"Bored" Jar Ideas!

Well...I knew this time would come in our summer....the novelty of all of the free time has worn off and we have had a couple of afternoons lately (all the rain doesn't help matters!!) where they are just wandering aimlessly around the house, saying things like "I'm bored...I'm tired- BUT I DON'T NEED A NAP!!, The only thing I want to do is watch a show!" 

Aahhhh....my sweet angels- HA!

To give my girls credit- they do a really good job of playing independently.  For the most part, they play really well together and are really great about being creative and playing all sorts of different things.  BUT- when my two younger kids go down for their afternoon naps and it is "quiet time" in our house- well...let's just say- there is really nothing quiet about that time and it can honestly be a really frustrating couple of hours for me because they.just.don't.want.to.do.anything. 

Soooo....I went to the magical idea bank that is called Pinterest and searched for "bored" jar ideas- and wouldn't you know it- hundreds of ideas popped up!  

Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

I love this example of a bored jar, from the blog, Somewhat Simple because it has a mix of not so fun activities (chores, doing math problems, etc) and fun activities.  My girls really need to think about just how bored they really are before they pick an activity out- because it might be one that is not so fun! 

Krista, from the blog, While He was Napping, wrote an awesome post on making bored jars!  She was really specific and gave awesome directions on how to make them, ideas for your jars, ect.  Loved how detailed she was in her instructions!! (I am a girl who likes a plan :)

I really liked this idea from All Things Mama.  This idea is for an incentive program where the children have jobs and earn rewards.  We do a very simple "chore" chart with our older girls- but- being totally honest- we aren't that great about having them follow it every day.  I think my girls might take to this idea better and I like that there are a lot of different choices for rewards!

My plan is take what I like best about each of these ideas and create a bored/activity jar that is tailored to my girls.  One thing I really want to do is include activities they normally don't get to do when their younger siblings are around (more involved crafts, projects, etc)- but also balance out our jar with some not so fun activities- because I think that will help the girls make a better decision  on if they are really that bored or if they can come up with a creative idea on their own.

I am looking forward to getting our "bored jar" made!  I think it will be a great thing to have- not just for the summer...but year round! 

I would love to know- do you have something like a "bored" jar at your house? What do you do when your kids say they have NOTHING to do?

I can't wait to hear your suggestions!! 

Hope you have a wonderful day!!

Linking up with Annie and Natalie today!