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.

No, I don’t think it is a good idea for children to be bored, as they tend to get up to mischief! However overstimulation with gaming before bedtime is also problematic, they need to wind down an hour before sleep time.

I think it's ok to have 'bored time' as it can be a good opportunity for them to think of something which they don't normally do. If that is encouraged or suggested then it's not a bad thing.

Yes it is good for children to be bored. It helps them to learn to entertain themselves and use their imagination.

i don't think its necessarily bad for my children to be a bit bored at times, it encourages them to actually think up something to entertain themselves rather than thinking my sole responsibility (and that of other adults) is to be entertaining them 24/7.
when left to their own devices for a bit they'll think up games to play, draw, paint, lots of things

I think boredom leads to creativity. I was very bored as a child and it lead to me wanting to learn a skill. I became really good at art and in my spare time would learn guitar and make up songs. My point is, without the initial boredom - for example, if my Mum had said "you're going to learn guitar", I wouldn't have had the drive to do it. Boredom is OK as long as it's not excessive. We are all bored sometimes!

If children are bored they are more likely to get themselves into trouble and possibly injured. So it is not good for children to get bored.

Children shouldn't grow up with the expectation that someone will entertain them constantly. It's good for them to learn to amuse themselves, and it's also good for them to have downtime when they're not 'doing something' all the time.

No. They are more likely to get into trouble if bored.

Definitely. It helps them find and use their imaginations instead of relying on electronic gadgets all the time.

Not good for kids to be bored, need to explore those imaginations

Yes sometimes because they find ways to entertain themselves

Yes, boredom inspires innovation and creativity.

Yes its part of life and you have to learn to entertain yourself at some point.

I prefer for them not to be bored but there's going to be times it's outwith my control.

I think being able to entertain yourself is an important life skill, so being a bit bored sometimes isn't a bad thing! When my son tells me he is bored I encourage him to play outside, or get his Lego out!

Yes because it fules their imagination

My mum used to use the "chores" response to "I'm bored" as well, so we quickly learned to entertain ourselves! Consequently, I've never been bored as an adult and wanted my son to feel the same. Encouraging his early interests and skills and letting him get on with it made him independent, capable and interested in the world from a fairly young age.

I think the threat of boredom is a good thing. We're too used these days (myself included) of being unable to even wait in a queue for 3 mins without whipping out a phone to occupy ourselves.

When the DC's have screens taken off them, they whine they are bored for about 5 mins (ok, 20!), but then eventually they go off and find something to do, whether its reading, painting, playing outside, walking the dog, whatever. I'm happy if that brief period of boredom means they go and do something productive

I think it's good for them to get 'bored' it's actually when my daughter becomes most creative...making up stories, drawing pictures or making up her own games. Sometimes she even offers to help me clean! (Bonus!) It's also not good for them to be stimulated by tv, tablets or your attention all day - in life there will be times when nothing's happening and it's good to learn that there's nothing wrong with some down time now and again. You don't always need entertaining.

We limit iPad and tv time in our house to encourage our lo's to be creative. We have a 3 drawer tower in our living room, next to our dining table, which includes drawing and colouring drawer, crafts drawer, sticker book drawer. My 5 yo DD has a fantastic imagination and her art work is out of this world, eg such detailed underwater scenes with mermaids etc. My toddler DS is following suit and already loves raiding the art drawers to join his sister at the table to do some scribbling. It won't be long and he'll be producing amazing drawings too!x

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I think they should be bored as you can’t fill every hour with activities and they need to learn things for themselves and learn to be creative or read. I set my dd a challenge over holidays to learn a new skill and this year it is crocheting. Then whenever bored she can do this or practice piano.

Learning to manage structured and unstructured time, including inhibiting frustration and tolerating boredom are important skills we need for adulthood.

Being ready for for challenge also includes having sufficient opportunities to permit abstract thinking. This isn't about problem solving or reflecting but having some time, with little to no demands, to allow for 'Aha' moments. We all need these and we don't get these moments when we are working or when overly structured lots of the time. It's a balance. If we were at work every day, we wouldn't function optionally.

There is real value in learning to doodle, to glue bits of random paper, or to paint without a plan. We can then realise that creating is not the same as reproducing. To make and create for pleasure and not for the end product are all valuable experiences. We need to be able to tolerate boredom to get to this point. But we also need to have some opportunities that are structured so that we have the skills to try out things. We need to see interesting stuff so that we can have an idea of what's possible. It's all about a balance of opportunity to just 'be' and having skilled others showing us the way.

Children need to be bored, as that's when their imagination takes over. It's good for them to learn to entertain themselves, and know that they can't be entertained on demand.
Of my two children my younger one is very happy to entertain himself, my older can't do it at all! So still a work in progress going on...

I've definitely been guilty of over scheduling in previous holidays as I remember feeling bored a lot as a child. I'm starting to plan less though and just go with the flow. My eldest does find it hard to think of ideas for herself!