My due date is fast approaching, which means that my belly and nesting instincts are growing and my energy is dwindling. Unfortunately for my kids, this means fewer out-of-the-house activities and more time spent at home. . . which will likely be followed by even more at-home time in the weeks immediately following baby’s arrival as we adjust to life as a family of six. Thankfully my kids are fantastic at playing independently and coming up with ways to entertain themselves. Sometimes, though, they benefit from a nudge towards some creative options for how to spend their time.

I compiled this list with my own kids in mind, but am sharing here with the hope that it may offer some boredom-busting inspiration if you, like me, are needing your kids to entertain themselves in these final days of summer. We don’t allow our kids any screen time during the week, and weekend screen time is limited to movies on DVD and one hour of iPad games for Charleston, so all of these ideas are screen-free. Most of these are activities my three kids can do together, or at least side-by-side, though quite a few can be adapted for individual play time.

1. Build a blanket/pillow fort.

2. Act out a favorite book.

3. Make paper airplanes and play airplane tag and/or have airplane races.

4. Host a play-doh food dinner party.

5. Create an obstacle course.

6. Hold a trivia game show.

7. Design/put together costumes for a fashion show.

8. Choreograph a dance to a favorite song.

9. Design and play a new board game.

10. Make posters and come up with a commercial for a favorite product.

11. Make up carnival games, design tickets, and host an indoor carnival.

12. Build a pretend city with Legos, Magnatiles, and our wooden train set.

13. Hide items and come up with clues for a scavenger hunt.

14. Write letters/draw pictures to send to someone in the mail.

15. Host a teddy bear tea party.

16. Create giant name posters using stickers to write each letter.

17. Come up with a secret code.

18. Assemble a time capsule.

19. Invent a holiday and celebrate it with “traditional” foods, decorations, and costumes.

20. Set up tents, a fishing hole, and a faux campfire for an indoor “campout.”

21. Make paper bag puppets and a cardboard-box puppet stage and put on a puppet show.

22. Have a competition to see who can jump on the trampoline, jump rope, and/or swing on the swing set the longest.

23. Make bead necklaces and bracelets.

24. Memorize a Bible verse or poem.

25. Have a karaoke competition.

26. Make pictures in the driveway using sidewalk chalk.

27. Build a marble run out of toilet paper rolls and tape.

28. Don’t forget about our usual playtime activities: read a book, play a board game, draw a picture, do a puzzle, color in a coloring book, pull out a toy you haven’t played with in a while, build with blocks, practice playing piano and/or the recorder, listen to an audiobook or Adventures in Odyssey, or play Simon Says (or a similar game such as charades, Rock/Paper/Scissors, or Red Light/Green Light).

If you have any other boredom buster ideas, PLEASE share them with us in the comments!