Have you spent the last few months wandering around saying the words, “I am so bored”?? If you have, you are not alone. With travel practically coming to a standstill, it can be difficult to figure out what to do when bored at home. Thankfully, there are so many things to do when you are bored. And the good news is that many of these fun things to do when you are bored can be found closer to your home than you could have ever imagined. There are things you can do when you’re bored alone and things to do when bored as a family. And the best part is that you can find hundreds of things to do when you are bored for kids! Oh, the happiness you will feel when you are not listening to your kids say they are bored once again!
30 Family-Friendly Things to Do When You’re Bored and Can’t Travel
1. Go for a Walk Around Your Neighborhood
Okay, so you have probably taken at least a couple walks around your neighborhood in the last couple of months. But when you head out to do this fun thing to do when you are bored, really look around as you are walking. Take the time to see the trees, determine who has swimming pools in their yard, and even see which neighbors have dogs now.
You may also like: Traveling with Pets
2. Walk Around Your Town or City
Walks around your neighborhood are great, but you can see so much more when you take the time to walk around your town or city. This is one of the best fun things to do on a boring day, because you can see many things you may never have noticed before. Maybe you have never even taken the time to do this activity. In that case, you may be surprised what you learn when you venture away from home!
3. Visit an Orchard
Visiting an orchard is something you can do numerous times throughout the year. If you are looking for things to do when you’re bored at home, simply check out to see what is available at your local orchard. One visit may have you picking apples, while other visits may have you gathering blueberries, strawberries, peaches, blackberries, pumpkins, and so much more.
You may also like: 10 Places to Visit in Jamaica with Family
4. Visit a Nursery
One of the many fun things to do outside when you’re bored is visiting a nursery. This is best done during the spring, summer, and fall, because those are the times you will be looking for flowers and plants for your yard.
5. Go Hiking
If you are tired of walking around places you are familiar with, it is time to hit the trails. For some of you, this option may be saved for when you are very bored. However, many of you will love the idea of having a fun thing to do outdoors when bored inside.
You may also like: 25 Fun Local Things to Do with Family without Crowds
6. Participate in an Outdoor Gym Class
Many gyms are offering classes outside, as well as in local parks. This is one of the best ways to cure boredom, while getting a little extra exercise in at the same time. This is one of the many fun things to do on a boring day.
7. Meditate in an Outdoor Garden
If you are looking for how to cure boredom, you will be happy to know that meditating can be helpful. While we mentioned an outdoor garden in this option, you can honestly meditate anywhere. It is completely possible to meditate on the beach, at the top of a mountain after a hike, or even in your own backyard if you don’t have a garden nearby.
You may also like: 25 Best Day Trips from New York City
8. Walk Around Nearby Towns and Cities
Everyone seems to have towns and cities near them and many of those areas have gone unexplored in the past. If you have never wandered around the nearby towns and cities, this is an excellent option when you utter the phrase, “I need something to do”.
9. Plant a Garden
If you are looking to get outside when you’re bored, you can always consider planting a garden. You can do a garden filled with vegetables or choose to do a flower garden. This is a perfect thing to do when you are bored for kids, because they can learn all about gardening at the same time they are playing in the dirt.
You may also like: 50 Most Beautiful and Magical Places in the World
10. Visit a New Restaurant
If you have been curious about trying new foods, we recommend visiting a new restaurant. We guarantee there is at least one restaurant near you that you have never tried. If you don’t want to dine in, inquire about take out and eat at home.
11. Turn into a Photographer
As you are looking for things to do when you are bored at home, you may want to turn towards photography. You can easily use your smartphone, but a camera can be handy if you already have one. You can choose to start photographing things inside your home. However, this is also one of the better things to do outdoors when bored inside. Grab your camera and take pictures during a hike. Go to a nearby park to take pictures. You can even take pictures of your family.
You may also like: 10 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Travel Camera
12. Visit Historic Sites
If you are looking for fun things to do outside when you are bored, you must visit nearby historic sites. Almost everyone has at least one historic site near their home, so you shouldn’t need to travel too far for this adventure.
13. Go Camping
Camping is something to do when bored. You can easily head out to a nearby campground, but you can also camp in your own backyard. While all parts of camping are fun and exciting, you will find the best part is making s’mores by the campfire. You can even do that when you are simply looking for things to do when you are bored at night.
