Stir-Crazy Kids? Parenting Experts On How Teach Kids To Entertain Themselves

Whether we're talking spring break, summer break, Christmas, or long weekends indoors on bad weather days, extended time off from school often comes with a soundtrack of "I'm bored." That, in turn, means that parents everywhere are loading up the family calendar six ways from Sunday to entertain their kids. The fact is, in the absence of structure, boredom is almost inevitable. Well, parents, we're here to tell you—relax. It's OK for your child to get bored; it's actually good for them, and when they do, there are some pretty fantastic activities they can do to entertain themselves. 

Mariel Benjamin, VP of Groups and Content at Cooper Parenting and director of programs at Mount Sinai Parenting Center, tells mindbodygreen that it's not just the kids who are bored. "Very few of us are good at being bored anymore," she says. "We don't wait for deliveries, we don't send snail mail, we can't stand to make conversation in an awkward moment. Our ability to wait and to tolerate boredom is diminished across society." 

As to how we got here, Benjamin says, "Screens are just one way we have broken this ability. Thanks to the overstimulation that screens provide, we have made it much, much harder on ourselves." Benjamin adds, "Screens provide so much stimulation to the brain (think dopamine hits with each click of a button) that coming off them can make everything feel boring. It's literally like a high, making the rest of the world feel dull."

Moreover, Benjamin says, gamification has really doubled down on this for kids, "making it harder and harder for them to manage slow, normal moving content or the real world." 

"Let your child set up a tent or make their own fort inside," says Benjamin. While she notes that parents can help their child "strategize about the setup," she also suggests encouraging teamwork among siblings. 

Sounding as easy as it is fun, Benjamin suggests, "Taking sticky notes (ideally different sizes and colors) and placing them all over a certain area of the house (the wall, the chairs, the fridge)," then ask your child to go on a sticky note "hunt" and collect as many as they can. 

Benjamin says kids can try "Picking a favorite food category—fruit, veggies, crackers, even cookies—and getting a selection of different choices to try. Once they have their setup, everyone can "take turns closing their eyes (or using a blindfold) and tasting the different foods. The gang can then write down their guesses and compare notes." 

While this one may need some adult supervision, it's a great boredom buster. Benjamin says, "Work with your child to find an interesting recipe. Start simple. We suggest cupcakes, cookies, or a smoothie. Encourage your child to get the ingredients, read the recipe, and measure out the amounts. As they get more comfortable, they can start to choose recipes that are more complex. For an added challenge, encourage them to DOUBLE or 1.5 the recipe. Talk about math!" 

For older kids (maybe the tweens), Benjamin says parents can "give them an opportunity to make their own recipe. They can write it down, test it (like a real test kitchen), report back, and make tweaks as necessary."