Boredom fuels creativity and problem-solving in children, experts say

PARENTS — do you often feel as if you have to entertain your kids all the time? Experts say there’s no need as it’s good for children to be bored. Here’s why.

IT’S good for kids to be bored because it fuels creativity and problem-solving, parenting experts say.

“Boredom teaches children to push themselves, boosts resilience and helps contribute to positive self-esteem,” said Associate Professor Julie Green, Raising Children Network director and acting CEO of the Parenting Research Centre.

The network, a government-funded resource for parents, has released a new video on how boredom is beneficial for children’s development.

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Bored brothers Charlie, 10, Luis, 12, and Felix Bettinsoli, 7. Picture: Josie Hayden

“Parents often feel as if they have to entertain their kids all the time, but they don’t,” Prof Green said.

“Children benefit from working out what to do with themselves. They can explore ideas and do something that matches their mood.

“It’s a fantastic catalyst for kids using their imagination and creating different play scenarios,” she said.

Brothers Luis, 12, Charlie, 10, and Felix Bettinsoli, 7, don’t have much time to be bored.

“They don’t have a lot of down time and manage to keep themselves entertained most of the time by playing among themselves,” said their father, Pablo, 40.

“Sometimes, they pull out the ‘I’m bored’ line and I tell them they’d better find something to do or I will find something for them. That usually means they get busy.”

In the video, posted online at ­raisingchildren.net.au, play specialist Cat Sewell says kids learn to rely on themselves when they get bored.

“They learn resilience. They got through something that is a little bit stressful and a little bit tough — but it is not the end of the world,” she said.

Not-so-bored brothers Charlie, 10, Luis, 12, and Felix Bettinsoli, 7. Picture: Josie Hayden

Prof Green said it didn’t cost much money to help kids find a way out of boredom. “Playing indoors or outdoors is free,” she said.

She said more sedentary video games such as Play­Stations or Xboxes “offered some learning” but parents needed to set boundaries and provide a balance of activities.

Other researchers have found not all boredom is good for kids, limiting their ability to learn at school.

David Putwain, of Liverpool John Moores University, found boredom, defined as an “unpleasant deactivating emotion”, led to lower levels of mathematic achievement in grades 5 and 6 in the UK.

In a Learning and Instruction journal article, he said “higher enjoyment and lower boredom predicted greater subsequent achievement”. In turn, he found “greater academic achievement predicted subsequent greater enjoyment and lower boredom”.