What to do when they're bored

Why “I'm bored” isn't a bad thing

Boredom is often the moment just before play. Children who are given a little space after “I'm bored” often find something on their own. But when you're both tired and it's raining, a good idea at the right moment helps. That's what this picker is for.

Every idea is one of the 100 in the Otter app, chosen by our Chief Play Officer, a current Early Years lead. Each one comes with what you need, how to play, a line to get started and what to do if it stalls.

How to use it

• Age: ideas are matched to the age range they work best for.
• Time: the longest the idea takes. Choose “10 min” for a quick reset before dinner.
• Where: inside, outside or either.
• Mess: choose “No mess” if you can't face cleaning up today.

If nothing fits every filter, the picker loosens one and tells you which.

All 100 screen-free ideas

Prefer to browse? Here's every idea, by kind of play. Tap one to see it in full.

Arts & crafts

• Paper plate masks: Paint and glue a mask, then wear it for a story. (ages 3–7, 25 min)
• Salt dough animals: Mix the dough, shape animals, then paint them. (ages 4–9, 40 min)
• Sponge painting: Dab, press and swirl with kitchen sponges instead of brushes. (ages 2–7, 20 min)
• Torn-paper mosaic: Tear coloured paper into scraps and glue them into a picture. (ages 4–9, 30 min)
• Paper weaving: Weave paper strips over and under to make a patterned mat. (ages 5–10, 25 min)
• Tissue suncatchers: Stick coloured tissue to a window and let the light do the rest. (ages 3–8, 25 min)
• Bubble wrap prints: Roll paint onto bubble wrap and print bumpy patterns. (ages 3–8, 20 min)
• Scribble monsters: Draw a wild scribble, then turn it into a monster with a name. (ages 3–10, 20 min)
• Foil sculptures: Scrunch and squeeze tin foil into animals, robots and anything shiny. (ages 4–10, 25 min)
• Wax resist rainbow: Draw secret pictures in crayon, then paint over to reveal them. (ages 3–8, 25 min)

Outdoors

• Leaf rubbings: Collect leaves, then reveal their secret veins with a crayon. (ages 3–9, 20 min)
• Garden bug hunt: Look under logs and leaves, then draw what you find. (ages 3–9, 25 min)
• Star map at dusk: Look up, then draw your own constellations. (ages 5–12, 30 min)
• Puddle jumping: Pull on wellies and see how big a splash you can make. (ages 2–8, 20 min)
• Nature bracelets: Wrap sticky tape around a wrist and collect a walk on it. (ages 3–8, 25 min)
• Cloud spotting: Lie on the grass and find animals, faces and ships in the clouds. (ages 3–12, 15 min)
• Mud kitchen: Cook up mud pies and leaf soup with old pots and spoons. (ages 2–8, 30 min)
• Colour scavenger walk: Match nature to colour cards and spot every shade on the way. (ages 3–8, 30 min)
• Pavement chalk town: Draw roads, shops and houses, then drive a toy car through. (ages 3–9, 35 min)
• Shadow tracing: Draw round shadows with chalk, then come back later and see them move. (ages 3–9, 20 min)

Move

• Floor is lava course: Cushions become stepping stones. Beat your best time. (ages 4–10, 15 min)
• Balloon volleyball: Keep the balloon off the floor, over a string net. (ages 3–10, 15 min)
• Animal yoga: Stretch like a cat, a frog and a tall giraffe. (ages 3–8, 15 min)
• Animal races: Race across the room as a crab, a frog, a bear and a snake. (ages 3–9, 15 min)
• Indoor hopscotch: Stick a hopscotch grid on the floor with masking tape. (ages 3–8, 15 min)
• Sock ball toss: Roll socks into balls and toss them into buckets for points. (ages 3–10, 15 min)
• Chair tunnel crawl: Line up chairs and blankets for a tunnel to crawl through. (ages 2–6, 15 min)
• Balance beam walk: Walk a taped line or a plank, carrying something precious. (ages 3–8, 15 min)
• Scarf catch: Toss light scarves and catch them as they float down. (ages 2–6, 10 min)

