As a parent, we can answer a child’s every whim and cater to the “I’m bored” lament that comes when they don’t want to use their own creativity to discern an activity that will invigorate them. Learn some ways to deal with a kid who is bored at https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/little-kid-boredom-busters/

But first, are we really helping by not allowing them to think of new and exciting ways to bring fun to themselves? Second, how long will the activity we provide keep them busy until we hear the long-suffering wail of “I’m bored” again while we scamper to find something else for them to do? It’s genuinely not our responsibility to be their source of entertainment.

If you watch a child who is bored for a little while, they will eventually think of something they find ingenious on their own to do, and that’s ultimately the goal after all. 

We don’t want to age ourselves here, but when many of us were young, we didn’t sit in the house bored; we were gone in the morning back in the evening and never saw a dull moment. 

There was always something fun to do. But we used outside elements, toys, boxes, anything we could use our imagination. Today everyone is stuck on technology and not too sure how to imagine. Let’s see if we can help.

Why Are Kids Bored

If you’re pondering what to do when kids are bored, it’s time to start exercising their imagination. Unfortunately, many children today are connected to electronics and don’t know how to take a stick and make it into something magical or use a box and create a car, nor do they really care to.

The problem is then they come to mom or dad with the sad song of having nothing to do. While it’s not a parent’s job to sit down from the day’s tasks for entertainment, there are ways to ensure that kids can find things to do if they genuinely want to enjoy something new and refreshing. Let’s read.

• The fishbowl

One evening while everyone is having popcorn and conversation, have some slips of paper and a fishbowl on the table and let the kids know you have a task for them. 

The bowl will be the “I’m bored” bowl. The duty is to come up with only creative things they can do whenever the feeling of boredom comes on. It can’t involve any device or electronics. 

It has to be a free-thinking activity involving other objects around the house or even outside, but they cannot be connected. Then on the days they come whining, you can point to the fishbowl and tell them to pick a slip of paper and do whatever it says, letting you see the final result.

• Tell a story

Another good rainy-day activity is for the kids to write a story. Give them each a topic that’s suitable for their age group and let them work on it as long as they need to. Let them know you’ll edit it when it’s through, and then they can make the corrections. 

Once the final copy is complete, use magazines like Highlights or another child’s magazine to find where you can submit kids’ stories for publication. 

Have each of them write a letter to the editor (with some help) submitting their story for submission and have them write an envelope to send it in the mail. Then they can wait on the response from the magazine.

• Kindness rocks

Ask the kids to go into the yard if you live in the country or the driveway and find the biggest rocks they can find. Using acrylic paint the rocks and then write words of kindness and love on them. 

After they’re dry, get the kids together and have them accompany you to a local nursing home where they can visit with the residents and pass out their rocks. 

The people in nursing homes genuinely love the company and enjoy receiving small gestures, especially from children, and kids have a big-time interacting with them. 

It would be a rewarding experience for everyone. You can also do a different take on this and visit a children’s ward in the hospital.

Final Thought

There are so many more ideas you can involve the kids in that would not incorporate any sort of electronics or devices. Get each child a journal. Writing their thoughts and feelings each day is incredibly therapeutic. 

The kids can simply express why they’re bored, where they believe these feelings are coming from and how they can resolve the issue. It could spark an idea. 

Sometimes, where there’s uncertainty about how to be creative or use the imagination, we might need to plant the seed yet allow them to develop the idea. Look here for guidance on kids and boredom.