Is it good for kids to be bored? Share your thoughts with BIC KIDS for the chance to win a £300 voucher - PLUS enter this year’s drawing competition!

[EmmaMumsnet]

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In celebration of the launch of the BIC KIDS Young Artist Award created to help children across the nation conquer their boredom over the summer months, we’re keen to hear your opinions on whether you think boredom is good for children and what you do when “I’m bored” strikes.

We are partnering with BIC KIDS again this year to challenge all budding artists aged between 5-11 to create their most imaginative drawings for a chance to see their artwork displayed on a huge billboard! Entries are open from Monday 2nd July – Sunday 5th August and 13 talented finalists will be selected by a panel of experts to represent their region in a public vote.

Rebecca Huda, BIC® UK and Ireland’s Stationery Product Manager says: “We’re delighted to be returning with our BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award for 2018. Last year’s competition was a great success and we were overwhelmed by the quality of the artwork we received. We can’t wait for this year’s imaginative entries to start pouring in, ready to be displayed across the country, there’ll be some proud parents for sure.”

As well as the priceless opportunity to have their drawings published, the 13 deserving finalists will win a hamper full of BIC® KIDS goodies, with the crowned champion receiving their very own creative arts party!

Once your children have created their masterpieces, you can enter them into the competition easily and quickly by visiting bickids.com/uk/youngartistaward and uploading the artwork before the deadline on Sunday 5th August.

Everyone who posts on this thread to share their thoughts on boredom and/or to share the drawing they have entered into the competition will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

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NB - you will only be entered into the BIC KIDS drawing competition by submitting your drawing via the link above. However, we also encourage you to share your drawings on this thread to be entered into the £300 voucher prize draw.

if they say they're bored they get given chores.

Yes, teaches them an important life lesson it just gets worse.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's good but I think it helps them come up with their own ideas on how to occupy themselves.

No, when my kids get bored they get naughty behaved

I don't think we get the chance to be bored at home as we can always drift onto the internet, so I take my son to work in the holidays to get him bored enough to pick up a book or a notebook.

I think if you have multiple children it's a different story and you can leave them to be bored and play with each other. If you have an only child like I do you do need to make more of an effort to entertain them and take them out so they have other kids to play with.

sometimes - to encourage them to take up new interests

Yes so they can learn to use their imagination and amuse themselves

kids should go outside more and explore the great outdoors

I don't think it's nice when kids are bored, but it's a great opportunity to use their imagination or encourage then to go outside or maybe hemp around the house

i think so because imagination is so important

I do honestly think you have to leave the kids off with the tv off and no direction given for them to really get going and get creative! Went away on holidays ridiculously underprepared and they spent half the time playing games with plastic cups and getting more excited by them than their toys! Also leave them with a few boxes and they're sure to get hours of fun. You do get into a habit of trying to make sure they're always busy, it's probably one of the biggest problems with parenting now, when we were kids (80's), we just occupied ourselves, mostly in the garden!

Yes boredom is important. It sparks creativity and they learn many important life lessons from it.

Yes. it's an opportunity to ask them questions and make them think of ways to tackle perceived problems.

I think nowadays bored kids turn to technology.

I’d say it’s good to have unstructured time outside, in a field/woods/beach.

i think it's an important learning process, they learn to use a bit of their imagination :)

yes it is as it will get their imagination going and start to be creative

I think boredom is good because it leads to creativity and independence instead of children being dependent on entertainment being provided for them all the time.

I Think it's ok for kids to be bored sometimes. They need time to be with their own thoughts and to learn to think about things without having to be entertained 24/7. For example, my kids always complain they are bored in the car but I refuse to give them something to entertain them. They have to learn to be patient.

I think it's okay to be bored sometimes, my eldest (13) would disagree. They will all say they're bored as soon as we stop doing something, we will take them on a fun day out somewhere and the minute we get back and start doing something else she will say she's bored. I do think it's good for kids to make they're own entertainment sometimes though, when left to it they will play imaginative games together, read, draw

I think it can be a good thing to let the kids get bored now and again. It forces them to use their imaginations and creative sides to make their own entertainment. With my kids if they're bored for about an hour they always come up with some interesting plan to changes that (usually something I never would have thought of myself).

Yes I do think it is good for my kids to be bored and have to use their imagination and actually play with their toys (shock horror!!). We do tend to do a couple of trips out a week during the summer holidays, with one being a walk and a picnic which they love, and the other being somewhere to go and do things so they always have something to look forward too. Other than that, we are at home/in the garden and they have to find their own entertainment from the toys that get dusty while they are in school all week.

I think it is good for them to be bored at times as it stimulates creativity. I remember writing poetry as a child simply because there only used to be 4 channels on T.V. and nothing to watch! (Yes, I'm that old)
My child only reads and draws when there is nothing else to do. If the TV is on, he naturally gravitates towards that.

I don't think that it is good for them as they should be stimulated. Be it through activities with you or through toys and their imagination. They should be able to come up with things to do to entertain themselves and learn how to use their imagination. But if they are often in a situation where they are saying they are bored then it can be bad for them xx

will get the little ones to enter this