“I’m bored”, every parent has heard these words from their children at some point or another. I don’t know when the shift happened, but we have become obsessed with keeping our children entertained. It’s almost as if we have convinced ourselves that if our kids become bored, we have failed as parents.
Many parents plan out their children’s day with activities that keep them occupied. Parents make sure that these activities foster learning, or in the very least, keeps them busy. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we may try, we may not be able to fill their entire day with something for them to do. At some point, they will utter the words “mom, I’m bored”.
But, is it a bad thing for your children to be bored?
The Child Mind Institute says that “boredom fosters creativity, self-esteem and original thinking”.
Your child NEEDS to experience boredom. It is an important part in human development. When they are bored, it allows for their minds to unwind and think of ways to entertain themselves. As a result, it encourages independence, engages their critical thinking abilities, and stimulates their creativity.
5 things children learn when they are bored
1. Patience
When children are bored, they learn to be patient. Sometimes, they will have to sit still and just wait for something to take place. This is a valuable skill to grow, as they will need it all throughout their lifetime. Things don’t always happen right away and we will often find ourselves with down time. They need to learn how to manage this time in a healthy manner.
2. Teaches them to unwind
If they are constantly being bombarded with stimuli, it can be hard to unwind. They need to learn how to relax in a healthy way and enjoy this time. It is important for their development and growth to be able to rest and have calm time.
Down time also gives them the opportunity to think about their day, things that they want to do, and even gives them time to check-in with themselves and process their feelings and thoughts.
Unwinding is important. Even though we don’t want to over-indulge resting (because that’s a highway to fostering laziness), our bodies need rest. It greatly improves our physical and mental health.
However, this does not mean they have to remain idle. They can do an activity that encourages calmness. i.e.: coloring, reading, or writing their thoughts down in a diary.
The goal is to bring them down from the high of hectic stimuli, to a place of relaxation.
3. Opportunity to create
When they are bored, it gives them the chance to be creative and to sharpen their mental agility. In the quest of giving them activities to keep them busy, we might accidently rob them of their ability to use their imagination.
Think about your childhood, what pretend games did you play? How many games did you come up with? I remember when I was little, my brother and I used to flip up the cushions of the couch, and pretended we were driving a taxi. We would spend the afternoon playing pretend games. No one told us to play that game, we came up with it.
Our children have the same capability that we had. They are also capable of coming up with their own fun games. Unfortunately, there are times that they simply haven’t been given the chance to do so.
4. Fosters independence
Even if they have more siblings, there will be times when everyone is going to be doing their own thing and will not want to play together. These moments give the child an opportunity to do things on their own, without depending on anyone else.
This is really important because it will allow them to think for themselves and march to the beat of their own drum. It will protect them in the future from joining activities that they do not like or could possibly be harmful, just because they do not want to be alone.
They will feel comfortable being in their own company and enjoy their own quiet time.
5. Not dependent on electronics
It is no secret that cellphones, tablets, and many other electronic devices have become part of our daily lives. Our children use computers in school for learning, and they use tablets at home to do homework and for entertainment.
Most children can figure out how to play a game or watch a show in a tablet or phone by the time they are 2 years old.
Unfortunately, many kids have become dependent on these devices to keep themselves entertained and happy. What happens when you take their devices away? A huge tantrum and lots of tears. Sometimes these devices are the only outlet that they have to keep themselves engaged.
We don’t want our kids to be in this situation. We want them to be able to enjoy themselves, even if they don’t have access to their cellphone or tablet.
When they are bored and do not have an electronic device to rely on, they will be able to think of something else that they can do without losing their cool. It won’t feel like the end of the world for them, and they will pivot on a different direction.
How it looks for us
I often prepare activities for my kids to do. Sometimes they involve the whole family, while others, might just be for them to do on their own. However, I do not plan out their entire day. I may plan an activity or two, but then is up to them to figure out what to do for the rest of the day.
They do watch their tablets and play video games, but they also do other things away from the screens.
There are times that I have to tell them to go outside to play and get some fresh air. But most of the time, they put down their devices on their own and go play in the backyard, or make up a game to play indoors.
I am still met with the “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do”, and when that happens, I just tell them that it’s ok to be bored. They can either sit and be bored, or they could think of something to do. Before I know it, they are laughing and having a good time. Sometimes they draw, read a book, play on their bunkbed, play with their toys, or play with an oversized box.
The goal is to allow the space for them to use their imagination and get their creative thoughts flowing.
Last thoughts
Children may sometimes act as if being bored will be the end of them, but the truth is, they will be just fine. It’s like a cheat code that gets unlocked and releases their own creativity and problem-solving abilities.
There is nothing wrong in creating structure and stability in our children’s daily lives. However, we don’t need to jam pack their day to avoid boredom. Give them the chance to figure it out on their own. They might surprise you with their ideas.
Psss… You might be interested in reading What Age Should A Child Have Their First Cellphone?
