"Mooooooooom! I'm bored!"

Is it just me or does it seem like once the newness of summer wears off, the "I'm bored!" brigade breaks out into full swing?!?

To combat that this year we've come up with a pretty successful boredom buster...

Every time one of the monsters mentions how bored they are, I remind them that there is PLENTY to do around the house!  They pick one of many smaller magnets off the fridge & go about completing the task at hand.  Be it cleaning up, reading a book, helping out in the yard, or making sure the pups are taken care of, these little "chore buttons" have helped x1 & x2 especially become more active in necessary daily routines.

Best of all?  The monsters have realized that by helping out more & more, the needs of the day are met quickly & there's more time for outings, play, & crafting.  Win/Win from my perspective. :)

Note - I have had a few people ask me why I don't do assigned chore taskings with them & it's simple.  DH & I feel that, because we all make the mess & live in the house, it all of our responsibilities to WILLINGLY keep it clean & functioning in some capacity.  Taking away rewards for forgetting to take out the trash or make their beds just doesn't make sense in the way things run around here.

Either way, this has work great the last few months for us!  Any tips/tricks that you use around your house to combat the summer "I'm bored!" blues?