Don’t you just loathe those 2 little words “I’m bored?” What if someone told you that it is actually good for kids to be bored. When it comes to parenting, you can feel like you just haven’t quite mastered it when your kids are complaining of boredom. It is important to know that you aren’t alone! In fact, it is actually good for your kids to be bored.
4 REASONS IT’S GOOD FOR KIDS TO BE BORED:
BOREDOM STRIKES CREATIVITY: When do you come up with your best ideas? Thinking creatively doesn’t happen when your mind is full of all the other things in your life. This is true for children as well. With boredom, your child’s mind starts to wander and creativity comes into play. From making a box into a car, a boat, or a spaceship to jumping through “hot lava” on the floor, boredom brings creativity to the surface.
BOREDOM BRINGS OUT INNER PASSIONS: When everything is scheduled and planned for your child, they never get to really express who they are or what they want to do. Boredom gives them time to explore their inner passions such as becoming an artist, shooting a movie, or exploring nature.
BOREDOM PROMOTES MOTIVATION: When your child is bored, you may actually think they are opposite of motivated. Let them do something to help around the house – instead of telling them to do chores, why not say that it would be nice to have fresh baked cookies for snack time – and let them make them on their own – which includes cleaning up afterward. It is rewarding to see our children become internally motivated.
BOREDOM TEACHES INDEPENDENCE: You can’t always be there to tell your kids what to do every step of the way, and you shouldn’t have to. Being bored teaches your kids that they have to rely on themselves. It teaches them to be independent with their learning and find ways to entertain themselves.
Although it is good for kids to be bored, idle hands can get them into trouble. It is always important to have a balance of boredom and structured activities.
What do your kids come up with when they are bored?
You may also like this post on HOW TO DEAL WITH SIBLING RIVALRY:
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Cheryl Grandy
Tuesday 5th of July 2016
I don't remember my kids complaining about being bored very often; they usually seemed to find things to keep them busy without my help. My son decided to create a golf course ( few feet long) in our back woods. He dug a deep hole (which kept him busy for days) and planted grass seed in the dirt around it. Once he lost interest in that (many months later), he seemed to enjoy helping me fill in the hole again.
Jody @ Mommy Moment
Tuesday 5th of July 2016
Cheryl, that is wonderful. I love how creative children can be!
sabina Edwards
Monday 4th of July 2016
but kids are never bored enough to clean their rooms or mow the lawn LOL!! Its funny, now that my kids are adults moved away from home, they ask me if they'd like me to mow the lawn (YES I YELL lol) AND my son often mowed the lawn or shoveled the sidewalk when he decided he needed to smoke (no smoking allowed in my house)