Inside: Why You Want Your Kids To Be Bored This Summer. You’ll be shocked when you see what starts to happen…
Growing up, I spent my summer days at camp.
The camps of the 80’s.
My dad pulled up to the neighborhood park about 8 o’clock every morning. My sister and I jumped out of the cool comfort of his air conditioned car into the already sweltering Florida heat. We knew we’d be hanging there until 5:30 when my mom picked us up.
With lunches in hand that we had packed ourselves, most likely with PB and J sandwiches and Hi-C juice boxes, we raced excitedly toward the playground to hang with the other kids.
The park. That was our camp.
There were rarely arts and crafts or really any kind of organized activity.
The occasional water days involved a few sprinklers and a hose.
Our one weekly “field trip” involved a group walk to the neighborhood pool or movie theater with 2 adults responsible for about 50 kids.
My parents actually paid for this care that could best be described as benign neglect.
So did most other working parents.
It was full Every. Single. Year.
And we were bored…..
So bored that we spent the majority of our days in the blazing Florida sun, creating our own entertainment.
We spent entire mornings hanging upside down on the monkey bars and then spent entire afternoons seeing if we could spin each other so fast on the metal merry go round that someone threw up their lunch.
We chanted for hours on end for “red rover, red rover” to come on over. When that got old, we invented our own crazy games with complex rules and secret team handshakes.
We escaped the heat, buy building giant houses with elaborate floor plans among the trees and eventually built markets, taco stands, and schools with our own currency made from acorns and rocks.
We were sweaty and dirty and bored. Every. Single. Day.
And we LOVED it!
That is why you want your kids to be bored this Summer.
I actually look forward to hearing my kids tell me “I’m bored.”
And you should too…
As moms, we don’t need feel bad or overcome with guilt when we hear these words. They should be part of every childhood.
I don’t think my parents knew it when my sister and I were kids, but they were giving us something precious. Something too many kids today never get to experience.
Boredom is a gift
By not scheduling our days with structured activities supervised by hyper vigilant adults, we were forced to think, to use our imaginations and to creatively discover solutions.
We argued about the rules for those games we made up and somehow figured it out.
We passed books around and would read in the shade for hours.
We were happy redoing the same puzzles time after time or playing with a basic set of legos.
We found simple pleasure in just being together at a picnic table in the sun with a box of markers or deck of cards.
We kept ourselves busy and we were happy.
In a world consumed with busyness, with doing something every moment of every day, giving our kids large blocks of unstructured time is to their benefit.
Study after study tells us that boredom actually enhances creativity. It helps our children’s critical thinking skills flourish.
By not offering entertainment, we’re forcing our children to figure things out for themselves.
They tap into their own imaginations and develop the ability to engage their own minds. This shows them how to become more self reliant, which builds their confidence.
I’ve seen the benefits of boredom
Kids who are content with simple distractions like books and board games.
Kids who are good conversationalists and play well with others.
Kids who are creative problem solvers.
Kids who are actually fun to be around because they’re not seeking attention or inspiration from adults every 5 minutes.
So, yes, I really hope my kids are bored this Summer. I hope they soak up every moment of it and remember their Summers with as much fondness as I do my own.
Related Posts:
100 Fun and Easy Screen Free Summer Activities For Kids (Toddlers to Teens)
Why I’m NOT Counting The Summers We Have Left
How to Tame Too Much Summer Screen Time
rekha chinnappa.k says
Nice article, well researched
Lindsay says
I am anything but bored today, but I had to take a pause to tell you how fantastic I think this post is. Preach to my children as I may about the days before tablets and summers spent parked in front of a screen, the notion is often lost on them until it is forced. The end of a forced day away from the gizmos and gadgets always ends with conversations about how much fun was had, and I have to giggle to myself. I’m a huge fan of your blog and appreciate your posts so much! Thank you for sharing with the world.
Stephanie of The TipToe Fairy says
Great post! I’ve told my kids many times I spent my days coming up with all kinds of things to entertain myself. My youngest is great at this, but the older two not so much.
Brittany Dickerson says
My favorite part of the summer is watching my kids run our back yard. They build bridges and my three-year-old had built himself a “home” out of a box. Growing up we never went to summer camps, play dates, or any of that jazz. We lived in a small neighborhood and was told not to go out of an ears call and be back home before the street lights come on.
Tiffani says
I’m standing up clapping for this one! I, too, wish for boredom for my kids. Gosh, you hit it on the nail that overscheduling & too many structured activities stifles creativity. I love a “busy” child, but I love a “creative & engaged” child even more. 🙂
aimee fauci says
YES! We have computer limits on our kids this summer and right when they get off the computer.. they are bored! Drives me crazy but after 20 minutes, their imagination takes over!
Dionne Dean says
I was so bored during the summer that I began playing in makeup, doing my friends’ nails and reading old fashion magazines. Now I’m a stylist! Love this post!!!
Kristen says
You NAILED this my friend. So true…we were just discussing swimming, going to the library, puppet shows and all the toys they have. Plus some school workbooks and writing apps…who needs to pay for expensive camps!?
Meagan says
It is very true to take advantage of those slower days when you are a kid because as you get older it seems life is always so much busier. It’s a great time to let them be kids and enjoy exploring their surroundings and environment while using their own creativity.
Sheridan Anne says
Great post!!! I am going to remember this when I get mummy guilt for not entertaining my kids (as if I’m some sort of rodeo clown! Ha!)
Anita says
Good stuff! While my summers were boring growing up, I don’t remember being bored. I was always, and still am, great at creating my own fun. Awesome lesson to pass along.
Anita Kogel says
I’m glad you enjoyed that season of your life my sweet daughter Michelle. Certainly had a lot of creativity within you bubbling over. It brought out those Character leadership abilities for sure in you ! Being a mother of four children and realizing how different each one God created them to be. Your wise to let them figure some of these matters out for themselves . If there to bored though your dad and I would enjoy there company here in West Palm Beach,Fl. just let us know.
Sarah says
love this! It’s so right on the money and sounds so much like my childhood, and the kind of childhood I want my kids to have!
Tove Maren says
AMEN! The past summers I have had my kids in camp one week, off one week and then camp again… all the way through the summer. Well – no more. I drove myself NUTS with the logistics, never mind the cost for these fancy camps.
This year the kids got to pick ONE camp – and the rest of the summer will be spent with my mom playing and having fun with them. They WILL get bored, they WILL fight – but they will also find ways to have fun… because that IS what kids do.
Jill Martin says
Im jills son. I’m bored so to pass my time my mom made me read this article. I was not impressed with my moms support of being bored this summer. She decided to have another screen free week…Im not sure what I will find to do.