Kitchen

• Pancake faces: Make mini pancakes and decorate them with fruit. (ages 4–9, 30 min)
• No-bake energy bites: Roll oats, nut butter and honey into snack balls. (ages 5–10, 25 min)
• Cress garden: Grow a green mop of cress in an egg cup. (ages 3–8, 15 min)
• Fruit kebabs: Thread fruit onto sticks in colourful patterns, then eat them. (ages 4–9, 20 min)
• Mini pizzas: Top muffins or wraps with sauce, cheese and faces, then bake. (ages 4–10, 35 min)
• Smoothie station: Set out fruit and yoghurt and let them design a smoothie. (ages 3–10, 15 min)
• Little bread rolls: Knead dough, shape little rolls and smell them baking. (ages 4–10, 60 min)
• Yoghurt lollies: Swirl yoghurt and fruit into moulds, freeze, and lick. (ages 3–9, 20 min)
• Shake-it butter: Shake cream in a jar until it turns into butter. (ages 4–10, 20 min)

Calm

• Belly breathing: Rock a soft toy to sleep with slow breaths. (ages 3–8, 10 min)
• Sound bingo: Sit quietly and tick off every sound you hear. (ages 4–10, 10 min)
• Glitter calm-down jar: Make a jar to watch when big feelings arrive. (ages 3–8, 20 min)
• Five senses check-in: Notice five things you see, four you feel, three you hear. (ages 4–10, 10 min)
• Bubble breathing: Blow slow, steady bubbles and watch them float away. (ages 2–7, 10 min)
• Feelings faces: Draw faces for different feelings and say when you have felt each. (ages 3–8, 20 min)
• Slow-motion walk: See who can walk the slowest and notice every muscle move. (ages 3–9, 10 min)
• Worry monster: Make a monster that eats worries, so they can be posted away. (ages 4–9, 25 min)
• Five-finger breathing: Trace round your hand slowly, breathing in and out with each finger. (ages 3–10, 5 min)

Cosy time

• Cushion fort and story: Build a den, grab a torch and read or invent a story. (ages 3–8, 25 min)
• Story stones: Draw pictures on stones and tell a story from them. (ages 4–10, 25 min)
• Picture book detective: Look at a picture book slowly and spot tiny hidden details. (ages 3–8, 15 min)
• Hand shadow puppets: Use a torch and your hands to cast animals on the wall. (ages 4–10, 15 min)
• Photo album tour: Flip through old photos and tell the stories behind them. (ages 3–12, 20 min)
• Indoor picnic: Spread a blanket on the floor and share a snack with the toys. (ages 2–8, 30 min)
• Jigsaw together: Tip out a jigsaw, find the edges and puzzle it out side by side. (ages 3–10, 30 min)
• When you were little: Tell the story of the day they were born and the things they did as a baby. (ages 3–10, 15 min)

Build

• Cardboard marble run: Tape tubes to a wall and race a marble from top to bottom. (ages 4–9, 30 min)
• Track and town: Design a town for the trains with boxes and blocks. (ages 3–8, 40 min)
• Paper cup towers: Stack paper cups into pyramids and towers, then knock them down. (ages 3–9, 20 min)
• Marshmallow structures: Join dry spaghetti and mini marshmallows into shapes that stand. (ages 5–11, 30 min)
• Cardboard box car: Turn a big box into a car, with paper plate wheels and a steering wheel. (ages 3–8, 40 min)
• Paper bridge challenge: Fold paper to hold up toy cars across a gap. (ages 5–11, 25 min)
• Craft stick houses: Glue lolly sticks into tiny houses, forts and furniture. (ages 4–9, 30 min)
• Domino chain: Line up dominoes in a winding path and watch them tumble. (ages 5–11, 20 min)
• Twig fairy house: Build a tiny house from sticks, bark and leaves in the garden. (ages 3–8, 35 min)

