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If you are raising a boy, or several, in your home, then you are aware of their need to be constantly moving and involved in all types of play.
Here is a list of fun activities for boys that is sure to keep them not only occupied but well entertained!
#1 Hallway Laser Maze
Quick! Go check your birthday decoration bag, and see if there are any leftover party streamers, also known as crepe paper.
All you need to create a labyrinth in your hallway is crepe paper and tape.
Attach the paper to the walls with tape and make the streamers stretch high, low, sideways etc. Basically, go crazy!
If your children are young, let them run or crawl through as they please. But if you think your kids are old enough for a challenge, instruct them to make their way through the maze without touching any streamer at all.
To make it even more exciting, grab a buzzer from a board game and use it to let your kids know when they’ve accidentally been zapped by the lasers.
#2 Walk The Line
What is one of the most versatile tools to have in your home? Tape! You may be wondering, “How can tape be entertaining for boys?”
Imagine your child waking up one morning to discover that the hallways have been lined with long pieces of tape going in all different directions. Straight lines, zig-zagging lines, or wavy lines; there is no limit to what you can do!
Once your boys have enjoyed the initial discovery, begin to give them challenges such as hopping up and down on one foot along the blue tape. Or walking backward on the red tape.
If you have a large enough area, create a circle with the tape that will allow your child to race against their own time.
You can also hand your boys the roll of tape and have them create their own interesting patterns on the floor!
#3 Shoot And Splash
Nerf guns! Traffic cones! Water! Oh my!
When it comes to battling the summer heat, I can’t think of an outdoor activity that your children will enjoy more than shoot and splash.
All you will need are your kid’s favorite nerf blasters, toy traffic cones, and small plastic cups filled with water.
Carefully balance the cups of water on top of the traffic cones and decide where you want your kids to stand before they’re ready to aim.
Younger kids can stand close to the cones. But if your boys are older, then set them back far enough so they will need to aim carefully to knock the water cups over.
#4 Straw Blow Caterpillar Race
This activity is a huge hit with kids of all ages!
All you need are strips of paper that you have folded in a back and forth motion to resemble a zig-zag line and a straw for each participant.
Any hard floored surface will do. You can blow through your straw to make your caterpillars move and race each other to the finish line!
When your kids are finished with their caterpillars, search around the house together to see what other objects are light enough to be moved with air from a straw! Some ideas are cotton balls, pom-poms, feathers, or their sister’s hair bows!
What a great way to turn a fun activity into a learning opportunity.
#5 Cup Stacking Challenge
The sky’s the limit when it comes to stacking red solo cups!
You can have your children place them in a staggering pattern in the shape of a triangle, or to create a sturdy platform, you can use squares of cardstock between each cup. This method allows your kids to build towers that are higher than the traditional pyramid.
If your boys want to turn this activity into a competition, then set a timer and see who can use all fifty cups to create the highest tower. Remember, in order to win, the tower needs to be able to stand on its own!
#6 Squirt Gun Painting
This activity will let your boys exercise their creative abilities while allowing them to fulfill their need for target practice!
Fill your water guns with washable paint that has been diluted with water. You will want one part water and one part paint to keep the nozzle on the gun from becoming clogged.
Attach the paper or canvas you would like them to paint on to a wooden stake in the ground, or you can hang the sheets of paper on a clothesline.
Be prepared for this activity to yield a mess!
Pro-tip: make sure the activity is not set up in the direction of your house unless you want to have rainbows spattered on your siding!
#7 Build A Fort
I’m not sure I have ever met a child who didn’t love building forts.
When it comes to building a fort, start by taking a look around your home to see what materials you have to work with. Boxes, sheets, couch cushions, chairs, and small tables are all great ideas.
One of my favorite ways to begin is to take the cushions off the living room couch and stand them up on their ends to create the walls of the fort. You can use coffee tables or small pieces of furniture on the backside of the cushions to keep them from falling over.
If your boys are old enough to build a fort without supervision, then while they build, consider heading to the kitchen to whip up a quick batch of cookies or put together some cheese and crackers for them to enjoy in their new fort!
