It's OK for Your Children to be Bored

 Despite the lessons most of us have learned growing up, experts in the field of early childhood suggest that boredom is, in fact, positive for children. According to a study published in the journal; ‘Experimental Brain Research’, there are a plethora of benefits in letting your children get bored. The study proposes that “the ability to handle boredom, not surprisingly, is correlated with the ability to focus and to self-regulate.” The research has shown that boredom inspires creativity and self-sufficiency in children, allowing them the opportunity to use their imagination.

 

The research further concluded that “It’s especially important that children get bored and be allowed to stay bored when they’re young. That is not considered ‘a problem’ to be avoided or eradicated by the higher-ups, but instead, something kids grapple with on their own.”

So in actuality, boredom can open up various, unanticipated, and child-driven learning opportunities that you may have never expected. Children are like little scientists, and if we let them be the agents of their own learning, they will surprise you with the things they come up with to construct their own learning.

Check out these articles on boredom and children that we hope you’ll find helpful. 

We all have to remember that we are doing the best we can with the circumstances we are given! So in the following weeks, instead of feeling like you need to fill your children’s days to the brim with enrichment activities, let them have plenty of unstructured playtime with you in the role of the keen observer!