If you are a mom, an aunt, a teacher, an older sister, a grandma, or have been around kids in some way today, you have probably heard the phrase, “I’m bored!!!” at least once in the last hour, am I right?? I think it’s somewhat of an epidemic among growing children today. Believe me, as a teacher I can plan the most fun and exciting lessons/activities and still, I will hear the dreaded phrase from at least one stinker per class period. That’s why as I searched and searched for the best children’s books this year, this one jumped out at me. It’s called, “I’m Bored!” by Michael Ian Black.

The title of course made me smile but I wasn’t sure it’d live up to its name. So, I searched it out at the local library and tried it out on my 4 year old niece who laughed aloud through the ENTIRE book! She was NOT bored! I laughed as well and found that it was actually a really fun one to read because it lent itself to much vocal animation. While my niece is only four, I think that this book, despite being a picture book, would entertain somewhat older children, even up to ten years old. It’s just funny and something that they can relate to easily.

The story is about a young girl who while bored, meets a potato who is also bored. The girl tries to explain to the potato why being a kid is so much more fun than being a potato. Mister potato will not have any of it though. He refuses to let go of his boredom. All the while you are getting some great ideas for what to do when you are bored. The potato may have remained in boredom but the girl showed herself that being a kid is fun and there are all sorts of entertaining things that one can find to do!

Sometimes when you are bored, it’s hard to be creative, right? So why not have your kids make a list now of the things they can do when they are bored so that all they have to do is go pull a piece of paper out of a jar to give them an idea? You can make it super cute too! It’s a great simple craft/activity to go along with reading the book. I found a cute example of this with some great ideas on Somewhat Simple. Check out the site to read more about it!  For some other ideas to put in the jar, check out The Homestyle.

All that boredom and crafty sure can make one hungry and kids need snacks from time to time right? From my small experience (none of my own yet) I’ve noticed that kids LOVE helping in the kitchen. So, after reading this book to my cute niece, I set out to find a good snack to go with the book that she could help me make. I’m loving these Parmesan Roasted Potatoes that Leigh Anne from Your Homebased Mom shared on the blog yesterday.  McKenna would love to make these!


Check it out. Read the book, make the jar, and finish it off with something useful to do with a potato…eat it!

What are some of your best ideas for bored children? What will you put in your jar??

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