#8 Toy car garage
Ready to impress your kiddos with your cardboard creation skills?
All you need to make a garage are cardboard boxes, toilet paper tubes, and duct tape.
A popular way to make a garage is to use the toilet paper tubes as the parking spots inside the cardboard box.
If you want to take it a step further, use scissors to create ramps in the boxes and fortify them by attaching toilet paper tubes to the underside.
You can create several levels by layering boxes and using the tubes as support beams. Within each level draw lines to indicate parking spots for your child’s cars.
Cardboard unfortunately doesn’t last forever, so when the boxes and tubes begin to bend beyond repair, you can pull out your secret stash of more old cereal boxes and toilet paper tubes and begin again!
#9 Scavenger hunt
Rain or shine, a scavenger hunt provides your children with an activity that will get their brains working and bodies moving!
If you are doing an indoor scavenger hunt, consider having this activity prepped and ready to go before they wake up in the morning. This will make certain that the items you have left out for them to locate will not be moved or disturbed.
If an outdoor scavenger hunt is on the docket for today, hand them a camera or small drawing pad and bucket so they can collect the small items, and draw or take photos of the items that should not be moved.
#10 Balloon Rockets
This exciting activity will keep your boys occupied for some time!
Help your kids locate a safe spot to attach the string such as the backs of sturdy chairs.
Once you show them how to attach the inflated balloon to the drinking straw, you can let them enjoy their balloon entertainment!
Balloons can be blown up again and again, which makes setting up this rocket activity so worthwhile! Not to mention the crazy sound that the balloon makes when the air leaves it so quickly!
#11 Painted Treasure Rocks
This activity is one of my absolute favorites, and your boys will look back on these memories fondly.
Step one is to go rock hunting! Head down to the nearest creek or river bank and see if there are any rocks that have a smoothed-over surface.
Wash each rock and lay them to dry. Once they are ready to paint, provide your kids with an array of bright acrylic paints and brushes.
Encourage them to start with a base coat, which is using a solid color to cover the entire rock. Once the base coat is dry, they can enjoy painting all sorts of designs, superheroes, animals, or even writing simple messages.
Last but not least, have them decide if they want to place their rocks around town, give them to family members, or line the sidewalk at home.
#12 Water Balloon Baseball
When the sun is blazing hot and your kids seem to be melting with sweaty boredom outside, bring out the baseball bat and the bag of water balloons!
Hand your child the baseball bat and toss water balloons in their directions as they attempt to hit each one and make it explode!
If you want to add a little more action to this activity, set up bases around your yard. Once your child has hit the balloon and is mid-run to the next base, you have an opportunity to throw another balloon at them!
If you hit them, well, much like the original baseball game, they’re out!
#13 Straw Rockets
Designed for kids who enjoy space-related fun and for those who love making objects move, this activity is sure to make your child’s afternoon a delightful one!
If you want your boys to assist you in making the rockets, have squares marked off on paper for them to cut out. They can also help you tape the paper into a cone shape, and of course the most important step: they can take their straw rocket out for a test drive!
Some kids like using the simple paper cones, but if you want to give this activity a little more detail, then draw or print out pictures of rockets and have your kids color them and tape them to the paper cones!
#14 Sensory Walk
When you think of a sensory walk, you are probably thinking that it must be geared towards younger kids. But if you feel your older children would benefit from a calming activity, then this might just do the trick.
Find as many small plastic bins as you can spare and begin to fill them! You only need to put in enough materials to make it one half inch deep.
Some great ideas of sensory materials are water beads, rice (raw or cooked), dry beans, sand, shaving cream, slime, or dyed water.
If you want to make this activity more exciting, you can blindfold your older child, lead them to a bin, and have them guess what material they are stepping on! No peeking!
#15 Exploding Car Wash
We are aware of what happens when you combine baking soda with vinegar, but do your boys know?
If they have yet to witness these two ingredients combine, keep the result a secret!
Pour a generous amount of baking soda into the bottom of a deep casserole dish or any container with sides that will contain liquid.
Have your kids start by driving their cars in the white powder slowly, and when the time is right, have them watch as you pour vinegar onto the cars and baking soda!
