Boredom can help a child discover their creative side

IF YOUR child says ‘I’m bored’, how do you feel? Put on the spot?

Like you have to jump in and save them?

“You might think you’re a bad parent because he’s bored and you haven’t got loads of things for him to do,” says parent coach Marian Byrne, who adds it’s important to note what the complaint stirs in you, the parent, just so you’re not reacting out of your own triggers.

“Or you might feel boredom is an attitude you don’t like — ‘With all the toys and screens you have, how could you be bored?’.”

Byrne suggests seeing ‘I’m bored’ as a gift for your child. “When a child gets to a place of complete boredom, it helps them find out what they really want to do. Depending on the child, they could complain for five minutes or five hours but eventually they’ll do something.”

Boredom, she says, helps a child tap into where his own passions are and gives you an insight into where his natural interests lie.

“They’ll be drawn to what they want to do, rather than somebody simply giving them something to do.”

Creativity happens beyond boredom and is an essential skill for life, but experiencing boredom gives kids a chance to develop other important life skills too. Having to come up with something to do under their own steam helps them make decisions. It also gives them a space in which to challenge themselves.

If we keep kids busy with structured activity — they don’t learn to tune into where their inner creativity wants to lead them.

But it’s important to have balance. “Avoid having wall-to-wall nothing to do. Plan some activities like visits to the park or play dates,” says Byrne, who recalls one mum’s response to an expression of boredom. ! “She’d give the kids a list of activities to do. If they complained, she’d give them a list of chores — they’d quickly go back to the activity list.”

Byrne’s advice to parents is to ask themselves three questions when their child complains of boredom: Do they need to be challenged? Do they need some direction? Do they want parent’s attention?