Learn How Boredom Can Make Your Child Imaginative

Reading time: 7.20 min

Hey 👋 - Hello, there!! Hope you had a great week.

Adi is always busy with a tight schedule. He finishes his class and does not want to get bored for a minute. I often ask him to relax for some time but he wants to be busy all the time. He somehow finds a way to get on the gadget.

I realized that being free for him meant being on the gadget.

I decided to help him realize the beauty of being free. I wanted him to experience what it felt like to have some free time without any screens or gadgets.

At first, he was really hesitant and didn't want to do it. But I encouraged him to give it a try. So after his classes, we decided he will deliberately not have anything to do. No screens, no gadgets, nothing. Just spend some time being bored.

At first, it was really hard for him. On the first day, he was really cranky and didn't know what to do. But I encouraged him to stick with it and see how it goes. By the second day, he started getting used to it and began to find ways to entertain himself.

He started playing with his toys, reading books and even making up some games with his friends.

I was really happy to see that he was able to find ways to have fun without screens or gadgets. And I think this is a really important skill that he's learned. Because in the real world, there will be times when there's nothing to do and we have to find ways to entertain ourselves.

After a couple of days of this exercise he started painting, he had dropped painting a couple of months back.

According to Dr. Sandi Mann, senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire and author of The Science of Boredom, "It's a misconception that it's having nothing to do. Instead, it's an emotion that occurs when we are searching for, and not finding, the optimal level of neural stimulation that we need. We're looking for something more stimulating, but we can't find it"

One of the best ways to teach your kids how to deal with boredom is to get bored together. This can be a fun bonding experience for both of you. And it will show your kids that it’s okay to sometimes have nothing to do. Here are some ideas on how to get bored together:

1. Pick a place to go and do nothing: This could be a park, the beach, or anywhere else where you can just relax and not do anything.

2. Play some games: Games such as I Spy or 20 Questions can be fun ways to kill time when you’re bored

3. Have a conversation: Use this time to talk to your kids about things that they’re interested in. We have amazing conversations on our walks, there is so much to talk about.

If you want to read the article in detail about the benefits of boredom, find the link in the end

Are you aware of your phone scrolling habits?

You pick up your phone intending to check a few things and the next thing you know, you have been scrolling for hours.

This mindless scrolling can become a habit that is hard to break.

If you are constantly on your phone, your kids will think it's okay for them to do the same. You are a role model for your kids and they will follow in your footsteps.

So it's very important to limit your screen time in front of your kids.

Mindless Phone Scrolling can lead to addiction and kids can get used to as well.

So planning your phone usage is really important. Here are a couple of things you can do to break the mindless phone scrolling habit.

• Be more deliberate while using gadgets- Another way to be more responsible with your gadget time is to be more deliberate about when and how you use them.

• Monitor your presence on social media- If you are spending a lot of time on social media, try to monitor your usage.

• Use your phone for productive purposes only- One way to cut down on your screen time is to use your phone only for productive purposes

If you are interested to read more about the impact of mindless phone scrolling, Check out the link at the bottom.

Connecting over nothing: Continuing with the exercise of getting bored. Do take out the time to practice doing nothing.

It can be extremely gratifying, relaxing, and a great way to connect with kids without having to do anything specific.

It's a great idea to pick a place and go with your kid and do nothing. It will act as a great bonding experience for both of you. Make sure not to carry your book or phone. Let go of everything and just feel the moment. you can pick a place at your convenience - like a park or beach

If it's a park - you can just sit on the bench and watch or listen to the birds.

If it's a beach - you can make sandcastles or just sit and enjoy the sound of waves. Let Children carry their sand buckets and toys.

If you do not have access to any of these- go for a walk without your phone, and choose a place where you have less distraction.

Don't have the energy to walk - get some paper and paint, and do art together. Make sure not to have a set of instructions. Just be in the flow and draw what comes to your mind.

Sharing Adi's work he did while he was getting bored.

cheers, Priyanka

Have a curious kid at home, who cannot stop asking questions. I have one at home and I understand that parents look for interesting things to engage kids. Ted-Ed videos can be a great source but instead of binge-watching, I added one video per day in our routine with an after activity.

For example, follow up questions/activities you can ask your kid after watching the above video:

1. Observe different touch screen gadgets at home.

2. Try using your touch screen phones wearing gloves, wrapping a plastic film in your hand, and observe the response.

TedEd covers diverse topics to cater to different interests a child may have.

I am also in the process of curating some interesting topics that you can watch with your kid with follow-up questions/activities that you can use as a teaching resource. I will share it soon, so stay in touch with my newsletter.