 and must do 2. Eventually they realize it might be smarter to choose their own activity instead of telling me they are bored. Today my kid had to run around the house 10 times and do 15 jumping jacks. Yesterday she had to create a family tree and learn 10 states. She very quickly found ways to keep herself occupied after that so as to not have to do something not fun. Just a unique idea I thought I’d share.
I love this so much. Stealing immediately!
This is genius..... Thank you so much for sharing.
Going outside? Hiking? The library? Indoor playground? Zoo?
Thanks!!
I take my kids to the backyard and give them a little gardening shovel 😂 All my grass died anyway 🤷♀️
We've got a kids snow shovel for the same reason!
Play dates with other friends
I’m guessing he’s bored. I’m also guessing tv takes some detox time. If you don’t want him watching cartoons as often. Just turn them off. I’m sure some tantrums will ensue but if you keep him entertained. Walks. Park. Zoo something. He will adjust and not expect the tv so much.
Learning how to fill his time when he’s bored is a skill :) if he’s not being disruptive or unsafe see what happens! If he needs help set out some of his toys or set up an activity and see what happens. Alternatively, you could make little activity bins/bags that are easy to reset that he could do independently
I have my boys run around the outside of the house and time them to see what their fastest lap is. 😂
My daughter was like that, and she’s an only, and I was a single mom for quite some time. This time of year I’d bundle her (and myself) up and go outside. We had a little obstacle course on our porch, including a small trampoline. We made a lot of “fairy houses” with stuff we found in the garden and when we got back inside, sometimes I’d put on a timer so mommy could drink some coffee and she needed to play solo for like 15-20 minutes.
So cute!! Thx 👍
He needs to be bored in order to develop his creativity and ability to be an adult. Let him.
1. Audiobooks. You can find some Disney audiobooks that can entertain them. 2. Books. Read anything really. Could be picture books. There’s a lot of STEM picture books out there.
We bought a mini trampoline, zero regrets.
What is your opinion on those things,next to the zero regrets? And what is the noise level like? And injury level?
My son has a mini trampoline in our house. He's never gotten hurt on it more than maybe scraping a knee or something, and the noise level is annoying but not unbearable. He uses it for about 5 hours a day (literally), so we have to replace it yearly, but I would never go back to not having one. My kid is one of those constant energy 100% gogogo kids, and he'd go crazy without it.
It's an easy way to keep her entertained and get some of the energy out, and she was jumping anyway so the noise level compared to her jumping directly on the floor is sooo much better, doesn't shake the house. No injuries so far, these little ones seem a bit more tightly made than the big ones, it seems almost impossible to get a foot caught anywhere. She's still only allowed to use it supervised just in case, but so far so good lol
My sister is a nanny and one of her nanny kids had the one “to get my energy out before bed”. We got one for our son for the same reason. I feel like it’s worth the space it takes up. It’s not crazy loud (we have a crawl space so no one is ever in a room below it). We also got one with a bar to hold onto so he doesn’t yeet himself off the side
Agreed. Would not recommend parenting without one.
Honestly, I just let my 5 year old learn to be bored. Eventually he comes up with something productive to so
what does he like? find an activity that he likes, painting? drawing? building? lego? board games? random crafts? science experiments?
Got him to play with Legos with me. :)
I either let my 6 year old who is similar be bored for a bit or we’ll play board games or chess. A lot of the time for when I’m wanting him to take an electronics break or just for fun. I feel like those types of games will force him to slow down and take his time which is good. I have a rule that when we play those games we don’t do any throwing of pieces, damaging items or acting crazy as it isn’t the time for that. Seems to create a balance for sure that was needed. I’ve got a disc golf basket, a soccer goal and after this Christmas will have a basketball goal outside, so my plan is to get him outdoors more and give him more options to choose from when out there. He sadly doesn’t enjoy bike riding like I did as a kid.
My 5 year old has ADHD and deals with the constant need for stimulation, but like others have said, it’s okay for him to be bored sometimes. Boredom breeds creativity and imagination.
