How to Make an Activity Jar

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Last Updated: August 20, 2026 References

"I'm bored!" Is one of the most common things kids say, especially on weekends or during school breaks. If you’ve heard this phrase a lot in your house, then these activity jars may be able to help you out. They're also a great collaborative project that can be personalized to your child's unique style and interests.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Getting Started

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1
Choose a jar for this project. You can choose to use a jar that you have in your home currently^{[1]
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Research source}. If you choose a mason jar, a lid is not required for it, but you can purchase/use one, if you'd like.^{[3]
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Research source} Either way, make sure their jar is clean.^{[4]
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- If you don't have or don't want to use a jar, you can also choose to use a box or other container.
2
Decorate the jar. You can decorate the jar using paint colors of you and your child's choosing, have your child write their name on it, or simply write "Activity Jar", perhaps in a fun font. The choice is yours and your child(ren)'s. Ultimately, it should feel unique to the individual or the family who will be using it.
- Check out this category for some additional ideas for how to decorate the jar.
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3
Prepare to write the activities. You can use standard slips of paper, but if your jar is a little larger, or you don't want to include as many items in the jar, you can make the paper slips a little bigger. If you'd like to mix it up, you can use craft sticks that are large enough to write on^{[5]
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Pencil or pen will work fine if you're writing on paper, but if you're writing on craft sticks, it's best to choose marker.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Filling the Jar

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1
Talk with whoever will be using the jar. Collaboratively discuss what fun activities they like to do, and write them down on a separate sheet of paper. Once you are at roughly 25-30 activities, or more/less depending on the size of the jar, stop. Keep the list with you as you continue through the next steps.
- If you are stumped on activity ideas, some possible ideas include jump roping, playing a favorite video game for a set amount of time (decided by you), writing a story, reading a book, dancing around, or playing a game of hopscotch, to name just a few^{[6]
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  Research source}. Your final jar activities will likely be unique, depending on what the jar's users typically like to do for fun!
2
Figure out activity jar rules. These can be decided collaboratively, and are ultimately whatever works best for you and your family. Some decide that the child must finish the activity they choose.^{[7]
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Research source} However, if an activity is not logistically possible at the moment due to weather and you don't have the activities separated by category, however, allowing a redraw until they pick something they are able to do is a good idea. Ultimately, the rules of the activity jar will be different for every family.
3
Write down the activities that were chosen. Keep one activity per slip of paper, and as you finish writing an activity, add it to the jar. Cross off the activities on the list as you include them, so you can keep track.
- As long as the names of the activities can still be read, you can write using a fun font or unique color, if you'd like.
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Decide on a place for the jar. In collaboration with whoever will be using it, figure out a place to keep the jar. It should be in a place all users of the jar will remember, that is also safe.
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Enjoy using the jar! To use it, any time someone using the jar tells you that they are bored or would like something to do, you can pull the jar down together and randomly select a fun activity.

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Tips

These instructions are for making just one activity jar, but you're welcome to repeat this process make more than one, if you'd like. This could be beneficial if you'd like to make one activity jar for each of your children^{[8]
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Research source} If you make one jar for each of your children, make sure everyone's name is on their individual jar, so you can distinguish them from one another.^{[10]
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