Some boredom this summer may be just what the kids need
In a world filled with screens and activities, it just might be good for your kids to be a little bored this summer.
“Let them feel bored. And let them try out ways to reduce it because that’s how we learn to manage any of our emotions, including boredom,” said Dr. Erin Westgate, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Florida in Gainesville and director of its Florida Social Cognition and Emotion Lab.
How people experience boredom can manifest in different ways and differ by situation, Westgate said, just like how some people may express happiness, sadness or other feelings differently.
More clinically, a 2023 Frontiers in Sociology study defined boredom as a “state of mind characterized by a lack of interest, stimulation, or challenge. It is a subjective experience that can manifest in a variety of ways, including restlessness, apathy, and disinterest.”
Boredom is different from relaxation, according to Dr. Michael Rich, director and founder of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Something that one finds relaxing often involves an activity that still stimulates the mind, such as riding a bike, gardening or reading a book.
But boredom itself has its own benefits for kids, Rich said. He is especially enthusiastic about the benefits that moments of boredom present for kids from a developmental perspective and the potential to spark creativity and free play.
Such play can give children moments to figure out problems or think creatively — skills that become essential as they grow older, said Rich, who wrote a book about raising kids in the digital age.
Play is essential to development because it “contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children and youth,” while also offering opportunities for parents to fully engage with their children, according to a 2007 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Boredom may also have some physical benefits. For instance, Rich said, someone who is bored at night may find it easier to go to sleep and get more sleep. The benefits of adequate sleep include improved heart health and a lower risk of chronic conditions, such as heart disease and high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People should embrace moments of boredom “as a gift of not having to do anything else right now,” Rich said, “and use that gift … in ways that enrich us, even if it’s daydreaming or just being silly.”
Parents who book their children’s schedules to keep them from getting bored may also hamper their kids from learning ways to handle boredom, Westgate said.
“Boredom isn’t bad. It’s just feedback. And like pain, it’s not necessarily enjoyable, pleasant feedback,” Westgate said. “But it’s still really important, useful information that gives us sort of a tool to act on that tells us, ‘Hey, this is wrong, and this is an opportunity to fix it and feel better.’”
