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Boredom: why children need it


It may sound boring, but running out of things to do is essential for development and for stimulating creativity and imagination.

“I have nothing to do”. “What do I have to do now?”. “I’m bored”. If you have small children, you are likely to hear these phrases from time to time. On vacation, then … It’s not always possible to travel or arrange different times during the school holidays – and it’s even better that way. As much as the child complains and seems “boring”, having nothing to do is essential for development and to stimulate creativity and imagination.





“If I had to give parents advice, it would be this: don’t be afraid of boredom. Let it be a part of your life and your child’s life, “says British psychologist Sandi Mann, author of the book. The science of boredom ( The science of boredom, in free translation) and Professor of Psychology at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. “Boredom is an emotion and it’s basically a search for stimuli by the brain that isn’t satisfied. So, if you’re looking for something to commit to and you’re not satisfied, that frustration is labeled boredom,” he explains.

This begins in the very first moments of human existence. Children are always looking for stimuli and this is how they try to understand the huge world around them. So, they become interested in the noise of crumpled paper, plastic lids in the kitchen, and even their own feet and hands (when they are babies). However, by the time they get tired, they look for other activities to watch out for, which is good and healthy. That’s how they explore everything. And no, you don’t have to worry about always offering stimulation. It also happens naturally.

Screens – the simplest way out

As children get older, adults look for ways to entertain them. Courses, extracurricular activities, English, theater, ballet, robotics, judo. And when not all of this is possible, there are screens, one of the most practical means of distraction. Was there any manifestation of boredom? Tablets, cell phones, televisions and video games offer endless options to solve the problem, just a click away. There the little ones spend hours and hours and hours …




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“Boredom is something uncomfortable, boring, boring. If the child who has free, unengaged time already feels bored, there may be a problem.with limited creativity and imagination, “explains psychiatrist and psychotherapist Wimer Bottura, member of the Brazilian Psychiatry Association (ABP) and chairman of the Adolescent Committee of the Associação Paulista de Medicina (APM). that something is wrong, like parents waiting to provide entertainment, fun, commitment at all times. This can already signal that the child is heading towards a state of feeling ‘creditor of the world’, that is, of thinking that the world owes him something. Free time is good and useful for everyone“says the expert.

Canvases, Bottura emphasizes, are not always bad guys. There are a lot of interesting activities and information to look for in them. However, the Internet cannot be a simple buffer to get the child to stop complaining. After all, in this way, they always receive passive entertainment, that is, with little or no effort. At the end of a video, the apps already offer many other similar options. So there is no problem of looking for something interesting either.

The “fighting” child

Busy with various tasks, adults also try to keep their children busy. ” Parents work too much and motivated children work too much, often out of a sense of guilt, for fear of making a mistake in education, mobilized by the same difficulty of living with it, of dealing with diversity, with contestation, with protest, with disagreement. So it’s easier to cram too much activity into them. This is very bad, “says psychiatrist Bottura.

As controversial as it may seem, To help your child cope with boredom, your role is … don’t help him! Free time is precisely the opportunity to feel frustrated and to use that frustration as a driving force to stimulate the brain, creativity and imagination. Or simply to give space to the mind, which may not even need to think about anything from time to time.

How do parents cope with boredom?

Not thinking about anything, we know, can be a challenge. We lead such busy lives, working here and thinking about the next task there, that it is almost impossible to have free space. And on the rare occasions that this happens, we can’t even deal with boredom.

Answer honestly: do you usually go to the bathroom without taking your cell phone with you? So it is … If children find themselves surrounded by adults who cannot afford free time calmly, how will they learn?

a little push

Okay, it’s not your job to satisfy your child’s need to always be busy, entertained and have fun. It is vital that the family understand this to help the child feel comfortable when he has nothing to do. At first, however, it is possible to give them a stray.

If your child is already used to a thousand activities, in addition to screens to fill in the gaps, it may be more difficult to change the scenario overnight. Therefore, we have selected here three tips that can serve as a starting point for creativity:

1. Pot of boredom

The idea became very common abroad and was also successful in Brazil. Together with the child, write ideas for non-screen activities that are interesting and can be done on sheets of paper: write a story, put together a puzzle, paint a picture, jump rope and whatever else your imagination allows. Then fold them and put everything in a jar. When boredom strikes, open and draw one!




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2. Ideas at your fingertips

In a box, in a drawer or in any corner of the house, leave objects to help the child come up with projects. A cardboard box can become a rocket, a house, a castle or a ship. The cardboard roll of foil or paper towels becomes a telescope or telescope. Colored leaves, chopsticks, pieces of cloth, wool… So the possibilities increase!

3. Outdoor Activities

When you can, let your child enjoy the outdoors, without trying to “structure” things. In nature, children find it easier to invent their own games.

Source: Terra

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