The dreaded “I’m booooored”… it always seems to come at the worst time, right?
One afternoon, my friend’s 7-year-old flopped onto the couch, sighing dramatically: “There’s nothing to dooooo. Why can’t I watch something?” Instead of scrambling for an activity (or turning on the beloved screen), I simply said, “Great! Boredom is when the best ideas happen.”
At first, there was more sighing (and a little eyeroll 🙄). But 10 minutes later? He was outside, making a “pirate ship” out of the biggest cardboard boxes he could find (and boy did he make sure to search the house thoroughly 😅).
Why it matters: Boredom is actually fuel for creativity. It gives our tamariki the space to invent, problem-solve, and come up with their own ideas. This may look like adding new rules to a board or card game they have mastered or making up their own game altogether.
Next time you’re receiving the dreaded “I’m bored”, try this:
✔️ Say: “I wonder what ideas you’ll come up with!”
✔️ Let them draw, write or collage a list with things that bring them joy. Cut up the list, add the snippets to a jar, voila, you have a ‘boredom jar’.
✔️ Let them sit with the feeling, it’s where the magic happens (and so, so important to experience for children and adults alike in this world of constant stimulation).
Would you like more inspiration for creative, open-ended activities? Join our online community and in-person classes for simple ideas around process-focused art and play at home.
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