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.

A bit bored is good for them, but I remember long summer holidays at my grandparents, there weren't any toys, no other children, we didn't go out anywhere (even park/shop) that was a bit too much bordem

Right from when my DC were little I've made a conscious effort not to entertain them. That's not to say I don't play with them at all but we have set times of the day when they are expected to occupy themselves. It started when DC1 stopped having afternoon naps & ever since then all DC have had time in the afternoon when they can do whatever they choose Lego as long as it doesn't require my constant supervision. It's worked really well for us - the only time I hear "I'm bored" is at the end of mealtimes when they're waiting for someone to finish eating or when we're out & they've forgotten their books. They're all home educated & we have a similar routine throughout the year so we don't have the dreaded long summer break from their usual routine.

My three DC'S rarely tell me they are bored. They love to play outside in the garden which I think helps.

I can't stand hearing kids say they're bored. My DD has learnt not to use that word unless she deliberately wants to provoke a reaction! Now she'll say she can't decide what to do and I will give her some suggestions. It's good for them to have downtime where they get to choose how to occupy themselves. How else will they discover what they enjoy doing? I'm lucky though, my DD has a lot of hobbies and interests and is very good at entertaining herself. I have friends with kids who aren't interested in anything much which must be very difficult.

Having a bit of bored time is ok. It's when the kids end up making silly games up or have a bit of a rough and tumble.

However, i do find they struggle to entertain themselves. I do find it difficult trying to juggle the stuff I need to do with keeping them busy.

I also think if children are never bored it doesn't help them in the long run, because some things ARE boring, but you have to do them, to get to a goal that you want to reach, or to ease family life. If you expect to be entertained at every possible moment you might be happier in the moment but not in the long term. So maybe practising scales is boring but necessary if you want to be able to play your instrument well. Cleaning surfaces in the kitchen is boring but necessary if you don't want to get food poisoning.

Goodness knows my kids have a less boring time than I did as a child as they are not dragged out every Saturday to do a supermarket shop, rarely have to visit DIY shops while parents haver over two shades of magnolia, never have to wait in a reception area for half an hour while their sibling has a dance lesson etc. But being incredibly bored doing those things certainly helped me and my sisters develop our imaginations!

Yes it is from the point of view that parents shouldn't have to provide a constant stream or entertainment, kids need to go and invent their own games and amuse themselves sometimes.

Once she was old enough, I found that the best response to 'I'm bored' was a bracing 'Good! That means you can use your imagination and find something to do'. After a few looks, she generally managed to do exactly that.

Rare bouts of teenage ennui sometimes wanted a sympathetic 'want to chat?'.

My 4yr old doesn't say he's bored, but I think that may be down to him not understanding the meaning, as it's not a word his dad and I ever get to use!
We have lots of indoor and outdoor toys, and boxes of various arts and crafts. He just rarely will use any if them unless an adult is playing alongside him, which I'm hoping he will need less of as time passes.

To a point, but a bit of prompting about going to do something productive normally sorts it out..

Bored is bad and tends to lead to arguments, however being creative and using their imagination is great and they love making up their own games when they feel like it

In this house any child that says they’re bored and has nothing to do is told where the vacuum cleaner is.

There are times when I have things to do and can’t entertain them and they have to find something to occupy themselves with. Normally this is when the Lego comes out of its box or the drawing pad comes out.

My 5 year old has just started with the 'I'm bored' moan! I don't think he really understands the meaning of it though.
Kids don't need to be entertained 24/7 - it's good for them (& for us!) to have some quiet time to find their own entertainment - lego, books, colouring.. all great tools for this.
A selection of crafty bits usually piques my LOs interest & I can leave him pottering about while I make dinner.
A change of scenery is usually enough to cure boredom if nothing else works - a walk out, a bike ride around the neighbourhood, doing some work in the garden or going to the park - things that cost nothing, but get the brain & body moving.
While I'm on it.. I think video games are really unhelpful. They fool kids into thinking life has to be a constant rollercoaster of bright lights, moving images, adventures & either winning or losing. Real life REALLY isn't like this!!

I think occasional boredom really helps to develop an imagination. I don't think that children should be entertained all the time.

When my children say 'I'm bored' it is my favourite time. The response is always 'oh good, you can help with the dishes, or hoover the living room' and then they have some very important game to play in a nano second. Shame I don't hear that statement more often really lol.

yes- i think kids should have time to be bored/ reflect and come up with their own schemes and ideas on what to do.

on the other hand... summer holidays approaching and i am already making lists on the 100s of things we can/will do so the kids arent bored.

in the ideal world it would be great if kids were never bored and just went off and made their own little fun/ games.

however thats just not going to happen.

loving all the ideas from fellow MNers

Yes, all kids should be given time and space to makes up their own games and entertainment.
But drawing, colouring and craft are not popular here.
If I'm told they are bored, I suggest jobs, or tell them to find something to do. They normally do.

My youngest is severely autistic and dangerous when he's bored. Ask his big bother.

My five year old occasionally come out with “there’s nothing to do!” Or “I don’t know hat to play with!”

I think a little boredom is good as it encourages imaginative play. Luckily dd loves drawing, painting, play doh etc and will always enjoy playing with her shopkins pile making up little stories.

My children are late teens now but both have gone back to creative activities, one doing watercolours and the other pencil drawings.
I can't recall them saying they were bored when little as they played with each other, craft activities and were happy to do normal day to day stuff like supermarket/cooking with me

Boredom feels like it is a lack of patience sometimes, I feel baby having a lull in their activity and not having stimulus for a few minutes is a really good thing.

Kids need to get a bit bored in order to get to the point where they go off and find something to do to solve their boredom. That’s fine, but it’s quite different from, say, kids being dragged around the shops for hours at a time or on unnecessary long car journeys where they are bored but they can’t do anything to “solve” that.

One child being bored is a nightmare as it leads to them finding the other and interfering in whatever they are doing. Both children being bored is brilliant as they team up and find things to do - this morning it was a science experiment that resulted in what they have described, euphemistically, as an 'air freshener' created from effervescent vitamins and vinegar.

I could do without the initial moaning about it! But yes I think children really use their own imagination more when they have to entertain themselves. Inspired by Harold and George from Captain Underpants one of my children is suddenly fearing cartoons on any scrap of paper that can be found. Both also like to play elaborate adventure games outside!

When my 5yo says “I’m boooored!!” I have only to draw breath for him to sigh and say “I know, I know, being bored is a life skill.”
Sometimes he can amuse himself, sometimes he needs some help. It’s getting better, though!