BOREDOM… GOOD FOR CHILDREN
I have seen a lot of online posts, especially when lock downs started, where in parents ask how to deal with their children while stuck at home with them. My answer to that questions is nothing. Or at least not as much as you think .
Of course it is good for the family unit to engage in “family things”. Dinner together, board games, play fight or wrestling, because these activities can bring unity in the family. However parents need to take advantage of the situation and use it to their benefit.
Have your children do chores. Even younger children such as a 4 year old can be tasked to wipe all the handles in the house, clean their rooms and pick up their toys. But what about boredom? When your kids are confined with you for weeks on end without other children to play with, they will become bored. Though it is a good idea to engage with them, resist doing so all the time.
THE PREVIOUS GENERATION
We the previous generation did not have the internet as it is today. Instant downloads, and endless online entertainment, and well, the option to be behind the screen at all times. We didn’t even get to watch whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. We were limited to watching whatever happened to be on TV. If something came up that you didn’t find interesting you would turn off the TV and move on. We had our period of boredom right? What did we do at those times? We would nag our parents to entertain us, and most of the time we would not get what we wanted. Boredom was simply a fact of life.
It was a time of tea parties, mud cakes, tree climbing, sword fighting, playing with puppets or dolls, the list goes on. Boredom is in fact good for children. Very good. It is a problem that they need to solve. They need to use their fantasy and be creative in order to come up with something to do. It is a big part of life, and it will in fact benefit them for the rest of their lives. We don’t have to solve this problem of boredom for them all the time.
BOREDOM A CREATIVE TOOL
I for one engage with my children about half of the day. I also take them out for 1-2 hour walks, for fresh air, and to expose them with a very simple action we can do together that doesn’t need continuous artifice stimulations. But for 1/3 to 1/2 of their days I expect them solve their problem of boredom on their own. I don’t even give them hints. I do make sure, however, that there are items at home that will allow them to your their creativity. You know paint, colouring pencils and paper, scissors etc. They are also free to use anything that would have ended up in the trash, such as boxes, and egg cartons.
When they grow up they need to be able to solve life’s problems without having someone else lead them all the time.Would you not rather have your children be the ones leading others?
If you don’t believe me, you can read about it all right here: The Benefits of Boredom
We will be tempted to go back to how it was once the lockdowns are lifed. However, it will be a good idea to let you kids be bored from time to time. Let them dust off the creative cobwebs and see what they come up with to entertain themselves without the input of a phone, tablet, or other electronic device.
Perhaps some boredom is good for us as well? I try to be on electronic devices less as well. This has to do a bit with leading by example, but also to try to be creative my self. This blog was born from such a “boring” moment.