With summer upon us, do you find yourself creating a tight calendar of scheduled fun for your kids?
Are they all set up with games, camps, play dates, and outside time? If so, it’s great that you are involved with creating a space and time for your kids to be entertained but what happens when they get bored? If the thought of your kids running out of scheduled activities gives you a bit of anxiety, then keep on reading.Summer Boredom in Kids
Why does the thought of kids getting bored during the summer make some parents so uncomfortable? Is it because you think it makes you a bad parent? Or does it lead to the idea that your kids will get themselves into an unsafe situation? Or is it something else entirely? The fix to any of these situations might just be to let yourself be uncomfortable.
When you run out of activities for your kids to do and summer boredom finally strikes, don’t think about the millions of things that could go wrong. Instead, try to think about how it might actually help your children. In a time when ipads and smartphones have taken over everything we do, letting go of the chaos and letting boredom set in can breed so much creativity for kids. They can take some time to figure out how to be kids and just play, while you sit back and relax.
Summer boredom can actually lead to your kids finding creativity and rediscovering their imagination.
Creating space for Boredom
If you feel that boredom can lead to your kids playing with something unsafe, it’s ok to give kids a few boundaries for unscheduled summer play.
Instead of outside time, give younger kids a safe space in the house for them to figure out what they want to do. Remember to turn off the tv and take away the screens to give them space to slow down and explore the simple things in the room.
When you run out of activities for your kids to do and summer boredom finally strikes, don’t think about the millions of things that could go wrong.
Another way you can help your kids when summer boredom hits, without jumping in and giving them a suggestion of what to do, is to create a box full of simple activities for your kids. Creating a Summer Boredom Toolbox can be done easily! A few suggestions for your box could be:
- Books
- A jump rope
- Art and craft materials
- A magnifying glass
- Legos or blocks
Make sure when you create a boredom box that you keep in mind the things your child is interested in, and throw in some stuff you want them to experience. Now, instead of giving your kid a solution for her boredom, just point to the box and tell her to have fun!
When kids are involved in the process of choosing an activity, they are actually developing positive problem solving skills.
Being bored can help children become imaginative and self-reliant. So this summer, let go of your scheduled activities and just let your kids be bored.