Seems like the perfect time to talk about what to do when your child is bored. There's no school, no library, no sports, and on and on. Your child is bound to feel bored in the upcoming days and weeks. There are ideas everywhere online for ways to entertain your child while stuck at home. And while I love to sit down and play a game with my kids or Pinterest craft the afternoon away, I'm going to suggest something different. Embrace the boredom. Realize that of all the roles that we have as parents, and there are MANY, entertainer does not have to be one of them. It is not your job to keep your child entertained every minute of the day. It does not mean that you are being neglectful if you are not actively playing with your child.
We've become a society of instant gratification and, quite honestly, it is not healthy. Everyone needs some time of peace and calm in order to process things mentally and emotionally, even our youth. Perhaps the speed with which our society is moving day to day is the reason that we have more and more mental health issues than ever before. We should not only be allowing time for our children to slow down and be alone with their thoughts but also modeling that for them.
And what about imagination? Sometimes the best ideas are the result of boredom. Let your child play with their old toys in a new way, create a recipe of their own, produce an open-ended craft instead of a step-by-step project, write a story, or build a fort in the backyard. There's so much learning that comes out of imaginative play.
So relax. Take a deep breath and realize that even though your kids may be home for weeks, that doesn't mean you have to come up with ways to fill all of that time for them. You've got enough to do around the house anyways.
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