When your kids are finished driving their cars through the white froth, rinse each toy in water and set them out to dry!
#16 Marshmallow And Toothpick Building Challenge
Do you suspect that you have an architect on hand? Here is a great way to satisfy your child’s urge to build things and to make them as strong as possible.
Consider giving your boys a category to choose from such as a house, bridge, or skyscraper and stand to the side as they create their masterpieces!
Another way to approach this activity is to give each child the task of building a specific building type, and see who can make it tallest or strongest in the given amount of time. Who doesn’t love a good race?
Toothpicks break easily and marshmallows are sure to be eaten, so make sure to have plenty of both items on hand to restock their building supplies.
#17 Dinosaur Lantern Jars
Do you have mason jars sitting unused on the top shelf of your kitchen cabinets?
If so, your child’s day just became a whole lot brighter!
Have your boys help you decide which dinosaur silhouettes to use on their lanterns. If your kids would rather use the shapes of their favorite animals or superheroes, those are also great ways to decorate your lantern jars!
Children enjoy making things that they can use around the house, and this is no exception. You can use these lanterns in their bedroom as nightlights, or your kids can keep them as a centerpiece on the kitchen table during lunchtime or their bedtime snack.
#18 Obstacle Course
How is the weather today? If the answer is sunny, then head to your garage or shed and pull out all the large scale kid items!
I’m talking wagons, basketball hoops, buckets large and small, pool noodles, boxes, balls, and chalk. Some long wooden planks for walking across would be a great addition too!
Set up a race that requires your kids to go up and over sturdy items, under sticks, dribble basketballs around cones, push wagons up hills, or hop up and down on one foot while carrying a pail of water.
Obstacle courses not only exercise your child’s body, but their brains will also be stimulated and they will benefit greatly from the friendly competitiveness of the course!
#19 Paper Airplanes
Making paper airplanes offers two-fold entertainment for your boys
First, the creating of the airplane masterpieces is half the fun and can be done by kids of any age with an adult present to guide them along the way.
There are many different folding techniques for paper airplanes, and older children will enjoy the challenge of following the directions to see if their plane turns out like the photo.
Second is the excitement of the test flight! Does your airplane fly straight? Whose design goes farther down the hallway? Are there any improvements that can be made?
There is a lot to think about and consider when crafting the perfect paper airplane. Keep encouraging your kids to make different designs until they find the one that works the best!
#20 Ice Block Treasure Hunt
Imagine your child’s surprise when they are presented with a huge ice block with some of their toys frozen inside! (if you feel that your child will not appreciate the gesture, prepare them ahead of time, and they can even help you assemble the activity)
If your kids want their items back, they will need to chisel away at the ice!
Hand them some tools that they can use safely and watch as they carefully break off pieces of ice to reveal their toys!
Toy dinosaurs or small plastic animals are great options for this activity as they are durable and will withstand the freezing and chiseling quite nicely.
To make this activity more exciting, give your older child a time limit that they have to work with. “There are 10 minutes on the clock. Can you rescue your toys in time?”
#21 Tape Road For Cars
Does your child look longingly at toy catalogs wishing for the newest car tracks for his vehicles to speed on?
Well, this may not be as large and colorful, but using tape to map out a new road for your kids is sure to entertain them for quite a while!
All you need is tape and your imagination!
If you feel that your child is old enough to use the tape responsibly, have them create their own roads!
To spruce things up, use a marker to draw lines down the tape to indicate lanes for the cars to ride on.
Head to where your kids keep their toy accessories and line the new roads with lego workshops, train stations, or even use sister’s mini pet shop if she agrees.
#22 Backyard Frisbee Tic Tac Toe
Calling all frisbee fanatics! Here is a chance for your kids to show their frisbee skills and accurate throwing techniques.
Create a tic tac toe board on your lawn by painting lines on the grass using spray paint.
If you don’t have enough frisbees on hand, you can use paper plates and spray paint them in two separate colors. Use paint or tape to make an X or an O on the backs of the plates.