Discover

• Dino dig: Hide toy dinosaurs in the garden and go on a dig. (ages 3–8, 25 min)
• Sink or float: Guess which household objects will float, then test them in water. (ages 3–9, 20 min)
• Ice rescue: Free little toys frozen in ice using warm water and salt. (ages 3–8, 25 min)
• Fizzy volcano: Pour vinegar on baking soda and watch the lava bubble up. (ages 4–10, 25 min)
• Walking water rainbow: Watch colour travel up paper towels to mix a new colour. (ages 4–9, 20 min)
• Magnet hunt: Find out what a magnet sticks to around the house. (ages 4–9, 25 min)
• Oobleck goo: Mix cornflour and water into a goo that is both solid and liquid. (ages 3–9, 25 min)
• Colour mixing drops: Drop primary colours onto paper and watch them blend. (ages 3–7, 20 min)
• Bean in a bag: Tape a bean in a bag to a sunny window and watch it sprout. (ages 4–9, 15 min)

Pretend

• Sock puppet theatre: Make puppets from old socks and put on a show. (ages 4–9, 35 min)
• Toy shop: Set up a shop with price tags and play customers and shopkeepers. (ages 3–8, 30 min)
• Pretend café: Draw a menu, take orders and serve imaginary food. (ages 3–8, 30 min)
• Teddy hospital: Check, bandage and care for poorly toys. (ages 3–8, 25 min)
• Pirate ship adventure: Turn the sofa into a pirate ship and sail for treasure. (ages 3–9, 30 min)
• Rocket launch: Build a cockpit from a box, count down and blast into space. (ages 3–8, 25 min)
• Indoor camping trip: Pitch a tent in the living room, toast pretend marshmallows and stargaze. (ages 3–10, 40 min)
• Post office: Write letters, deliver them round the house and sort the mail. (ages 4–8, 30 min)
• Playdough bakery: Roll, cut and decorate playdough cakes and sell them in your bakery. (ages 3–7, 30 min)

Music

• Kitchen rhythm band: Turn pots, spoons and tubs into a band. (ages 3–9, 20 min)
• Freeze dance: Dance wildly while the music plays and freeze when it stops. (ages 3–9, 15 min)
• Rain stick: Make a rain stick from a tube, foil and rice. (ages 4–9, 30 min)
• Water glass xylophone: Fill glasses to different levels and tap out a tune. (ages 4–10, 20 min)
• Body beats: Clap, stomp and pat to make a beat, no instruments needed. (ages 3–10, 10 min)
• Silly song swap: Change the words of a favourite song to something ridiculous. (ages 3–8, 15 min)
• Scarf dancing: Wave scarves and flow with slow and fast music. (ages 2–7, 15 min)
• Sound effect story: Tell a story and add sound effects with objects and voices. (ages 4–9, 20 min)

Games

• Memory tray: Look at a tray of objects, then spot what was taken away. (ages 4–10, 15 min)
• Treasure hunt: Follow picture clues round the house to find a hidden prize. (ages 4–10, 30 min)
• Simon says: Follow the commands, but only if Simon says. (ages 3–8, 10 min)
• Animal charades: Act out an animal without speaking and guess who it is. (ages 3–9, 15 min)
• Mystery bag: Feel inside a bag and guess the object without looking. (ages 3–8, 15 min)
• Sock match race: Tip out the sock basket and race to match the pairs. (ages 3–8, 10 min)
• Hot and cold: Hunt for a hidden object with only hot and cold clues. (ages 3–8, 15 min)
• Would you rather: Ask silly either-or questions and explain your choice. (ages 5–12, 10 min)
• I spy: Spot something and give a clue, wherever you are. (ages 3–9, 10 min)
• Snap: Flip cards together and slap the pile when two match. (ages 3–8, 15 min)

Questions parents ask