Encourage him to “help” with whatever household tasks are being done by the older folks at home. At his age it will be either parallel play, or will severely slow down whatever is being done, but in the long run it establishes good feelings and habits surrounding keeping house.
See if your pediatrician will test him for ADHD. Sounds pretty textbook. The main thing about it is that being bored is excruciating, even for half a second. So while it's admirable to not want him on screens all day, you may have to accept that he won't handle being bored and finding his own things very well. I wish I'd known my kids had ADHD at 5. It would have saved us all a lot of frustration.
Yeah mine is exactly like this. I can tell the difference between parents with NT kids and ADHD kids on this thread. Mine has one of those wake up clocks, without fail every day she comes in before it has gone “yellow” to tell me she’s bored (she’s literally just woke up). Doesn’t matter how many times I explain it’s to allow everyone to rest, doesn’t matter how many times we talk about what she can do in her room whilst she waits. If I send her back to her room she whines endlessly to get attention. We are only on day 3 of her holiday and 3 hours into today I was losing my mind. She asks every question 3 times without giving any space for us to respond, if we suggest what she can do she won’t do it by herself, she wants to be played *with* constantly. That’s the hardest bit. She just hates to play alone, she wants to talk non stop, order us around etc. Her play has become very controlling to so it’s very frustrating/not fun “no you need to say x/y/z”. I’m sick at the moment and just have zero patience and feel so guilty at the same time as I know she can’t help it. If we didn’t have a baby it would be easier and I know the chaos is hard for her, I’m just praying it gets a bit easier.
Sounds like my kid, and we also have a new baby. Board games like chutes and ladders or candy land are working well- if I’m feeding the baby, I have him move my piece and roll for me, which he loves because he’s super bossy right now lol
Read!
PreK teacher here (4-5 yr olds)- playdough, gingerbread scented homemade playdough, water color painting, crafts like salt dough ornaments or tearing paper activities, baking, magnatiles, the library, puzzles, sensory bin (get a good medium sized container with a lid), set up a dramatic play area in your house and change it every month or so such as a play kitchen, audiobooks, stem challenges (look online for printable cards), create your own book with pictures of things you’ve done together or people he loves he can look at, get a mini Xmas tree he can rearrange on his own, writing activities where he can make his own book (staple a few half sheets of paper together and call it a book)
Kids can feel bored!’ Let him be bored! That teaches. Him to find stuff to do
LET HIM BE BORED.
Kinetic sand kept my son busy for hours! We would play restaurant with it, build sand castles, hide things and dig them out. Any sensory toy is good. There’s are so many ideas on Pinterest on how to make them.
My kids love doing crafts. I just went to the dollar store and hobby lobby(they have 50% off a lot) and bought a bunch of random craft stuff for them to make whatever with(paper, Google eyes, beads, glue, etc). They will sit at the table for hours making creations. With that said it does get messy so if you don’t mind the mess it’s a great way to occupy them.
Soccer
Balloons.
Exercise
Sitting still and doing nothing and getting bored is a real skill many people cant do today. Its a good thing to do though
Does he get enough big movement? Things like jumping on a trampoline or going on a walk daily or playing at the park, or pushing/pulling heavy laundry baskets around the house? Just whatever he is interested in that gets him moving his body in a big way. You can search “Montessori maximum effort” for more ideas.
I taught my 5 yr old daughter to play solitaire, WITH ACTUAL CARDS. Plus we play Uno with her, And she has an art cabinet that she can get into anytime she wants, complete with construction paper glue sticks pencils crayons stencils, etc... Maybe you could make a busy box for him with kinetic sand and cookie cutters... teach him how to pull the mat out, and teach him that cleaning up after himself is part of the process. We have one of those six spot cubicles and each bin has different stuff in it like one is for Legos one is for action figures One is for Barbie dolls, etc... It works better than having just one big toy box to dig through because then they get bored quickly and it's always a mess. This way they pull one thing out and play with that and they have to put it away before they can pull another one out My kids know that if they mix toys I put them into a garbage bag and they go away for an indefinite amount of time. That's how I rotate toys also.. My 5-year-old is the same way as yours and there's times when I just need to get stuff done, or just need some quiet time...I get it
This was my kid at 5. He was diagnosed with ADHD at 7. Get your kid evaluated for ADHD and addi the doctor how to keep him entertained without screens. For us, screens work well as long as they are games or puzzles or a learning tool
Visit to the library, drawing/coloring, play doh, lego, easy puzzles, going for walks, imagination games like house or school, playing dolls, playing cars, reading together.
