4 great reasons to let your kids be bored this summer

Do your kids complain that they have nothing to do? From a young age, modern children are barraged with an onslaught of stimuli and experiences (electronic and otherwise), which may then result in them failing to develop the skills needed to engage their own minds. It’s this conditioning that’s likely behind your kids’ summertime declarations of boredom.

While it may be tempting to fill the vacuum of your children’s discontent with activities and excursions, it may be better to let them be bored. Here are four reasons why you should allow your kids to find ways to entertain themselves this summer.

1. Boredom builds confidence. When kids are successful at finding ways to occupy themselves, it boosts their self-esteem. Being bored makes it more likely they’ll try new things and test their limits, which is also ideal for building confidence.

2. Boredom improves creativity. Having nothing to do encourages kids to use their imagination to invent games and find ways to amuse themselves.

3. Boredom helps kids discover their interests. Studies have found that unstructured playtime lets kids develop decision making skills and discover their own interests.

4. Boredom forms friendships. Playing with other children helps little ones learn to communicate and read body language. When given time and space to play freely, they’ll begin to negotiate and create games together.

Bored kids are good for parents too. By letting your kids fight their own boredom, you’ll have more time to complete your own tasks, and maybe even get bored yourself.

In recent years, scientists have started taking a closer look at boredom. Their conclusion? Boredom happens when a person wants to be stimulated but can’t connect with their environment. Interestingly, researchers have found that modern children are especially susceptible to boredom (a phenomenon their parents are largely familiar with).