Practice a skill. Learning new skills can help you out of future predicaments or impress your friends! You can try skills that capture your interest, or you can try to learn skills that are related to each other to build mastery in that area. Some suggestions for you to consider are: Sleight of hand Draw/paint Juggle Marksmanship Fish Martial arts Poi Car maintenance Stained glass Take up a hobby. Hobbies can be any activity that you do regularly for fun. A hobby can be done on your own or with others who share your interest, which can be anything from gardening to collecting moths. Some classic hobbies, like stamp collecting, might seem old fashioned, but you never know when an old or new hobby might make your time more meaningful and fun. Origami can help you transform scrap paper into animals, shapes, ninja stars and more. Become a puzzle master and test the strength of your mind. Try your hand at jigsaw puzzles, mechanical puzzles like a Rubik's Cube, or solve a chess puzzle. Check out bug collecting. Entomology has been fascinating children and adults for hundreds of years. Try creative writing or poetry. Picking up a pen and paper, you might find that filling the paper makes

your time pass more pleasantly. Take up hiking and explore your local area. Look for short cuts that you might use in the future. Take pictures with your cell phone of any cool sights and share them later with your friends or family. Become the next crypto-expert, and learn the secrets of cryptography. Cryptography is the systematic practice of writing or breaking codes. Pursue astronomy with a telescope and peer at the mysteries of our universe. Listen to podcasts. This is a great way for you to delve into an area of interest while exercising or going for a walk. Podcasts can also make tedious tasks, like laundry or picking up, a lot more tolerable. Read books. Though you might thing of reading as a school-only exercise, reading is a proven way of relaxing.[1] X Research source What could be better than exploring a world of your own imagining? Speed reading is a skill you will never regret learning. Check out comic books and graphic novels. Since the late '80s, artists have pushed the boundaries of comics to include themes more thought provoking and true to life.[2] X Research source Even though it's a comic book, you might find you identify deeply with characters you read about,

and the artistry that brings them to life. Put on your sleuth's hat and pick up a mystery! You can watch Sherlock Holmes on TV, certainly, but you can join Sherlock Holmes in solving a mystery in a book. Look to the future and indulge in a sci-fi adventure. These don't have to be your typical romp through outer space -- you might travel through time, or down a wormhole to another dimension eerily similar to your own. Read biographies of people you admire and public figures you identify with. This can give you insight to their lives, and also some insight into your own. Take a pet for a walk. If you don't have a pet, you can always ask your neighbor if they might let you take their pup for a walk around the park. Taking dog for a walk has many benefits, including decreasing stress and an increased sense of well-being.[3] X Research source Spending some time with a fuzzy companion can add some pep to your after school routine. Go for a walk on your own. Your working memory functions better when you go for a walk, which helps with reasoning, making your walk an ideal moment to puzzle out any problems you might have.[4] X Research source Walking has many benefits for your health and

mood, and walking in nature has been shown to reduce stress.[5] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source [6] X Research source Put a new spin on the same 'ol, same 'ol. It can be easy for you and your friends to do the same thing over and over again. But even if you have a limited amount of resources, you can mix and match rules to your favorite games, or add to a familiar activity to make it fresh. Television referee is an excellent game to play when there's nothing to do, and nothing on TV. Choose a common word, or several common words, to serve as signals for actions for you and your friends. Every time you hear a new signal word on TV, change what you're doing! Add a new sneaky element to this game by keeping it a secret from adults. Choose high frequency words, like the name of a character, or difficult actions, like having to do 20 push-ups, to make the game harder. Heckle a movie with your friends. You probably shouldn't do this in a movie theater and upset other guests, but sitting down with good friends at home to see a hilariously bad movie can lead to a boredom-free time. Make sure you have popcorn,

