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Are There Benefits to Boredom?

By Jen O'Hara, Tumble Bee Department Leader 

“I’m bored.” Why do these two small words conjure such immense feelings of anxiety and guilt in many parents? With information at our fingertips, today’s parent has more “advice” being thrown at them than ever. The underlying message seems to have the same theme: good parents fill their day doing things with or for their kids. And for far too long, I bought into it. From playtime, to music lessons, soccer practice, gymnastics class, preschool, playdates, and on and on and on, I sought to fill every moment in my children’s lives because I wanted them to be fulfilled.

I discovered that I wasn’t alone. As parents, many of us are constantly exhausting ourselves, and often our kids, in an effort to squeeze in the “must do” list for developing a well rounded child. Understand, there’s no argument here that activities and structure can be important for the growth of small minds and bodies. But if we’re consistently filling our child’s schedule with stimulating and scheduled activities, are we teaching them how to create their own fun? Are we giving our child the gift of boredom?

What if we let go of the idea that boredom is a bad word? What if we give our kids the time to be bored? We live in a culture that promotes constant stimulation and ‘life on the go’ . We’ve got movies in the car, IPads in the classroom, and smart phones at the table. Today’s child is anything but bored.

Boredom is really nothing more than idle time. It is not an illness or a disease for parents to cure. The simple act of embracing idle time for your child to creatively entertain himself can promote confidence and independence, not to mention a creative thinker. Give a child time alone and get out of his way. Watch his imagination and curiosity thrive. But be prepared. Kids who are accustomed to being entertained may find this painful at first.

So where do you start? Simply giving a child time alone in his room might be enough for some kids. But having simple, open ended toys around is a great way to rev up even the most resistant creative engine.

  • Dress up & costumes
    A hat, a wand, or even a pair of mom or dad’s shoes might be all it takes to transform a three year old into a fantasy world of his own.
     
  • Blocks, blocks, blocks
    Blocks can be such a great toy on many levels. Of course kids can build castles, towers and robots. But they can also be used as objects or props in other creative ways. Blocks might become imaginary grocery items or     presents during creative playtime.
     
  • FortsWho didn’t like to build forts as kids? Some kids like the processing of creating the fort, others like the act of playing in the fort. Whether you have blankets and furniture or cardboard boxes, kids will be able to use their imagination and ingenuity to enter an imaginary world all their own.
     
  • Table & chairs
    Offer your child a table and chairs and they might have tea with 100 of their imaginary friends. 

It may not be necessary to turn you child’s world upside down overnight. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t build in a day. Instead, embrace idle time and teach your child that boredom is an opportunity to get lost in a whole new world.

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