A Binder for Boredom — and a Magazine for Mom

There are some things I would recommend to all parents, and this is one of them, especially if you have children between the ages 2 to 13.

It is FamilyFun magazine.  Wait!  If you’re thinking, “I am not a magazine person — no thanks”, read on!  There’s more to it.

I had been a downloader on its website several times pursuing recipes and crafts. Then, having been impressed with Family Fun‘s book My Great Idea, a compilation of, well, great ideas submitted by the magazine’s readers, I decided it may be worth subscribing to the magazine in paper form, and this is why:

Like many seven year olds, my daughter complained one day that she was bored and she had nothing to do.  She wanted to make crafts and started out on her own, which turned into a crying fit because she had no directions and the materials she chose didn’t work.

That’s when it occurred to me to create a binder for my children consisting of pages from the magazine.  The binder is organized according to activity, such as crafts, games, magic tricks, and kid recipes.



Now when FamilyFun arrives in my mailbox, I thumb through the pages, ripping out the pages that will be a great addition to the “Boredom Binder”, and then place the magazine in our magazine collection used for collages.  My kids now have a cure for boredom, with directions even a child can follow to make simple yet very fun crafts, or games to play.

And two added benefits I have noticed: confidence and patience.  I watched my daughter try with patience to master some of the suggested magic tricks.  When she was able to, her eyes glowed with confidence as she realized she can do it.

Here’s where you can subscribe on Amazon to get it for less than $10.