Boredom Busters!

When you need a response to, "I'm bored!"

Boredom is actually an important experience in childhood. It requires children to develop and use emotional regulation (to cope with the discomfort of being bored), problem-solving (to figure out a way out of the boredom), creativity (to generate fun ways of spending time), and independence (to occupy themselves).

When children have not yet developed these strategies, feeling bored can be overwhelming (for both children and the adults who hear about it!). As a step toward teaching these skills, it can be helpful for adults to offer suggestions. Simultaneously, children sometimes reject parental ideas in moments of distress.

Here’s where the Boredom Buster jar comes in! Adults should introduce the idea by explaining that it helps to "bust the boredom blues” and have fun. Making the jar should be an enjoyable activity where children and adults work together. Follow these simple directions and brainstorm ideas to get started.

While making the jar, give children control over whether/how to decorate the jar, the fun ideas they want to be included on the sticks, and actually writing out the ideas if they want. When children get 100% of the control over what ideas go into the jar, they are much more likely to accept an idea that comes out of the jar.

Once the jar is done, role-play a situation when the child is bored: They say “I’m bored,” and the adult enthusiastically reminds them about the jar. The child picks 2-3 sticks out and selects one of those activities to bust their boredom. Make it silly and relaxed, so children associate the jar with fun.

Put the jar in a place where children can see. Encourage them to ask you for a Boredom Buster when they need ideas for fun. It’s also okay for adults to respond to complaints of boredom by getting the jar and prompting kids to pick 2-3 sticks. Over time, children will need this support less and less as they develop independent boredom-busting skills!

NOTE: If none of the stick activities feel acceptable in a boredom moment, children should be allowed to decide to do something else to occupy their time. The goal here isn’t to make kids stick to the sticks; rather, we want to help children develop ways of working through boredom. If they like a stick, great! If they think of something else to do, also great!