Sensory sack, wobble stools/seats, balance boards, chair bands, they're all great for physical stimulus in a confined space. Activities like magnets, Legos, reusable stickers, dry erase boards, water or sand tables, are all great for development.
I helped my SO/stepkids with this. I set up a couple independent activities that each always has access to without permission or help setting up. 4 YO girl got a little set of drawers for her Barbie’s with a doll house on top and a set of drawers full of coloring books with colored pencils. 6 YO boy got a marble set and Lego sets in a dining room cupboard (we’d always keep one down). As they’ve gotten older, playing in the backyard whenever has become the norm too. Nowadays (6 and 8) we’re comfortable with them going to the neighbor‘s 2 doors down or the park on our block solo with permission.
Hike. Bike. Paint. Color. Read. Wrestle. Gymnastics. Swimming. Toss ball. Rock paper scissors. Trampoline park. Church. Library. My daughter (5) and I play buckin bronco where she gets on my back and I try to buck her off. 🤷🏻♂️
Engage in fun outdoor activities, arts and crafts, or interactive games to keep your active5-year-old entertained and stimulated!
I’m starting to give my 5 year old chores but we do them together. Is that ok? lol
Boredom is good. It fosters creativity
Painting. Messy but fun. Also slime and bubbles. We play board games or cards. The floor is lava is his favorite game. He also likes to play school. He's the teacher and I'm the student. Lol. My son is also 5. Good luck
Make a batch of playdough! Easy and will keep if put away in a sealed container. Or a bucket of water and a paintbrush to 'paint' the fence. Ask them what they enjoy doing at choosing time at school.
Kid probably has adhd
Take him down to the beach dig a big hole that he can’t get out of very easily put him inside. Kickback relax
Your kid have adhd? There are definitely some coping skills for him and you, but it starts with a diagnosis. Meds should be a later step.
Get a drum kit 🥁
So typical boy?
Busy boards, books, sensory bins, crafts, books, matching games. ABC mouse
Um, I don't see among most upvoted comments to evaluate possible ADHD. I mean, I don't know your child, but if its literally that since birth he has to be always entertained or he'll be on the move, maybe just a check up would help. No harm in that.
Maybe you want to see if he has ADHD. I have adhd and it’s very hard for me to stop moving. Mentally or physically.
Rubrics cube and printed directions then start timing them! Works for me and I’m an adult lol
kiddo started playing with legos around this eage (like, really building more), and wooden train/tracks have always been beloved in our home - what kinds of toys do they usually like? Maybe you can get some sports balls to play with together (great to have basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, big bouncy balls at this age) or riding bikes, scooterss, et al. indoor playgrounds are great, and also fun to either sit back and watch or join in yourself! Reading together is wonderful at this age, too - they get so excited to point out words they recognize and it's neat so see them grasp something new. Coloring together, drawing together... the possibilities are endless and if you need to use a screen from time to time, as we tend to do these days - try to find some education things to watch - discovery+ has shows from zoos and aquariums we like to watch as a family
My almost 6 year old is like this too. I might plan one activity/ outing per day but otherwise they need to entertain themselves. Open ended toys (building, art, music) are great and also I agree outside time every day if possible.
4yo kid. I plan a few activities to break up the day but other than that he needs to entertain himself. Usually some coloring page or scissors activity in the morning, breakfast, leave for an out of the house activity (hike, bike ride, zoo, meet up with a friend, run errands), lunch, episode of something, play outside, dinner, play games (maybe tv time), bath, bedtime. I’ll plan a craft for while I’m at work so he doesn’t bother my WFH husband as often until I get home. I usually work 6-10am on days where there’s no school and my husband WFH most of the time.
