Stop Saying Boredom is Good for Kids

Chronic boredom is harmful to adults, causing stress, disengagement, and poor well-being. Academic researchers have shown that boredom in the workplace can be just as damaging as burnout. But search for information about childhood boredom and you’ll find the opposite message: articles describing boredom for kids as “fantastic”, “important”, and full of benefits. News articles, social media graphics, parenting discussions, and even policy proposals are full of praise for how great boredom is for children. Why do so many adults disresgard children’s autonomy, capabilities, and intellectual needs? Unstructured play is different than boredom Play is a keystone of childhood. It is crucial for children to have unstructured free time in which they figure out what they want to do. Left alone, my daughter has come up with all sorts of fun ideas– building homes for her stuffed animals out of…