As a parent, sometimes our minds go into overdrive when we hear the famous, “I’m bored!” and feel the need to pull an activity out of thin air. This could be a family outing or even craft time, just absolutely anything you can think of before the phrase makes the fifth appearance of the day. Lately, though, I’ve begun to realize that maybe I don’t need to be the cure to boredom every time it appears.
I let my daughter sit with her thoughts that may lead to a dinosaur stampede and sometimes a tea party. I’ve noticed her creating stories with toys that lead to imaginative play; she doesn’t always need to be guided into the next activity. At Celebree School of Stafford, I’ve seen the same independence developing among the children through play-based learning; they aren’t always given instructions, and it allows them to explore, make decisions, or even change their ideas to work things out with friends.
This could look like “Just playing” to us however, there’s so much more going on beneath the surface. Learning how to build a tower is a problem-solving practice; assigning roles to toys and deciding how to address their needs involve imagination and communication skills. Starting over on a task when their desired outcome isn’t reached teaches patience. So the next time you hear, “I’m bored!” try resisting the urge to produce an activity. Sometimes boredom can become an invitation for them to figure out what’s next; watching what they come up with just may be more interesting than anything we could’ve come up with.