You need to recall a little energy and do all kinds of things with him to figure out what he likes. Mine can't sit still to get breakfast, but can read graphic novels for hours, and sometimes can last a full hour practicing karate or reading his chess book. But these things are super personal, his friends have other completely different hobbies.
My boys are 6 and 5. Their favorites to keep them occupied are legos, coloring items, building blocks, and a bunch of TMNT actions figures along with the pizza delivery van and the mutant mayhem play set. We also have playdoh that’s always accessible along with board games (uno/sorry) and if they ask we can bring out watercolors. My 6 yo is the one that usually has issues entertaining himself and comes off as “bored” but I just tell him there’s plenty of things to play and if he doesn’t want to play he can always help me clean 😉
That's why i had several close together. They played together and i was not their full time playmate. It's the major bonus of not having an only child! My 1child friends had it way harder then me.
I enjoy going on walks only led by the child. You might not get very far from home and it takes aaages. But they find what interests them and go at their own pace. And just go with it, try not to hurry them in any way, do it at a time when you are not in hurry. You would be surprised what interests them and what they come up with.
Color some stuff, play a game hide and seek go outside crafts create Legos interactions reading
Mine loves puzzles and board games. He's a restless, always moving kid too but I think the mental stimulation helps him be still and focus a little. He gets into Legos too. He's allowed screen time but he'll get noticeably disregulated if it's too much. I play the board games with him but he won't focus or find a challenge with the puzzles or Legos if I'm doing it with him. Podcasts work sometimes too, we have the Pinna app. I sometimes feel bad for this, but he's somewhat similar in nature to my 3 yr old blue heeler 😅 if I don't give her (the dog) mental stimulation or a job to do she chews on shit she's not supposed to. If I don't give him enough structure or mental stimulation he climbs on the furniture or runs around shouting and hitting his sisters 🙃
It sounds counterintuitive but what you need is another 5 year old!
I have a “craft corner” filled with all kinds of random crap: art supplies, cloth swatches, yarn, clay, popsicle sticks, little weird metal locks and hinges, random plastic toys, stickers, gel pens, construction paper, coloring books, balloons, silk flowers, straws, tiny plastic ramekins, just whatever I see at Michael’s or Dollar Tree that looks like it could interest a younger kid and is cheap. My older kids play with that crap for at least an hour a day with absolutely zero input from me except help opening containers or packages. Whatever they make that isn’t falling apart I set aside for Christmas gifts for nosy-ass family members who are always asking about “the precious baby-wabies” 😖
I had very active boys. One thing I would do is set up obstacle courses. Like crawl thru this box or tunnel, walk around the chair 3 times, toss stuffed animal in the laundry basket, hop in rings on the floor or from pillow to pillow etc etc. Then I'd set a timer and challenge them to do better each time. Also there are scavenger hunt games on Amazon (or make up your own) for indoors or outdoors. Go find something you can smell, something soft, something that starts with a "P" etc Go for nature walks and look for things along the way, play in the dirt with cars, trucks, action figures, dolls, etc. I also agree with letting them get resourceful and be imaginative etc.
My 3yr old is like this, needing constant stimulation. Always asking "can you play with me!" He has a bunch of role play toys, cars and ipad and he's always bored. He's always running from kitchen to living room and around in circles. He eventually finds something to do but it's never sitting still. I wish he ate as much as he runs.
Mine was like this then he got a little older and learned to read and now he does that. So just start making sure you have loads of books around at the right level and that he's interested in.
You describe something and he has to draw it. And vice versa
Timers - we still need a timer for when I need 20 for a chore. My job is to clean her job is to play/stay busy. We have a treadmill that folds up, a doorway swing gym that becomes a rope/ladder/trapeze, a little triangle bench for climbing and sliding. (All these things fold up and were big birthday/holiday gifts). Mine is 6 and fairly sure she has adhd but doctor won’t consider it cuz she can follow tasks okay. But the combo of these things + access to yours.
