Holidays are coming and many parents ask the same question: "What will we do with the children?" Somehow we are worried about having them at home and letting them get bored or tired of being at home, as if this were a bad thing.
We live in an era where children receive so many stimuli from so many sides and with so many studies about their development, that in some way we have gotten used to being always busy and their minds are always working on something.
But in reality, those who do not do a particular activity or are without external distractions or stimuli, may be something positive and necessary for them. We tell you why is it good for children to get bored.
"I'm bored"
This phrase was one of the new acquisitions of my daughter Lucia, who recently turned four. "Mommy, I'm bored"He said angrily, one afternoon we were at home, I ordered some things in the kitchen while she played in the living room.
At home I do not usually turn on the television much or let my daughter use my iPad frequently, it is more common to have some background music or that Lucia is singing while playing. In my plans I have never been buying a tablet because I personally do not see it necessary and I think the list of disadvantages is longer than that of benefits. I have nothing against television, but I prefer that my daughter enjoy, discover and explore, instead of being still without thinking much.
So when he told me I was bored I didn't know what to do. Should I turn on the television? Have you got tired of your toys? I knew that at some point in my life as a mother I would listen to that famous phrase but I did not expect it so soon (honestly, I always thought it was something that would happen closer to puberty). But actually, allowing yourself to get bored is a great opportunity.
Why it is good for children to get bored
A child may get bored for various reasons: he is no longer interested in what he was doing, he wants us to be more involved in his activities (especially in the case of only children) or perhaps he is tired of giving him everything already chewed or prepared, without giving him a chance to think or process things for himself.
And that is just one of the advantages that children get bored: the space and time to think and put their neurons to work. Boredom helps develop children's creativity and autonomy, giving them the precious exercise of finding solutions and alternatives for themselves, something that will be very useful in adult life.
During the first years of life, imagination is a very important part of children. So much so that according to a study we shared recently, 98% of five-year-olds are geniuses of the imagination. And do you know what is the moment in which our children exercise their imagination? Exactly, when they get bored.
What can we do if they tell us they are bored?
If that day comes when our children tell us the famous phrase "I am bored", we should not stress or worry. Boredom is good for them and as I said, It is a fantastic opportunity to continue helping them develop their creativity.
We will achieve this by offering them games and activities that stimulate their imagination and do not do everything for them, that is, set aside games with lights or sounds (which can overstimulate them) and opt for more traditional or simple entertainment: blocks, puzzles, plasticine, paint or free drawing.
During the holiday season is when we can hear our children say they are bored, so we can and should take this opportunity to carry out activities related to nature, from going for a walk to the mountains or the countryside, to organizing some activity at home like planting flowers.
If we see that our children remain bored or unmotivated, we can help them by giving them a little push, asking them open-ended questions that help them think and offering them a different approach to the activity they do. "How else can you do that?"or"What shapes do you find in that cloud / spot?"are some of the questions we can ask them to help them think a little more.
So instead of worrying about saturating our children with planned activities so they don't get bored, let them have those "boredom" spaces to continue using their imagination and developing their creativity, and that tomorrow they are independent adults and with the ability to find solutions or alternatives to what is presented to them.
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In Babies and more | Eleven tips not to "kill" the creativity of children, 98 percent of five-year-olds are geniuses of the imagination: what ends up killing their innate creativity?
