I'm Bored: The School Break Blues🎷

They have toys, games, art supplies, kids in the neighborhood, and still you hear that 🎶whine, “I’m bored.”

You all just came back from a fun-packed day or an amazing trip and you still hear that 🎶whine, “I’m bored.”

They just got home from a friend’s house, day camp or sleep away camp and still you hear that 🎶whine, “I’m bored.”

The key to getting the 🎶whining to stop is understanding that the word “bored” means something very different to parents than it does to  kids.

We grown ups think boredom is downtime without appointments, deadlines, or tasks, but with nothing interesting to fill the time.

Kids can find interest in all kinds of things. They use the word “bored” when they are at a loss as to how to choose from many interesting possible activities.

Why is this? Choosing is a skill and kids are not getting enough chances to do it.  So much of kids’ lives are programmed.  Teachers, coaches, counselors, and parents create the schedules, choose the activities, and  assign the tasks.  It makes sense that kids aren’t learning how to manage downtime.

End the School Break Blues 🎷with these tips:

Do’s Acknowledge their complaint about being bored and help define it.  Say something like, “You have all this time and don’t know what to do with it.” Escort them to where the toys, games, or sports equipment are. You pick something up and start playing with it. You are modeling.  This motivates kids to start playing, too. Hand them a broom or other cleaning tool. Your kids will either clean or give the broom back to you, because now they have a strong incentive to find something else to do. Send them outside.  Nature has a way of clearing your mind and inspiring action.

Don’ts Don’t lecture them about how many toys they have or that they just got back from an amazing trip.  There is no skill building in this lecture, so the whining will continue. Don’t list things they can do.  There’s a good chance they’ll say no to all of them, because they weren’t actually asking you to solve the problem. They were just venting. Don’t assign them a chore. They will feel punished for expressing themselves.  Allow them to clean or say no thanks. Don’t give them a device to play on.  The device entertains them.  They learn no independence skills.