Overview: Hearing “I’m bored” can be a good thing! Discover the blessing of boredom by learning how letting kids feel bored can foster creativity, independence, and resilience.
Have you heard those dreaded words of “I’m bored” escape your kids’ mouths yet this summer? As a kid, I remember how much I looked forward to summer. When that last day of school let out for the year, there was such a feeling of freedom!
It didn’t take long, however, before my brother and I were bored. We would watch Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island reruns until we were blue in the face. We would whine and complain to our mom about how there was nothing to do.
It wouldn’t take long before my mom would turn us outside for the day to come up with something to do on our own.
That’s when the magic happened.
We would sit in the yard for a while and think. Then, inspiration would hit and we’d come up with stuff to do. We used to ride our bikes to the pond near our house and try to skip rocks. We would sit on our skateboards and race down a nearby hill.
We would play hours of cops & robbers with my brother’s cap guns. We could climb on top of our rickety metal swing set and pretend that sharks were trying to jump up and snap at our dangling legs. We built many a fort in the nearby woods with other neighborhood kids.
When we were kids, we didn’t have play dates or camps or extracurricular activities to fill our summers. My mom didn’t drive us to friend’s houses or movies or to the mall. In fact, there were several years when our family only had one car, so we were stuck at home all day long for the vast majority of the summer.
We stayed at home and ran around the neighborhood looking for stuff to do. We only came home when our stomachs were achingly empty or when the dimming light let us know it was time for supper.
Summers aren’t like this anymore.
My sons, and probably yours, are being flooded with a myriad of possible activities. They are attending film camps, church camps, drama camps, and grandpa camps. We are heading to friends’ houses and reconnecting with extended family.
We have family reunions and family camping trips to attend.
While all of these things are good, sometimes we are tired and find ourselves wanting to spend a few days at home “being bored.”
There is value in letting our kids be bored sometimes.
Being bored can be the catalyst for waking up their imaginations. Being bored can propel them to discover new things about themselves that they would never have known otherwise. Being bored can be a blessing!
Here are 4 Ways to Give Your Kids the Blessing of Boredom:
1. Stay Home Sometimes
Believe it or not, sometimes staying home actually needs to be scheduled on our calendars. When my husband and I were first married, we had commitments every weekend of the summer.
So, the next year, we scheduled in some D&M (Dennis and Michelle) weekends before summer ever began. That way, we could legitimately say that we already had something planned if we were asked to do something that weekend.
2. Turn off Electronic Devices
Most boys LOVE their electronic devices. While having some time on the screens isn’t bad, it’s easy for this to get out of control on long summer days.
Be sure to give your kids certain times throughout the day when they aren’t able to use their devices. This will allow them to “get bored” and find something more productive to do.
3. Push the kids outside for a few hours
There’s nothing like facing a few hours outside with “nothing” to do to activate our kids’ imaginations. This time is more likely to be successful if you provide the kids with some tools, especially if unstructured time outside is new to your kids.
Nerf swords, slip and slides, bikes, basketballs, etc are all fairly inexpensive and will give kids something to do while they are thinking. After your kids get used to this time outside, they’ll be able to use dirt, sticks, and even bugs to come up with their own entertainment.
4. Don’t tell your kids what to do
The key to boredom being a blessing is that your kids need to figure out what to do on their own. Telling them what to do defeats the purpose. We want this to be a time when their brains will light up and they will come fully alive.
Initially, it can take some time for them to come up with stuff to do on their own. As they get used to it, however, they will think of stuff quickly and entertaining themselves will become second nature.
This summer, as possible activities are presented to your family, try to keep in mind the blessings associated with boredom. Find the balance between having a structured and an unstructured summer.
Although they may not realize it right away, someday your kids will look back and thank you for giving them such a valuable gift.
Question: Do you see boredom as a blessing? Are your kids ever bored or are they too busy to feel that emotion? Do you think boredom can be beneficial? Please leave a comment below.
I love these tips! I made the rule years ago when I ran an in home daycare, that whoever said they were “bored” would be given the gift of the brush. The TOILET brush. That rule has made “I’m Bored” obsolete in our house.
Ah ha ha! Love it! What a great idea… Excellent way to motivate them to inspire themselves!
YES!! I have said this for years and it is still true.
I love this post. My two boys this summer have a booth at the local farmers market. They are making homemade items to sell. So they have had to keep busy at home preparing their booth and making stuff. It has been so much fun for all of us. They have customers, mostly other boys, that come looking for their booth. They are actually making a little spending money and talking to people about their interests and how they come up with ideas and designs. It takes time at home piddling around to come up with good creative ideas.
What a great way for them to spend their summer! Yes, it does take a bunch of time to come up with good ideas. Thomas Edison used to give himself a quota of coming up with one minor invention every ten days… and one major invention every six months. Can you imagine?!? Talk about taking a lot of time to think!
When my son is “bored” is when he comes up with the greatest ideas and Lego creations!
Definitely! What would we do without Lego?
I hear the “I’m bored” phrase this summer almost all day long! The mistake I’m doing is I usually tell my daughter what to do. I’ve never thought boredom as a blessing! Thank you for this post, it can actually be very useful to me! So glad I found it at pintastic party!
I’m glad you’ve found it helpful. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Have a great night!
Thanks for the article. Great tips and advice 🙂 it reminded me of my responses to my two oldest when they were young children. I have an enthusiastic 10 year old who has loads of ideas and loves to play and explore and invent things. Our challenge is getting together with friends. who have a similar outlook – most don’t live close by
That’s a challenge for us, too. It’s the only downside to living out in the country rather than in a neighborhood!
I have 2 boys and find myself wrestling with whether or not they should be enrolled in the never ending ‘camps’. I had a calander planned for this summer with every day filled in till I showed it to my husband who laughed and said “no way! Summer should be free for play and the beach!” And on a number of occasions this summer I’ve found myself feeling so thankful that our schedule is clear to truly enjoy the company that floods in and all the beach/home days! Great article!
Thanks, Darcie. As my boys have gotten older, their calendars have naturally gotten more full. But we still try to be very intentional to keep plenty of days/weeks open for that very reason. Your husband is wise! Hope you’re enjoying your summer so far. 🙂