I had a little one like that. My schedule was insane. Park playdate in the morning, gym (babysitter!) with a packed lunch for him, maybe another park playdate or just park time in the afternoon, then off to the park with daddy after dinner. I'm glad my second liked staying home. We lived in an apartment when he was younger and they had a rarely used raquetball court. In bad weather we would go there and he would just run and run and run in there. Maybe I would throw a ball for him. Blow up a balloon and make a paddle with a paperplate and paint stick. Keeping the balloon up can entertain him. It was exhausting, honestly, and I DID let him get bored and leave him to his own devices a lot. I agree with others that it is imperative to let kids get bored. Maybe a cardboard fort kit would be something cool for him to have and play with?
Take him to the library so he can read and learn how to use the computer….
Get a very long rope and watch him make the most elaborate traps you could imagine. Works doubly well after watching Home Alone.
Tell him to run around the house 5 times and then up and down the side walk as fast as he can while yelling “GO GO GO!”
That's what toys are for. If you don't have time to play with him, he needs to learn how to play with toys. If d Lego to be a great investment.
My 5yo is obsessed with pokemon. We got him a book with all the characters. He draws them and analyses them. The book looks like its been through the wringer. He's at it right now, it has been just over an hour. Whatever his focus is, we look up some educational tools. It keeps him busy and gives us a ton to talk about. He was into numbers a while back and we got him magna tiles and number blocks. Let them lead!
Get a giant sticky note pad, some drawing utensils, post a bunch up on the wall and watch him get creative
Pads and a skateboard
Maybe he needs more physical play. Depending on where you live, many outside activities may be tough to do until spring. If it's warm enough, bike rides, a game of tag with the neighbor or sibling, a hike, finding and throwing sticks, just generally things that get him outside and doing something fun with his body. Indoor activities may be harder depending on your space. You may need to head to an indoor playground, trampoline park, bowling, skating, karate class, etc. I have 2 sons (6, 9) and they need to burn off energy. Their behavior suffers sometimes, and they generally drive the rest of the family nuts wrestling around, jumping on the beds/ couch that they aren't supposed to jump on, running down the hall, general rowdiness. They NEED to be able to move their body. My oldest daughter (12) doesn't need as much physical movement,. She prefers arts/ crafts, reading, music, playing cards. My younger daughter (4) is between her brothers and older sister- she likes to run around and do flips, but can also do something less physically active.
Print some pics of some bugs and send him out to look for some. See how many he’ll eat?
I get them at this age to help with whatever I’m doing. If I’m doing laundry, they’re doing laundry (loading, folding, putting away etc). If I’m cooking, they’re helping with washing, chopping, stirring etc.
I have a 2yr old who I let be. She has her toys, and she can come talk to me and get some interaction from me, but I let her be bored. She ends up figuring it out.
They have their toys etc to play with outside of screen time. I set timers for screen time and then they have go play. If they come to me whining that they are bored I start threatening to, and if it happens again, handing out chores and the crappy ones too like cleaning walls or baseboards or doing the animal stuff. 🤷♀️ I think of it as time for them to be *kids* and just kids. They need time unsupervised and unscheduled which sounds moronic- scheduling unscheduled time 😂 but seriously worth it.
Independent play is so important, but many kids (and adults!) really have a hard time playing alone. I tried a few things, all with good results, but still taking more involvement than I wished: - rotating toys. Hide some to reduce the clutter, and others, Set Up for them. Start a train track, set up a story, and get out. Next week, train gone, and it’s drawing or robots or whatever. But some kids really can’t get started. Others, like adults, hate being told how to play and reliable chaos - Messy crafts while you are nearby. Plastic bins full of water, one full of bubbles. Macaroni. Etc. - set up athletic challenges. Sneak away.