drinks, and other snacks to have the theater experience. Game and grindstone is a way you and your friends can make studying less of a drag. Set a timer for 20 minutes, and take turns rotating gaming and studying. At the end of every hour, review what you've learned. This is also a clever solution if you only have a single controller. Combine two unrelated games together to come up with something exciting that will help you conquer your doldrums. For example, you might combine the games of freeze tag and rock-paper-scissors, so that a player is only unfrozen after winning against another player in rock-paper-scissors. Play board games. If you're thinking of chess or checkers, both of these can be mentally challenging and a great way to pass the time. But recently there has been an explosion of specialty board games, where you and your friends can exorcise ghosts, repair a gnome-made submarine, or even stop a plague. A general search for "interesting board games" can put you and your friends onto the track of a new and exciting game. Some of these can be expensive, so take advantage of free demonstrations at your local hobby store. Have a cupcake party! Or, if you have a different

favorite food, try that instead. Baking cookies, banana bread, or brownies can give you the chance to have fun and relax with friends. And you get a treat at the end. Don't stop having fun when the timer hits zero, make your cupcakes into monsters, using frosting or candy. When you finish your monsters, make heroes, too! Decorate your cookies with patterns, or put several cookies together and frost them in the style of your favorite artist. Make a time capsule. Reflecting on good times can make you feel good in the present, too![7] X Research source By looking back into your past, you and your friends can appreciate how far you've come, and maybe gain a better idea of where you're going. Build a cardboard castle or clubhouse. With a little effort, you can probably find enough refrigerator boxes to build a more impressive structure than you could when you were younger. Getting your friends involved might upgrade your castle to a palace. Put on a show involving the new scenery you've just made. Have one of your friends record it with a camera, and then share it with classmates the next day at school. Join or start a card club. A game of cards can be cool and classy or a rowdy good

time. Learn new games with your friends and rotate between them so you don't get bored again. Some games to investigate: Hearts Spades Slap Jack Euchre Canasta Say "yes" to boredom. You might think this suggestion ridiculous, especially since you want to have fun. When you feel bored and look to the Internet, television, or music to take your mind off that feeling, it might actually prolong your boredom, or cause it to carry over into activities that might have otherwise been enjoyable.[8] X Trustworthy Source Association for Psychological Science Nonprofit organization devoted promoting trustworthy research and education in the psychological sciences Go to source It is generally agreed that some measure of acceptance is required to beat persistent boredom.[9] X Research source Acknowledge other activities as a distraction, but do not give in to that temptation. This is an important time for you to ask yourself if you are really feeling unmotivated, or whether or not something more serious is the root of your boredom. You might be using boredom as a way of protecting yourself from a big change in your life, feelings of disappointment, a falling out with a friend, or some other

concern. Respect your mind's way of protecting itself, but admit to yourself the existence of these deeper feelings.[10] X Research source Explore the feelings inside your boredom. You can do so intuitively, by labeling the impressions you have as they occur to you. Are you feeling lonely or disconnected? If this is the case, you can help yourself feel better by calling a friend. Are you feeling trapped? Ask a parent or close friend for perspective. Another common root of boredom is fear. Are you unsure of the future or is a test looming in the not-too-distant future? In these instances, scheduling a meeting with your school counselor or talking with a teacher might help you cure the root of your boredom. Search for new interests. Though you might want someone to solve this problem for you, research has shown that being involved in finding new hobbies can seriously reduce feelings of boredom.[11] X Research source Tests on bored individuals have shown that chronically bored people have lower self-awareness, which has led some to question if boredom is really a lack of understanding what you truly want.[12] X Research source Return control to yourself. A key element involved in

boredom is control -- specifically, you not having it.[13] X Research source If you're stuck in a waiting room, listening to a lecture, or waiting on a bus, try meditating. Feeling trapped can make you restless, anxious, and make boredom unbearable. Exert control in the form of meditation to help banish the feeling. Allow your body to relax and your thoughts to focus on physical sensations. Breathe evenly, and allow your mind to focus itself on these simple actions.