5 Of the Best Ways You Can Keep Your Kids Entertained

As a parent, you know how hard it can be to keep your kids entertained, especially when you need to get things done. It rarely fails. Your kids are perfectly content sitting on the couch watching a show, so you decide you’re going to do some chores. The moment you stand up to grab the laundry basket, there’s a small hand on the hem of your shirt. You look down to see wide eyes looking back at you, and you hear these dreaded words: “I’m bored.”

Suddenly, your kids need your undivided attention, making it near impossible for you to get anything done. If you’re looking for things to keep your children occupied, here are five of the best ways to keep them entertained.

Let Them Play Computer Games

Sometimes, the easiest thing you can do to keep your kids entertained is to allow them to play a game on the computer or a gaming console. There are plenty of games designed specifically for kids out there, many of which can be educational as well as fun. Whether your little ones enjoy simple games like Solitaire or coloring, or they enjoy something a bit more challenging, you’re sure to get some time to yourself to do your chores.

Give Them Cardboard Boxes

Another simple way to entertain kids (especially younger ones) is by giving them a cardboard box or two and letting them use their imaginations. You can even give them some crayons to turn their boxes into a house, race car, rocket ship, or anything else they can dream up. You might be surprised to see just how much fun your kids can have with something as seemingly mundane as a large empty box.

Provide Them with a Game Box

Put together a game box for your kids that you can break out when they’re feeling bored. Fill it with all sorts of things they enjoy, such as coloring books and crayons, a deck of playing cards, easy puzzles, mess-free paints, and more. If you have older kids, you might consider adding in some other items like playdough, putty, or kinetic sand.

Ask Them to Make Their Own Cartoon

Instead of plopping your kids down in front of the television to watch the same cartoon shows that they may have already seen a hundred times (let’s face it, you’ve lost count, but you know some of the lines by heart), ask your little ones to dream up their own. Give them some blank paper and something to draw with (crayons, markers, colored pencils) and ask them to draw a bad guy and a hero. When they’ve completed their masterpiece, ask them to find you and share the hero’s story. Not only will your kids be entertained making up their own stories, but you’ll get to learn more about their creative processes and how their imaginations work.

Allow Them to Help You

Now, this one might not work all of the time, but it’s always worth a shot. If your kids are bored, ask them to help you with the chores you need to do. If you have to wash the sheets, ask them to strip their beds and make a pile in the hall. Have them help you put fresh, clean sheets back on their beds, too. If you’re vacuuming, ask them to pick up their rooms. Turn it into a contest to see who can clean the fastest or who can pick things up before the vacuum reaches their door. Kids love a good competition, and who can do something the fastest is almost a surefire way to get them to do something they might not ordinarily do.

Keeping your kids entertained can feel like a challenge sometimes. It almost always feels like they need you when you have things you need to do yourself. With the above suggestions, you can keep the little ones entertained. And, when you’re done with your chores, you can join them in the fun.