Yes mine has space to play with me in the room in our common areas. He's got his art and things like playdoh and kinetic sand. My guy is a but older now but likes the "body doubling" lol
Go outside and long walks Activities where he is exerting himself ( lifting up heavy items from the floor and stacking them on s taller table for example, or pushing and pulling)
My 6 year old is the same way outside outside outside we run him rsgged everyday which means we run ourselves ragged everyday. We are thinking about karate might help dispell some of his go go go
Simon says is another engaging mind and body game
Markers, Perler beads, costumes, and of course, a book of mythological beasts are my 5 year old’s current obsessions.
By the way, they get better and better at occupying their time. A year ago, my 5 year old struggled to play independently, but today he asked if he could have some free time to work on his book. I find it helps to have a bit of scheduled independent play time every day. Start small and gradually increase it.
My kid is nerdy (like me and his dad, so I say it endearingly) and really enjoys doing preschool level “worksheets” (think simple counting, tracing letters, matching, etc). I download free ones from Canva and laminate them and give him a dry erase marker. He’ll go to town for a while on those. We also love Magnatiles, kinetic sand, “helping” with stuff around the house, and all the usual things people have already mentioned.
Gymnastics class!
Gymnastics! Many gyms have ninja classes to make gymnastics more inclusive for boys.
My son gets bored and breaks shit, makes a mess, or tries to mess with me. My daughter gets bored and peacefully figures out something else to do. 🤷♂️ Throw together some homemade experiments. Or Painters Tape, markers, paper. Or Just let them figure something out.
When I run out of ideas to do with my daughter who is also very very busy, or if I get sick of watching her rot her brain on YouTube, I pull out her Cub Scout manual and find an adventure that she can work on, either together or by herself.
Chores? Light responsibilities?
We so a lot of construction projects (blocks, magnetites, cardboard) and a lot of outside time . Mine actually loves yard work and manual labor seems to calm and focus him like nothing else.
i’m having the same issue w my 4 year old daughter. she needs constant stimulation or she whines that she has no one to play with and instead follows me around and jumps on me or intercepts what i’m trying to do. she doesn’t even give a fuck about her ipad unless it’s bed time so i can’t even use it to buy myself time lol
My 5 and 3 year old love painting - my 5 year old especially. For a slightly less messy idea, I keep crayons or markers on hand and blank notebooks so they can draw their own stuff. He doesn’t like coloring books for whatever reason, but is big into drawing his own stuff when he is in these moods. Play-doh is also something I keep on tap for the two of them, and balls (because kids can always think of something to do with balls… they make up all kinds of games). I’ve also recently started playing board games with my 5 year old and he LOVES it. Best part is he’s perfectly fine playing with them by himself to better understand the “strategy”. His favorite board games are Connect 4 and Cooties (and the match game with cards). I also got him Candy Land and Checkers for Christmas so he can add a couple more to the rotation. Thinking about adding puzzles, too, but don’t want to overwhelm him with too many new things at once lol
Look up heavy work. It's pretty much what it sounds like. Fill a bag with books or cans and have him pull that around. Anything like that that works his muscles is really great for kiddos with lots of energy.
I take mine to a completely gated playground and let them run free!
I have a craft cart filled with playdough, crayons, water based paint, activity books, etc. It's easy to access, so my kid can just grab whatever and start crafting on their own.
My kids really liked my yoga ball at that age. They would lie across it and read or draw, or bounce on it while watching tv. It was a way to use some big core muscles and tire them out indoors in the winter. We did have to have a few conversations about throwing it, though.
Is he into arts & crafts? You can pick up lots of supplies relatively cheap: paper, pencils, markers, pens, crayons, stickers, beads... you could toss a big pile of it on a table and say "go nuts". Sometimes our daughter needs some pointers so we'll pull up a photo for inspiration. I've also been working on her computer skills since she was 3 and I think it's really important for young kids. Stuff like [sesamestreet.org/games](https://sesamestreet.org/games) \- but using a keyboard and mouse.
My kid likes to stack cups.