You may also like: Ways to Make Money While Traveling
14. Plan Your Dream Vacation
You may not be able to travel to your dream destination right now, but that shouldn’t stop you from planning it when you are bored at home. You can easily research every aspect of your trip and avoid boredom, as you are dreaming of faraway places.
15. Head to the Beach
The beach can be the scenery you need when you are tired of looking for things to do when you’re bored at home. The sand between your toes will allow you to see there are many things to do when bored.
You may also like: 20 Best Beaches in the USA
16. Read a Book in a Hammock
When asking what to do when you are bored at home alone, the answer can be as simple as reading a book in a hammock. Yes, you can read inside. But why do that when you can lay in a hammock outside?! Listen to nature in the background, as you get swept away by the storyline.
17. Go Kayaking or Canoeing
Getting outside is one of the best ways to alleviate that, “I’m bored, what should I do?”, syndrome. Kayaking and canoeing is an excellent way to see things from a different perspective and get a workout in at the same time.
You may also like: Unique Things to Do in the US Virgin Islands
18. Create a Bucket List
When you are bored at home, it is the perfect time to create a bucket list of things you would like to do in the future. This can be a travel bucket list or simply a bucket list that includes everything you would like to check off later on.
19. Visit a Waterfall
If you have local waterfalls, you must visit at least one of them when you are looking for fun things to do when you are bored. While hiking to the waterfall can be fun, you may want to add a little extra fun by taking a picnic lunch with you.
You may also like: Best 20 Waterfalls Around the World
20. Create a Scavenger Hunt
We all know that kids can get bored easily. If you are looking for ways to avoid the “what to do at home when bored” syndrome, you must create a scavenger hunt. You can do this in your own backyard, or you can create one that goes through your own town or city.
21. Go for a Bike Ride
You may think that you know everything you need to know about your local area. However, you can see, and learn, so much more about it if you choose to bike ride around instead of driving.
You may also like: 70 Best Hot Springs Near You in Every State
22. Create an Obstacle Course
Children love obstacle courses and as an adult, you will too when you are bored at home! You can easily create an obstacle course in your own backyard, using items that you already have on hand. And if the weather turns bad, you can create a different obstacle course inside to keep everyone busy.
23. Go Fishing
This is an excellent time to learn how to fish. As you are trying to figure out what to do when you’re bored, you may think that fishing isn’t all that exciting. However, once you have started to catch a fish or two, your way of thinking will change.
You may also like: 22 Best USA Hotels With Indoor Pools For Kids
24. Paint Rocks
Kids love to collect rocks, so use that to create another activity to beat boredom. You can easily paint those rocks to make them look like masterpieces. Those rocks can then either be displayed around your home, yard, or even used as gifts.
25. Take a Scenic Drive
You don’t need to drive along an actual scenic drive when you are looking for fun things to do when you are bored at home. This is one of the fun things to do on a boring day and it doesn’t really take any advance planning. Simply hop in the car when you cannot take the boredom anymore and drive.
You may also like: Best Scenic Drives To Take In The USA This Spring and Summer
26. Go Stargazing
Stargazing is one of the best things to do when you are bored at night. Simply walk outside and look up towards the sky. There are a couple different apps you can download that will allow you to know exactly what you are looking at. Of course, if you have a telescope, you will get so much more out of this activity.
27. Construct Bird Feeders
If you love having birds in your yard, you must take this downtime to construct a few bird feeders. These bird feeders are just one of the things to do if you’re bored and can easily cure boredom.
You may also like: How to Visit Isolated Falkland Islands with Kids
28. Venture Out for a Picnic
Picnics are excellent ways to get outside and leave the boredom of home behind. You will never need to wonder what to do when bored when you know you can easily have a picnic whenever you wish.
29. Visit a Local Park
When you are looking for fun stuff to do when bored, you shouldn’t look any further than a local park. You can simply go there to sit and enjoy nature, or you can walk around to get some exercise out in the fresh air.
You may also like: Cheapest Places to Travel
30. Watch the Sunset
The setting sun can create some beautiful colors up in the sky and you won’t want to miss them when you are looking for stuff to do when bored.
These are thirty family-friendly things to do when you’re bored and can’t travel. As you can see, there is plenty of stuff to do when bored. Since there is so much fun stuff to do when bored, you will never need to sit and stare at a television for hours. Instead, you can get outside and have fun together as a family.