The rules are simple: take turns and see who can land their frisbees in a line to win! This game is tricky for younger kids, and they are more than welcome to stand close to the game to play.
#23 Sand Slime
This recipe for slime is top-notch! And with the added texture and stone-like appearance from the sand, your kids will not be disappointed!
Take care to measure each ingredient carefully when you mix up the original slime recipe. However, when it comes to adding the sand, you can use as much or as little as you want.
The more sand you add to the mixture, the more texture your kids will feel when you squish it in their hands.
#24 Pool Noodle Race Track
Looking for an outdoor activity that involves cars and racing?
Pool noodles, when cut in half lengthwise, have the perfect hollowed out space for matchbox cars to zoom through.
You can tape the halves together side by side and secure one half of the track so the starting point is higher than the finish line. Now your kids can see whose vehicle can speed the fastest!
To add even more excitement to the activity, connect four pool noodle halves next to each other and stick signs made out of paper, tape, and toothpicks into the foamy edges.
Make sure to put several flags and signs at the finish line!
#25 Warrior Face Paint
Does your son enjoy donning his favorite superhero gear as he heads outside to save the world from destruction?
Offer your child the opportunity to look even fiercer by having his face painted with stripes or designed in the colors of his choice.
Try your hand at mixing up this quick homemade face paint and let your child have fun with paining it on his face or arms.
Soon, he will be ready to conquer any pretend enemy that stands in his path!
#26 Mason Jar Aquarium
Assembling your aquarium is one of the most enjoyable parts of this activity!
Yes, swirling your fish and glitter around to see them move is quite fascinating, but the details and personality your kids can demonstrate while putting their aquarium together is truly special.
The rocks and plants you put inside your jar will likely come ‘unplanted’ due to excess swirling of the jar. If you want your aquarium accessories to stay put, use a hot glue gun to secure those objects in place.
You will also want to use hot glue to seal your lid onto the jar to prevent leaks.
#27 Compass Walk
Children are enthralled with compasses! How neat that such a small item always knows what direction you are going.
This activity can be done indoors or outside, although I recommend using the great outdoors for this activity since there is more room for wandering and directional changes.
Hand your child a compass and ask them to identify which direction is north. Once they accomplish this task, have them walk north until you give them another command.
Once they are comfortable with following the compass, call out different directions to walk! Don’t forget to use the combinations of northeast, northwest, southwest, and southwest.
See how long they can keep up with their compass and your instructions!
#28 Crunchy Box
Is your pantry full of partially or completely stale items?
Instead of tossing them into the trash bin, pour the contents into a shallow container such as a cookie tray or plastic storage box.
Items that are great for smashing include raw shaped pasta and breakfast cereals of all varieties.
When it’s time to get to smashing the contents, have your kids choose which tool they want to use for the crunchy food demolition. Toy hammers are a popular choice, or they can get creative by using large plastic dinosaurs to do the crunching!
#29 Homemade Volcano
Are your kids ready to be amazed? This homemade volcano allows some room for your boys to use their imaginations!
First, they need to create the base of their volcano out of playdough. They can make the mountain as realistic or artistic as they want.
Next, place the bottom half of a paper cup in the top of the mountain. This will be where you place baking soda.
Head out to the driveway and get ready to pour food color dyed vinegar into the mouth of the volcano!
I suggest taking a video of your kid’s reaction when they see their creation explode in a sea of colorful sputtering froth.
#30 Jelly Bean Building Challenge
This fun activity is similar to constructing buildings with marshmallows and toothpicks, but instead of using the fluffy white cubes, provide an array of colorful jelly beans to keep the toothpicks in place.
Jelly beans are chewy and quite sticky, which makes them sturdier than marshmallows and the perfect addition to your child’s building.
The vibrant colors make any bridge, building, or castle absolutely stunning to look at! And might I add, perfectly delectable!
Which Activity Do You Think Your Boys Will Enjoy The Most?
I hope you’ve enjoyed this list and gained some insight on ways to keep your boys on their toes with new and exciting activities.
Leave a comment with your thoughts and let us know which activities your boys enjoyed the most! And feel free to share this article with your “boy mom” friends!