School Break Boredom Busters

Boredom Busters like the ones listed below are an affordable way to keep your kids busy. My mom, a daycare provider, has a great saying “If you don’t keep the kids busy, they’ll keep you busy.” It’s a mantra she says especially around the summer months when kids are out of school, as she plans activities to make sure her kids keep their hands and minds busy.

With school break just around the corner, things aren’t going as planned, not enough money or time off to go on vacation, what’s a girl to do?

These boredom busters are all based on upcycling, or reusing (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original and this can solve that problem. Children are natural upcyclers or repurposers. They can take a bunch of cardboard boxes and turn them into a castle or they can can see a batman cape and pretend its a wedding dress. All the time, they are seeing potential in something and creating a new use for it.

The beauty of upcycling boredom busters is that it won’t COST you anything. Most of these materials are common around the house and with a little extra creativity, you can keep your children being productive, instead of keeping their eyes glued to the TV or tearing the house down because they’re bored.

Cheap Activities for Kids

Below are my favorite upcycling boredom busters, you can do with your kids with everyday materials you have around your house. They’re broken up to material categories such as Cardboard, Plastic containers, Glass, etc.

Plastic Container Crafts for Kids

1. Shrinky Dinks

Remember those awesome Shrinky Dink masterpieces? Well, you don’t need to buy a kit, you can upcycle materials you probably already have.

• What you need:
  #6 Plastic containers- check the little triangle for a number. Most clear take-out containers usually work
• Permanent markers
• Scissors and hole punch
• Oven
• Polyurethane for sealing (optional)

Get the rest of the instructions here and use those charms for anything you want!

Bonus: Turn this into a learning experience. What temperature makes the magic happen? Why? Learn about colors, types of plastics, differences between them.

2. Upcycled Icicle Ornaments

I see these all the time around the holidays, but I’ve seen the same effect with decorations that twirl in the wind, so this project could be used to make either one depending the break time. WARNING: This project will need parental guidance.

What You Need:

• Plastic bottle
• Candle
• Scissors
• Knife
• Nail or needle
• Wire or thread

Get the rest of the directions here.

3. Plastic Piggy Banks

These little piggy (banks) started off at the market as a pop bottle. I fell in love with these and I thought they were just the cutest.

You will need:

• 2 2-litters, or make your own variation bleach, vinegar, laundry detergent, etc.
• Scissors
• Tape
• Rust-Oleum 2X satin spray paint and then the details added with acrylic craft paint.
  Get more inspiration here.

Bonus: You can learn as time to discuss the importance of savings and repurposing items.

4. Got Milk Jugs?

Good you’re going to need them. Here are 16 super easy and creative ways to use them.

What you need:

• It varies, but most require a milk jug and scissors.

Of course, you could really think inside the jug and build an milk jug igloo using 250 milk jugs! Learn more about that here.

5. Repurposed Bottle Bowling Pins

These repurposed bowling pins are made with treasured Star Wars themed water bottles. They’re a great way to reuse the water bottles for years to come when they meant so much to the kids.

Materials needed:

• 5 x empty water bottles
• sand
• ball

6. Upcycled Container Printing

This is a neat little activity to experiment with the prints of different kinds of materials. She uses containers, but you could try different fabrics, bubble wrap, crumbled newspaper etc.

Materials Needed:

• A selection of containers and trays that have interesting bottoms
• Some paint and some containers to put the paint into
• Some rollers or paint brushes
• A BIG sheet of paper
• A wet cloth for cleaning up drips
• Somewhere to dry your creations

Get the full DIY here.

Upcycled Glass Projects for Kids

7. Garden Xylophone Outdoor Music Activity for Kids

Explore music with your kiddos with this fun repurposed xylophone!

Materials needed:

• Empty glass jars.
• Dirt, grass, rocks, water, mud or anything else kids can find outdoors to fill their jars
• Two sticks or two spoons

Learn more about this musical kids activity here.

Upcycled Tin Boredom Busters for Kids

8. Altoid Tin Travel Toys

Going on a summer vacation and need a few screen-free games for the car? There are puzzles, zen garden, even a miniature baseball set all in upcycled Altoid Tins.

9. Altoid Nature Collection

Going on a nature walk? This cute little altoid box is perfect to organize your fun finds.

Collecting is such a great STEM activity and teaches kids so much about categorizing, sorting and observing, but as the items accumulate, sooner or later you have to give it a little ‘structure’. That’s where the Altoid container comes in.

Materials Needed:

• newspaper
• a stiff postcard or cardboard flyer you receive in the mail
• an Altoid or other small metal container
• tape
• small section of white paper (you can use the back of an old letter or piece of mail)
• colored markers

Get the full DIY here.

10. Recycled Tin Can Golf

This activity is a great way for kids to play indoors (rainy day activity), practice their motor skills, and also repurpose things they would normally throw away!

Materials Needed:

• 3 x Tin cans
• 3 x craft sticks
• Flag template
• Glue stick & scissors
• Duct Tape

• 2 x paper towel rolls, plus a half cut lengthways to brace them together
• 1 piece of thick recycled cardboard (ideally a flap from a cardboard carton)
• Duct tape

Get the full DIY here.

Repurposed Cardboard Crafts for Kids

With all the online shopping we do, cardboard is not hard to find. These boredom busters help us make the cardboard get a little more use before throwing it to the recycling bins.

11. Button Golf

Another fun way to build up kid’s motor skills. This game includes just a few household items such as:

• Paper towel roll
• Toothpicks (nine)
• White construction paper
• Markers (various colors)
• Scissors (pointed end scissors)
• Tape
• Buttons (Some with raised edges and some smooth edged)

Get the full DIY and cools ways to play golf with buttons!