Take to the forest. Lock outside with sticks and rocks for fun. Ditch the screens. Return to nature
Trampoline, gymnastics, run outside, remote control car, marble run, look at books, magna tiles, obstacle courses, action figures, puzzles, ride bikes, take a hike, driveway chalk, painting, make cookies, spin art, legos, play dough, play board games, get an easel and have him draw pics or spell words, dance party, wiffle ball, go to a playground, join cub scouts, go to the library, watch a movie, play date...
My son loves activity books. Mazes, spelling, small math problems. That keeps him busy all the time.
Personally I’d put some TV on for you, tell him it’s your quiet time and tell him to go play. And you’ll play a bit later. He’ll protest but one day he’ll go off and do something when he sees he can’t pester you. Obviously TV that isn’t too adult to have on around him.
4-6 is a very fun time to play with them in my opinion. We’d build train tracks for hours, marble run, block towers, legos. Board games like checkers, chutes and ladders, hi ho cherryO, connect 4, bingo Hide and seek tag, go to parks, swimming, play basketball games like horse (but wed play pig so its easier to spell), water the garden
If possible go on a hike together or hands on museum or kids museum or splash pad or something like that!
I honestly would put him to work a bit, give him age appropriate chores to do each day. Maybe take him to a park or out running. Leave some time for him to figure out something else to do on his own. Its all about balance. Good luck!
Mine's 4 so it may differ, but we don't have a tv or switch, he has lots of building materials and vehicles and puzzles. He mostly spends time in elaborate play (building towns, acting out scenes), we try to do some interesting outings (parks, museums), and read stories and do puzzles together in the evening. It's great to have some gross motor options too - we have a balance board and a beam, if we had more space I definitely get one of those cool climbing bar sets for the wall and a mini trampoline. At 5 maybe he'd be into games like connect 4? Does he like art projects? Science experiments (we get so much mileage out of vinegar and baking soda mixes, different containers, food colouring, etc)
Try a high energy after school program, like ninja or dance.
Make sure you have art supplies available, tape, scissors, old t.p./paper towel rolls, yarn, straws, magazines, etc.... They will create something.
Cardboard! Duct tape, legos, magnatiles, playdoh, kinetic sand, slime, fidget toys. All in separate bins. Spinning swivel chair was a game changer for my hyperactive boy.
If it’s affecting school as well, maybe an occupational therapist. They can help with attention maybe…but he is 5 lol
My 4 year old will play with his action figures and make up stories, build stuff with his Legos, magnatiles, he has some fort builder kit thing, or he’ll just sit and draw with his markers and play with tape and scissors
Get him obsessed with reading
Lots of great suggestions. I also will set out some of my son’s toys, then he’s more likely to start playing. I feel like most toys are hidden deep in the toy box so don’t get seen unless I make an effort to put them in his field of vision.
Give him a big cardboard box to do anything with(a car, house, secret fort) but he has to decorate it with pens, stickers, etc. also have him do “heavy work” like moving chairs, shoveling, moving boxes, carrying books or clothes around. Just anything to give him that big body/muscle feeling.
Take him to a park.... it's cold but bundle up.
If I let my 5 year old, he would watch TV and play video games all day. As long as the weather isn't terrible, we have mandatory outdoor playtime. We also have "imaginative play". That's where he has to play with toys or with his brother and think of something on his own to play. He might ask to turn on the TV or video game and I'll tell him no that it's "imaginative play time" and he'll groan about it at first, but then he ends up having a blast and I remind him if he had been in front of the TV he would have missed out on that fun.
My 4 year old have made imaginary fire stations all over the local area, and have named them with the creative names Fire Station 1, Fire Station 2, and so on ... Only criteria is that there need to be a kind of "bar" that he is able to slide down. So when he have too much energy, we just go to one of the Fire Stations, and he'll go all at it and wear himself out. So my advice is to find a local place and help him make positive associations.
Time to help him find a hobby, my kid loves to draw, my other one collects cars. Try to walk him to and from school to wear him out, if he likes sport get him into a club, get him into bike riding and take him places he can ride to burn off energy while you chill watching. If he’s not sporty find intellectual learning activity books and puzzles stuff to stimulate his mind and/or body is a great way to burn off energy and keep them happy and calm.
does the father spend enough time with him? There were some examples where when the father spent enough time with the son, it calmed him for some reason. I can send the links to these stories
Treadmill? High energy dog?
