Easy + DIY Summer Boredom Busters

Well, here we are! Heading into the end of summer, prepping for (or thinking about) back to school, and is it just me or do the days just seem to be getting longer? Here are a few easy, DIY activities to buy you a half hour of quiet for minimal investment! To make shopping easy, we’ve included some Amazon links below. These links are affiliate links, but will not change your shopping experience! 

Shower Curtain Bean Bag Toss

What you’ll need: 

What to do:

  1. Lay the shower curtain out flat and gently smooth any major creases. Freehand (or create a template and trace) your “game board” using the fat/chisel tip permanent markers, taking care not to smear the ink before it dries. A 12″ x 12″ piece of cardstock was used to outline this 4 x 5 grid.  
  2. Using the dry erase markers, fill the squares with actions, questions, math problems, trivia, etc. that are age appropriate for the children playing. 
  3. Take turns using the bean bag to toss on the board and complete the action of the square it lands in. If it’s on the line, choose the square that has more bean bag in it.
  4. Use the cloth to wipe the dry erase marker off and refill the squares with more actions.
  5. BONUS: The shower curtain makes a great canvas for hours of free-drawing fun!

Giant Plastic Plate Memory

What you’ll need:

  • package of heavy duty disposable plastic plates
  • dry erase markers
  • paper towel, old dish cloth, or old wash cloth for erasing

What to do:

  1. Working with two plates at a time to ensure each plate has a “match,” use the dry erase marker to write a two-part match. The possibilities are limitless: trivia, math, shapes, color words, sight words, numbers, simple drawings, states and capitals, countries and monuments, or simply word-to-word matching for beginning readers. Some examples:
    1. Plate A) C_T; Plate B) _A_ (e.g., match the plates to spell CAT)
    2. Plate A) What is the largest land mammal in North America?; Plate B) American Bison
    3. Plate A) 3×3; Plate B) 9
  2. Lay out the plates, face down, in a grid pattern.
  3. Take turns flipping plates and finding the matches. Remove matched plates or simply leave them in place, face up, to keep the board “spacing.”
  4. Whoever makes the most matches wins!
  5. Erase the words and start over!

“Every Summer Has a Story” Reading Log

ACMB’s Tori Grant designed this adorable coloring page that also lends itself to a reading log of sorts.

What you’ll need:

What you’ll do:

  1. Print the coloring sheet and attach to the clipboard. 
  2. Hang the clipboard in an easy-to-see-and-reach location.
  3. Decide on a number of minutes read that are needed to color an element of the image.
  4. Set the timer (or just go by start and end times) and read!
  5. Color in the corresponding number of elements in the coloring page.

 

Hang in there, y’all! School is just around the corner, and not only are these some great boredom busters, they’re also great brain games to fight that mid-summer slump! Check out the new Go Teach Community on Facebook for more ideas. 

Amanda
A fifth-generation San Antonionian - who happened to spend her formative years in Austin - Amanda loves the SAT from the confetti in her hair to the bluebonnets under her feet. Never one to miss a reason to host a party or decorate for a theme, Amanda revels in the 'mas Fiesta' attitude of the city. She's mom to Vivi (2012) aka #HurricaneVivi, Mac (2020) and wife to Francois, whom she met at Texas A&M (FTAC '05). She has a Masters in Early Childhood Education and a Doctorate in Making it Up As She Goes - which means she's a sometimes-fun-mom. You can find her on Instagram . She loves confetti, croissants, and a cold Ranch Water. Favorite Restaurant: Piatti's Favorite Landmark: Johnson Street footbridge in King William Favorite San Antonio Tradition: Fiesta Medals