Boredom is a Normal and Essential Part of Childhood Development
There’s something undeniably special about childhood. It’s when everything is new and exciting, and you’re constantly learning and growing. But growth comes with some challenges, too. One of those challenges is boredom.
It is estimated that 7 out of 10 children experience boredom at some point during their childhood years. While boredom may not be the most pleasant feeling in the world, it is actually a normal and essential part of childhood development.
Boredom allows children to practice and develop their planning, flexibility and self-regulation skills as they find ways to entertain themselves. It also encourages creativity and problem-solving as they come up with new ways to occupy their time.
Normally, youngsters do not schedule their days, however when they engage in a task to fill their free time, they need to make a plan, organize their supplies, and solve challenges. Developing such skills allows children to effectively manage a wide range of academic tasks, including long-term assignment planning, flexibility while working on group projects, and social skills.
In addition, boredom can teach kids patience and how to better deal with frustration. When kids are constantly being entertained, they never have to wait for anything or deal with any negative feelings. However, when they are bored, they learn how to deal with these emotions and ultimately become more patient people.
Yet how can we as parents teach our children to manage their boredom so that they can develop independence and feel in control of their own happiness?
I. Deal with Boredom Head-on
When a kid says, “I’m bored,” it might be code for a variety of things. They could be hungry, asking for attention, wondering about what you’re doing, or looking for a way to spend their time.
Although it’s essential to consider what they’re truly whining about, you should be cautious about your initial reaction. If you drop everything just because they require your attention, they will never learn to entertain themselves. If you spend time planning activities every time kids ask, they will never have the opportunity to come up with their own. Rather than being reactive, be proactive with your children about their alternatives.
Allocate some time with your kids to make a list of things they like as well as some enjoyable challenges or longer-term tasks so that you get ahead of complaint. Preferably, this list will consist of a combination of your ideas and your kids’ – to get started, you can talk about what they’ve preferred in the past, new things they’re keen on learning, and creative ways to use items you already have in the house. Use this list (with some images for younger kids) for your kids to refer to rather than coming to you whenever they are bored.
Consider having a daily schedule with the list you created. Many children dislike having unstructured free time, so tell them about the daily plans and the duration they’ll have to spend on each activity on the list. It will comfort them that they are not completely alone, assist them in staying on track, and give them a model of how to organize their time so they can finally complete it independently.
An Activity List for Young Kids Might Include:
- Have a picnic/breakfast with stuffed animals
- Go for insects’ hunt
- Create a fort
- Play with Legos or any other construction toys
- Play with puzzles
- Color or make a craft
- Contact a relative
For Older Kids and Teens, the List Might Include:
- Play board games
- Draw, paint or make a craft
- Read one of your favorite series’ books
- Begin your own garden
- Make your own website/podcast
- Learn a new dance
- learn a new sport
By completing the work early on, you can escape the loop of wasting time problem-solving when your kids have free time. When they say they’re bored, guide them to the list. With time, you’ll be able to distance yourself from the process and start rewarding and praising your children whenever they find something to do on their own.
II. Be Wary of Attention-Seeking
Usually, when kids reject every suggestion, it’s because they want your attention rather than because they dislike the suggestions. The longer they can engage you in the conversation, the more successful they will be in getting your attention. Giving your child attention frequently serves as a reward, thus having lengthy chats allows your kid to avoid dealing with their boredom, which is the reverse of what you want.
If your child refuses to choose activities on their own, you may need to spend a little more time guiding them, but while keeping discussion brief and straight to the point. Give them two options and ask them to choose one. If neither of those appeal to them, advise them to try something else. However, if they do not choose something else during the following 5 mins, you will. Then, specify when you’ll be ready to give them your whole attention and resist replying to their request for an endless list of choices.
III. Encourage Imagination and Creativity
Creative thinking is the key for fighting boredom, however the incapacity to plan and follow through might stand in the way. While a cardboard box can spark creativity at any age, some children may not even know where to start. If this is the case, you’ll have to teach them how to plan each step and assist them in developing problem-solving skills. Ask about what they want to do first, what supplies they will need, and the steps they intend to take. Other children may want a little encouragement to begin thinking beyond the box.
Moreover, if your kid is stuck playing with the same exact way each time they play with their toys, you might take some time teaching to think differently. For instance, remove the farm animals rather than just constructing the identical tower every time. Suggest that they construct a zoo with separate areas for each animal. Do certain animals require more space than others? Could certain animals exist side by side? You can do the same with art materials or dress-up outfits. Combining supplies that don’t normally go together is a terrific way to spark creativity and imagination.
Give older kids open-ended projects (tasks that can be completed in numerous ways and have different possible results) to help them develop problem-solving skills. Organizing a scavenger hunt, for instance, entails developing a theme, arranging a route, hiding objects, writing clues, and deciding on a prize. Tech-savvy children can dive into the several stages involved in designing their own website or podcast.
Alternatively, give your kids a package that includes old clothing, unused materials from DIY projects, or even broken devices. Encourage them to build any useful thing out of these items, compose a creative story, reuse each piece, and so on. They may discover a new passion or boost their self-esteem by tackling such challenging tasks.
Additionally, you can encourage your children to be creative with online pals who they may not have met in person. Perhaps they could hold a video call while working on a craft or cooking a meal, or they might trade off writing sections of a story via Google Doc.
IV. Be Realistic
Your activity list will not cover your kid’s time for the whole day, regardless of how proactive you were. To determine how long they can play independently, consider how long your kid can sit still in a classroom — class time in kindergarten is approximately 15 mins, while a middle school class is 50 mins. Furthermore, consider their usual activity level-children that are particularly energetic might want a break every 20 mins to run around outside, but others may sit still for 2 hours.
Children with ADHD find it more difficult to keep themselves occupied for a long duration since their attention and focus decrease over time. Furthermore, activities quickly lose the freshness they initially had, thus kids’ enthusiasm for an activity menu fades away
You’ll soon discover how long your kid can keep themselves occupied on their own. Check in with them before that time ends and give them praise and reward positive attitude so they feel proud of what they’ve done on their own. Your reward may be limited to praise or it may be points toward an enjoyable activity you can do together, a fight with water guns, or even some screen time.
V. Accept Failure
help your child learn that failure is a part of life and it’s okay to fail, which is another advantage of boredom. It’s possible that a project won’t go exactly according to plan, but the important part is to fail and then try again. Frustration tolerance, persistence, and resilience are all enhanced by failure. We need to help our kids get rid of the stigma of failure as something horrible.
You may give it a twist by asking them what’s gone right and what’s gone wrong. Encourage your kids to keep trying if they need to learn how to stick with anything. As for whether they need to learn to be more adaptable, assist them in creating an alternative project with the same materials.
VI. Excite Yourself in the Face of Boredom
Teaching your kids that boredom is a great opportunity to do something would be advantageous for both of you. They will explore new hobbies, boost their frustration tolerance, learn how to take action and enjoy themselves, develop planning and problem-solving skills, raise their confidence, and gain a better understanding of themselves. Add to that, you’ll have much more time to yourself with much fewer complaints to hear.
So next time your child says, “I’m bored,” resist the urge to entertain them, encourage them to find their own ways to have fun and say: “That’s fantastic! I’m so excited to see what you come up with!”. It just might be the best thing for their development.
It’s your turn now… what are the strategies you use to help your kids overcome boredom? Tell us in the comment section below and don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family