12. Cardboard Box Ball Game

If you have toddlers or young elementary kids, this is a great way to encourage color matching for the toddlers, eye hand coordination and visual motor skills while also having fun!

You need:

• Cardboard box with a flip top lid – shoe box
• Paint
• Scissors
• Small balls

Let the kids match up the balls to the correct colored circle and drop them in the box or even try to roll the balls up the ramp and see if they land in any holes.

13. Egg Carton Fairy House Craft

These little fairy houses are so cute and a perfect boredom buster for the girls at home. All they need is a few egg cartons and some paint and the opportunities are endless!

Material needed:

• Egg carton
• Craft paint
• Toothpicks
• Washi tape
• Scissors

Get more fairy house ideas here.

14. Cereal Box Stencils

Why bring more plastic in the house when it’s more fun to make the craft supplies. They’re also great for helping develop motor skills, learn shapes and more. All you need is a few cereal boxes, pencils and scissors.

Get the full tutorial here.

15. Toilet Paper Tubes Building Blocks

Unless you’re a hardcore zero waster, you probably have loads of toilet paper rolls at home. This activity is super easy to make and free!

Materials Needed:

• Toilet paper tubes
• Glue
• Decorative paper ( old magazines or leftover craft paper is great)

Get the full DIY here!

16. Percussion Instruments with Pringles® Cans

Free musical expression is great for a child’s development. These upcycled percussion instruments are a great way to explore music without spending much money. The best part of these DIY Percussion Instruments is that they can be made using nothing more than empty Pringles® cans and some common household items.

You’ll need the following items:

• 1 empty Pringles® can
• decorative Duck tape
• craft paint
• paint brush
• dried beans
• craft glue
• a box of nails (just a bit shorter than the diameter of the Pringles can)

Check out the full tutorial for Upcycled percussion instruments.

17. Interactive Cardboard Tablet Games

A prime example of a child’s creativity, especially when it comes to cardboard. You might be thinking “what in the world is a cardboard tablet?” Well just go check it out. Not only are you repurposing, but they’re getting tons of exercise and getting those creative juices flowing.

The only materials you’ll need is a piece of cardboard, scissors and your own creative kiddos!

18. Toilet Paper Roll Giraffe Marionette

Toilet Roll Giraffe Materials

• 2 loo rolls per Toilet Paper Roll Giraffe
• 1-2 sheets of A4 in contrasting colours (red & yellow in our case),
• paints (red & yellow, I prefer acrylics as they don’t get so dry and crumble like some poster paints)
• brushes
• scissors
• glue and later
• chopsticks and string (not shown in photo, as only decided to add these later)

These little toilet paper puppets are so cute! This project is ideal for children 5yrs+ or with a helping adult! You just need a few common crafts supplies and you can create these adorable little puppets! Get the full DIY here.

19. Repurposed Pirate Ship

Why go out and buy a plastic ship, when you can make it a family activity with materials you have around the house!

Materials Needed:

• Cardboard (I used a mid sized delivery box)
• masking tape
• newspaper & paper mache paste (here is an easy homemade paper mache recipe)
• scissors
• paint
• glue
• 2 sticks (for masts)
• odds of fabric (I used some old suit fabric from The Englishman and white felt
• varnish

You can find the detailed pirate ship instructions with a pattern for a whole afternoon of fun and endless amounts of creative opportunities!

20. DIY Velcro Marble Maze

Although, this marble activity isn’t recommended for young children, it’s a great STEM and play engineering project for your older kids.

Materials needed:

• cardboard rolls
• a few boxes
• marbles or balls
• a large piece of cardboard
• some velcro

Check out this fun marble activity here for the full DIY.

21. DIY Cardboard Space Shuttle

Send your kids to the moon with these awesome cardboard boredom busters space shuttle! All you need is some cardboard, scissors, markers and a bit of creativity!

Get the full tutorial along with other fun space activities here.

Repurposed Paper Crafts for Kids

22. Kids Crafts: Easter Bonnets

Who doesn’t love to go shopping with their kids to find the perfect outfit for a special occasion? It’s a great bonding time for mothers and daughters. That’s why I love this project so much! These bonnets are even more special because you can make them and the children get to put their hearts and special touch on them. The best part is every single part of this bonnet is repurposed.

Materials needed:

• Newspapers
• paint
• masking tape
• Tissue paper
• glue
• beads
• Newspaper scraps
• tissue paper
• glue

Join in the DIY fun here.

Repurposed Boredom Busters and Kids Activities

23. Painting with Roll-on Deodorant Bottles

This might just be one of my favorites. It’s a great to reuse the bottles, while also providing a boredom buster. The best part is it’s not nearly as messy as finger painting or water bottles. The roll-on deodorant bottles are just a vessel, but the kids still get plenty of opportunity to be creative.

Materials needed:

• Roll-on Deodorant
• Water
• Paint

Check out the full tutorial here.

24. Vegetable Stamping

I said what? Vegetable stamping? Yep! Have some vegetables that are a little past their eat by date or some leftover vegetables scraps? Add a little paint and something to stamp on, such as paper, canvas, fabric and this project is perfect.

Get all the details here.

Bonus: Talk to your kids about food waste and the benefits of using as much as you can before throwing it away.

25. Sock Bean Bags

Have some socks missing their mate? Use them as a sensory activity and fill them with beans, rice or other small, dried items. This boredom buster is also perfect for small hands.

Spring Break Activities for kids

There are so many more upcycling boredom busters out there to come up with fun things to do with your kids during their breaks. Feel free to add yours!

For more cheap upcycling projects for kids, check out these wicked awesome upcycled Halloween ideas! They’re also great ideas for creative play or dress up time!

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