We are just coming off of the long holiday break where kids were home bothering parents for the 12th snack and screaming, “I’m boorrreedddd!”
We don’t allow devices on weekdays, but I bent the rules a little and allowed an hour of device time here and there throughout the break, particularly for my oldest two kids- Quinn and Demi. (Poor Max has the iPad as his full time babysitter sometimes. Sue me.) I let them choose how they want to split their device time. Of course they always want to use it all in one sitting. When it was time for them to shut it off, Quinn immediately began to complain that he was bored. I told him that he’d better figure out his life because he’s not getting any electronics. He sat for another 30 minutes acting as though his life was ending due to having a bad case of nothing to do. I didn’t budge. I again told him that he needed to figure something out. Demi had already moved on to making me a five course meal in her play kitchen.
While I was doing the laundry, Quinn came over and helped me fold and put away clothes. After that, he took it upon himself to clean the toy box. He then cleaned his room. After he couldn’t find anything else to clean, he decided that he was going to use his legos, train tracks and books to build a “supercool racetrack where [his] Hot Wheels could do stunts.” HIs inventiveness was kicking in, and I liked it.
How often does your child use their imagination? Is it as much as you did when you were little? Remember playing doctor, teacher, house, and cops and robbers? You’d swear we were legit characters in those roles because we played them so well. As an educator, I can tell you that students lack critical thinking and problem solving skills. That is because they simply struggle to use their imagination. Children need to be afforded the opportunity to develop their own ingenuity. Allow your children to play! No, not video games. I’m talking real play. Allow them to do sidewalk art with chalk, paint, build with blocks, mold with play dough, do science experiments and dress up in costumes. (Tip: Buy costumes for the low, low after Halloween.) Let them kids make a mess, Sis. Let them go outside! Explore nature and bugs. Turn on the sprinkler and let them run through it. Let them fly a kite. Let them mimic an airplane and pretend they can fly.
Be honest. Are you providing your children enough opportunities for this type of play? They should not be spending hours at a computer, watching television or playing video games. Hell, watching other kids on YouTube makes them passive participants enthralled in someone else’s fun instead of creating their own. Sidenote- I think I’ve finally caved in to creating a family YouTube channel. Pray for me.
Being enrolled in sporting activities definitely allows them to develop their skills, but they’re not necessarily developing creativity. Don’t let them bother the hell out of you when they’re bored. Give them a cardboard box and have them create something. If your child complains of boredom, force them to figure out for themselves how to fill their time. I guarantee if you stress this enough, their creativity will soar! Who knows? You could be molding the next creative billionaire.