Everyone has heard his or her child complain of boredom. First of all, being bored is not such a bad thing. That time when "there is nothing to do" is very often a great source of creative activity. It is a time to let your mind wander to all the “what ifs” that exist all around us.

Initially it is better not to respond too quickly. Our children live in a world of constant external stimulation (some think over-stimulation) through television, video games, hand held games etc., (not to mention a very scheduled day which involves many hours at school and quite often too many after school and week-end activities.)

In order for the mind to engage in creative activities there must be some time allotment allowed for ”being bored “(better known as thinking of something to do on our own.) As a teacher, one of today’s biggest problems in the classroom is helping children use their imagination to create a story, draw a picture, or solve a problem on their own. This is a critical issue for their future, which will require them to use their creativity to solve a variety of problems in a variety of circumstances.

There! We have completed the discussion on why being bored is not a bad thing. But, no parent can make it through hours of complaining by a child who is bored. The goal here is to teach them how to find things to do on their own. (No fair popping in a video or allowing hours of mind numbing video games—both creativity squelchers!).

Sometimes a short conversation or just a little one on one attention is what the child needs most. (As an aside, if this is a constant problem, there is often a reason, which needs to be addressed. Research shows that it can be an indication that a child is having problems and this requires the parent to get to the bottom of the real issue).

Here are a few tried and true solutions for boredom:

1. Have a “Surprise Box” in which you put a variety of art materials - construction paper, yarn, buttons, pom-poms, glitter, glue, scissors, drawing paper, markers... everything and anything that looks interesting. Let them add things from nature, the kitchen or any other fascinating place to the box. Allow your child the freedom to create what ever they like—make sure to be delightfully surprised when you see what they have done.
2. Encourage your child to have a hobby. I know, its not a word you hear often anymore, but hobbies provide a lifetime of pleasure. Provide them with books that encourage learning about their hobby and be interested in what they learn and want to tell you. This doesn’t have to be elaborate. They can collect rocks, leaves, seashells, stamps, etc; which will give them hours of pleasure. Often they can get through boredom by simply looking through their collection and organizing them. For older children things like crocheting, knitting, origami, and model building offer hours of creative fun.
3. Buy a book of story starters or make some up. If they are old enough to write—get them started. If they are too young, allow them to record their story on tape. Have them write a story about a picture they created from their surprise box. For this activity, it is fun to have them pick the story starter from a box.
4. Every backyard is an adventure waiting to happen. Children see things we never notice—a stick can become a million things. Going out with binoculars to count how many birds are there or searching for ants and other creepy crawlers is just like a trip to the jungle. How many different types of leaves can you find? How many different kinds of rocks?? Use a pencil and paper to do leaf rubbings (vein side up). For the older child this can involve identifying the plants and animals by using an area guide for where you live. Be a weatherman. Chart the weather for a week of a month—look for patterns.
5. Let them learn to solve their boredom problem by voicing confidence in their ability to find something fun to do.” I’ll bet you can find something interesting to do.” (This does not mean you just say, “ Just go play You have so many toys!”) Make sure that you ask them to share what they did and reinforce the skill with your enthusiasm.