Let Them Be Bored!

Howdy friends! I know many of my readers are parents and try to keep their kids entertained and involved in worthwhile activities. Now, have your kids mentioned that they are bored this summer? Another question, assuming you are over the age of 35, did you ever tell YOUR mother you were bored?…ok more than once? Of course not! Because they would find us something to do and it would not be horseback riding lessons! 😀 So that got me to thinking that we really need to let our kids be bored more often. I think if necessity is the mother of invention than boredom is the mother of creativity. If you sit there bored enough (and by sit there I do not mean watch TV or play video games) you will eventually look for something fun and creative to do. How many boughts of boredom led to shoddily built tree houses and Evel Knievel style bike ramps being constructed during your childhood? We made friendship bracelets, daisy chains, collected bugs, played ball, collaged photos, drew and painted, collected rocks and played hopscotch. None of this required our mothers to call other mothers and make appointments for play-dates or to search the internet for these brilliant activities. We were kids, we got bored, we got creative and found things to do during the summer. We had to, there was no cable TV, netflix, xbox or ipod.  So, I guess what I’m saying is let your kids figure out how to entertain themselves once in a while.

It’s great to provide activities and opportunities for them. My kids are involved with sports, scouts and other organized activities and lessons. There is nothing wrong with that but there needs to be a balance, they need hours of unstructured (loosely supervised) time to just play. When they were little you had to set up every game, toy and craft for them before they began and show them what to do but as they get older you can have supplies available for them to help themselves to such as: jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, games, musical instruments, science kits, building toys like legos and erector sets, and of course art and craft supplies. I recommend gathering some supplies in a box and giving them free reign. They can make what they like without fear of “wasting” good supplies. Here are some items that can go in it:

• watercolor paints, paper and brushes

• old magazines for collage

• white glue and glue sticks

• pipe cleaners, pom-poms, buttons, old game pieces 

• toilet paper tubes

• wrapping paper (too small for wrapping)

• straws, paper plates, clean cardboard

• scrapbook paper scraps, stickers

• sequins, beads (other “mom” project leftovers)

• clean plastic yogurt cups, soup cans etc

• yarn, string, tape, twine, floss, balloons

• colored chalk, crayons, oil-pastels

• crepe paper, left over party streamers

• fabric scraps

• dry beans, rice, food coloring

• Popsicle sticks, toothpicks, clothespins, dowels

• wood blocks leftover from woodworking projects

• kids craft and science activity books (look at yard sales!)

• small cardboard boxes, rubber bands

• Packing peanuts (watch the video)

• a harmonica…all kids love harmonicas, trust me.

You will be amazed at the creativity that can come from a fun box of supplies. Many of the items are recyclables or inexpensively found at the dollar store. If you are worried of becoming a hoarder if you start keeping a box of, well, junk then get a box with a lid and weed it out when it gets too full to close. Remember it is for them, keep the box in a  part of the house that can get messy. Better yet, put out a card table (you can cover it with contact paper if you want to keep it nice) and slide the box underneath. When they want to get creative they can pull out the box and go to town! 

Bonus idea! Fill a plastic tote with legos and glue a large flat lego base to the top and you have storage and a work-desk display area all in one!

So, does this make sense? Let them play! I got a package in the mail this week and there were packing peanuts in the box, they can be a great craft supply for kids too:

The stuff your kids make may never hang on the fridge much less a gallery but the chance of them being creative adults is much greater when they can create freely as kids. Well, I think I will get away from the computer screen and get creative myself! Happy crafting!