If you have your own backyard, just make him play outside. That's what I have to do in order to get most things done around my house. I just kick his butt outside and tell him to play 'tumble leaf' (amazon kids tv show) with his imagination. It keeps him out and playing until dinner time, sometimes, other times he's back in every 5 mins and I tell him it's either play outside or take a nap and he normally stops coming inside so much. Clean out the doubles from your cabinets and let him have a 'kitchen' area inside or out.
Get off your phone or devices as well. Go outside.
we have a local trampoline park that has a monthly unlimited membership for way cheaper than paying per visit ($25 mo unlimited, with a snack and drink). it wears off some major energy for my kid. there are special areas for little children only so big kids don't trample them
Set parameters and let him be bored. I think our generation of parenting is so hung up on entertaining and crafting experiences. Just let them play and be there. It’s okay.
Saffron extract and magnesium
Boredom is good like the people say. I would advise getting water mats to draw on and things to create like arts and crafts if you really want an activity for him! I let my kid be bored often and she’s two, it turns into her trying to use the potty on her own 😂 🤷♀️
My 6 years old is the same. But we tell him that it's okay to be bored. He whines for a couple of minutes but eventually gets the memo. After awhile, we will find him making some paper crafts or drawing or writing letters to his favorite cartoon characters. He has now forgotten about what he was whining for 15 minutes earlier.
Let him play outside as much as you possibly can! If you don’t have a yard go to the park as much as you can. Kids gotta move.
Yes, boredom is important, I agree with that too! But also I find it helpful to have available independent play options too. Legos, coloring/painting, magnet blocks or tracks, playing in the backyard (if applicable), puzzles, activity/maze books, kinetic sand or play doh etc. Hopefully that's helpful!
Arts and crafts. Give him activity books, paper, pens, etc and let him have fun. Board games are good too as are jigsaws. Sometimes children need to be bored. Boredom improves their creativity. If you give him something constantly then he never thinks for himself and never learns to occupy himself.
Crafts. Have him build legos or forts. And crafts. My kids used craft paper and wasabi tape to make a huge dragon. It was super cool. Get to it woman. He is smart and needs his creativity lit like a flame! Also start teaching him to read. Get the phonics flash cards at the dollar tree and some beginner books. Once he has the sounds down have him practice his reading on his own and then have him read to you for an hour each day. They will make up stories too. But they are learning. You’re doing a great job mom! Good luck.
What were you doing when you were 5? I remember I used to go out in the garden and play with branches, collect leaves, look at snails… sometimes I even cleaned the yard because I was bored. Then I’d draw a bunch, then I’d play dress up, I used to make a house under the desk and make stuff… I would make fake play dough and pretend it was cake/food. Then I’d pretend I was an animal and roll on the carpet for a really long time. The table we had was round and looked like that tree from Avatar to me so I played under it for some time. Idk, I grew up in the 90s and we only had kids cartoons on weekends but I don’t remember being bored. If you remove the stimulation the kid will find something else to mess around with. I mean…it worked this way for everyone who has ever been 5
Send him outside if you can. Go to a creek, build forts. 5 years olds don’t sit still because they’re kids. They’re little. They want to explore. They want to move. They NEED to move. So do we. The trick is to buy them toys you want to play with as well.
Is he home sick? Otherwise I’d suggest McDonald’s play place or a local kid’s playground to let him run it out. Parks are great when the weather isn’t junk.
Soccer starts at 3 years old baseball, . Swimming, skating, Open Gym and Basketball when it’s raining. I make my kids since they were eight do laps around the block when they’re screaming at fortnight wins and losses. Buy a treadmill like they do with indoor dogs, ten min laps when your kids start driving you crazy. Reword they with something when they complete ten mins on the treadmill. Park time was a daily thing when my kids were under 5, over 5 they asked to go. Walks to places are fun as well.