
Boredom busters
It’s 3… 2… 1… blast off for family fun! Just get the kids to tap the target on the rocket to launch it for some great ideas at home. Don’t like the 1st idea then keep blasting off until you do! Suitable for kids 2 years and up and most can be done individually or with the rest of the family.


THE ANTI-GRAVITY GAME
Suitable for kids 3 years +
Pretend you’re an astronaut on the moon, and try to keep a balloon off the ground using any body part you can.
If it’s too easy, add more balloons.
SECRET AGENT
Suitable for kids 5 years +
Your mission, if you choose to accept it: weave your way through a web of deadly lasers (well criss-crossed string across lounges or under chairs).
Touch the string and you’re out!
Adult supervision required.
THE FLOOR IS LAVA
Suitable for kids 5 years +
The floor is lava! You’re a ninja who needs to get from one side of the room to the other. But the floor is lava!
Clamber your way from rugs to chairs, and don’t touch the ground!
Adult supervision required.
SCAVENGER HUNT
Suitable for kids 5 years +
Track down hidden objects around your home or backyard.
Arm yourself with a list of clues, and go, go, go! First to find them all, wins!
Add a time limit if you’re feeling extra competitive.
BUST A MOVE!
Suitable for kids 3 years +
Pop on your favourite playlist and dance the time away.
Try creating new dance moves to match the songs!
CRAFTY SOUNDS
Suitable for kids 3 years +
Time to put those crafty little hands to the test.
Decorate a bottle, jar, or plastic container, pop some left over bottle tops or some sand and stones inside, and seal it tight!
Shake for a maraca. Tap for a tambourine. And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three, four…
CRAFTY NATURE MASKS
Suitable for kids 3 years +
Unleash your inner nature-lover!
Use flowers, leaves or grasses to create a beautiful nature mask. You can collect these items from your back yard or pot plants on the balcony.
PAPER PLANE COMP
Suitable for kids 4 years +
Fold your plane. Throw your plane.
Furthest plane wins. Simple.
Below are easy instructions to get you started.
- Fold a piece of paper in half vertically.
- Unfold the paper and fold each of the top corners into the centre line.
- Fold the top edges into the centre line.
- Fold the plane in half toward you.
- Fold the wings down, matching the top edges up with the bottom edge of the body.
PILLOW PALACE
Suitable for kids 5 years +
Calling all kings and queens!
Pick a spot inside or in the backyard, grab some pillows, old sheets, chairs and boxes – and get building.
Your palace awaits.
CLICK CHALLENGE
Suitable for kids 8 years +
Grab a phone or camera and get snapping around your home.
Make a game of it:
- Can you snap something blue (flower, house, mailbox)?
- Something tall (tree, person)?
- Something starting with C (cat, car, carrot)?
STUCK IN THE MUD
Suitable for kids 4 years +
If you know tiggy, stuck in the mud is real easy.
The only difference? Freeze in place when you’re tagged.
You can only unfreeze when someone crawls between your legs.
HOPSCOTCH
Suitable for kids 5 years +
Grab some chalk and draw out the squares on your garden foot path or back yard patio.
Find a good marker to play with, and toss.
Avoid whichever square it lands on, and hop to the end.
Add more squares to make it more challenging.
SENSORY DIGGING
Suitable for kids 2 years +
Crazy about archaeology? Bury different toys in a big bowl of sand and dig them out one by one.
Can you guess what each toy is before you pull it out?
Tip: Pop a tray, towel or old sheet down beforehand – those grains can get everywhere.
If you’re looking for more educational activities for young kids, check out Early Years Count.
KITCHEN JAM SESSION
Suitable for kids 2 years +
Calling all rock stars!
Your home DIY drum kit awaits… Flip pots, pans, and containers upside down, and use different utensils to tap, tap, tap to the beat.
Try changing up where and how you play to hear different sounds.
If you’re looking for more educational activities for young kids, check out Early Years Count.
CARD HOUSES
Suitable for kids 6 years +
Lean the top edge of two cards against each other to make a triangle ‘card house’. Repeat with more triangles either side, then lay a card flat on top to connect them.
Keep stacking until they fall!
HUNGER BUSTERS
Suitable for kids 5 years +
Bored and hungry? Give home cooking a go with these easy to cook and yummy recipes.
They’re as much fun to make as they are to devour.
We’ve even got videos to show you how you can make them together.
DRESS UP TO IMPRESS
Suitable for kids 3 years +
Raid your wardrobes for old clothes, accessories and funny shoes.
Who can create the best outfit? Ask Mum and Dad to help you take a photo and send to your friends. You can have a virtual competition!
Once you’ve made one, act out your character’s story!
NOUGHTS AND CROSSES
Suitable for kids 5 years +
Feeling competitive?
Perfect to play with Mum, Dad or your brother or sister. Who will be your family’s noughts and cross champion?
Draw a 3×3 grid and take turns putting noughts and crosses inside each space/square.
First to three in a row, wins!
GUMBOOT GARDENING
Suitable for kids 3 years +
Got an old pair of gumboots lying around at home that you no longer use?
Why not turn them into your very own pot plant?
Fill them with soil, plant some seeds, and decorate the outside with your favourite colours.
Don’t forget to show them some love (and water).
MAGICAL BUBBLES
Suitable for kids 2 years +
Want fast, easy, home-made fun?
Create your very own bubbles with a container of water, a whisk, and a squeeze of dishwashing liquid. Dip your whisk in the mixture and wave it around like a magic wand. Voila! Bubbles.
Adult supervision required.
If you’re looking for more educational activities for young kids, check out Early Years Count.
KEE’AN (Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander game)
Suitable for kids 7 years +
The word Kee’an comes from the Wik-mungkan language in North Queensland that means ‘to play’.
- Grab a ball and an old long sock (together this mimics a bone that would be used for traditional hunting) and a hoop or a bucket. Set up in your backyard.
- The ball goes in the sock and you throw it (from the tail end of the sock) towards the hoop or bucket which can be 3-5m away on the ground.
- Play it for fun or keep score if you want to turn it into a game with the rest of the family.
Bust it again and get a different activity!