Parents have been extremely interested in asking me what to do when their children tell them they are bored.

This month is national anti-boredom month, and I am anything but bored to answer that question.

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Benefits of boredom

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Given how organized the lives of children seem to be nowadays, believe it or not, for children, boredom can have its benefits.

Why?

– Boredom encourages children to be present and aware of the world around them.

– It encourages a child to use their imagination and creativity to entertain themselves.

– Boredom allows children to take their own initiative and think of ways to occupy themselves in ways not prescribed or set up by someone else.

– Boredom also builds self-esteem by providing kids with free time to try things out without fear of failing, which is essential for a child to develop their own confidence and resilience.

– Boredom also enhances interpersonal skills by providing unstructured time for children to play with other children and not be focused on a screen time game or activity that tells them what to do.

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How to help your child make the most of boredom

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Make some time for unstructured activities at least one day a week for your child, if not more, and in that time give them objects like cardboard boxes, fabric, wool, and other simple items to create and imagine being on a spaceship or some other magical place.

Even simply staring up at the clouds and imagining what their shapes look like is a great way to spend time that might have once been considered boring but is now an imagination adventure.

In fact, when your child says they’re bored, a terrific response might be, “That’s great! I can’t wait to see what you’ll do with the free time.”

The bottom line

on boredom

Boredom may result in making your child happier as they grow up!

They will remember the simple things they did when they were bored to create, laugh, and simply enjoy their surroundings, and the unstructured time they could spend with others.

Hopefully, tips like these will do anything but bore you when it comes to recognizing the benefits and opportunities that boredom can provide for children.

Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and NBC5.