ideas to get 9y.o. inspired

[letsleepingbabieslie]

My 9.y.o. engages happily enough with all the home ed work we do - maths, English, etc - and has a curious mind. But when I'm busy with his brother, or working, he just flops around and can't keep himself busy. He doesn't really have much self-motivation. I'd love for him to find a proejct / activity that he can work on independently whenever there is some free time that needs filling, but no idea what. Any suggestions?

First comes the boredom, then come the interesting projects. If you are too eager to fill free time, you miss the crucial step. You don't have to fix the boredom.

It is really hard to watch them mooching around "wasting time" when you are dreaming of all the things they could be achieving instead... especially when they grumble about boredom. My mum had an effective cure for the moaning if not for the actual boredom: "oh you're bored? Great, you can weed the garden, put the socks away and wash up."

Kids can have a hard time adjusting to filling their own time when they have been accustomed to having most of their time structured for them. It is a common problem in the early months or even year or two after leaving school. My kids were home educated from the start, but even they would complain of boredom after, say, a week-long sports camp or other highly structured time.

Wait for it. It will come. They usually do the most interesting things soon after they appeared to be incredibly bored.

Thanks Saracen. I will try to bite my tongue and keep waiting...