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.

Boredom is good to some extent, but it has its limits. I was often very bored as a child and it definitely encouraged me to read, draw, go for walks and so on. But I was also really lonely, watched way more tv than was good for me, and absolutely craved spending time with people (but I lived miles away from any of my friends, and my parents never took us for family days out or anything). So it’s a balance.

I think its important that kids have something to do but being bored is often what drives them to use their imagination. Long car journeys or flights are our biggest challenge but I always make sure we are armed with a pad of paper and some pens. We draw pictures, play games such as hangman, its fun :-)

I think boredom is a good thing. It gives children an opportunity to learn to self direct and use their own resources to amuse themselves. I’m loathe to schedule every minute of my child’s life experience with activities as I’m concerned in the future they’ll be so used to having everything provided they won’t have the life skills need to cope with scheduling themselves.
Being bored and having down time are essential in my book for a balanced childhood

I think so because it encourages children to be creative when thinking about what they would like to do

Yes I believe children need time to do absolutely nothing and then decide for themselves how best to fill that time. I always try and have one day a week where my DS9 has nothing on so that he can just get on with more imaginative pursuits or deeper levels of thinking without being dictated to. We don't have a television so that time is just pure down time and he will complete large lego sets or get on with arts and crafts -- things that alot of voys loose at they get older.

my little boy has gained so much from having time to himself. I'm a LP and don't have enough 1 on 1 time so he has to entertain himself often while I run around doing things. He's so creative because of this. Drawing all the time, making up stories, playing with his toys in the most unusual imaginative ways. Kids need time off having things to do. it's part of life! They may as well learn to entertain themselves and develop creativity in the process.

being at a loose end is simultaneously amazing for creativity and truly annoying... I think a balance needs to be struck!

I don't think it's good for kids to got board, that's where mischief and potential danger can happen. Children should have the skills and mindset to find themselves things to occupy themselves, crayoning, drawing, reading or setting up imaginary games with their toys. I encourage my children to draw, write, and play with building blocks when I am doing household chores.

Yes. Mine both play the best games shortly after complaining they're bored!
We do plan nice things but I sometimes feel especially with my eldest that she expects to have entertainment constantly (she's 8) My 5 year old is much better as amusing himself but maybe that's because he's the 2nd child?
Either way neither are particularly arty, they'll draw an odd picture but their "boredom" usually takes them outside whatever the weather!

DD2 is 12 now but she loves drawing. She likes drawing birds for some reason.

Boredom is wonderful. It lets them find something to do and often DD2 will start raiding the house for things to make a den in her bedroom and there is also nothing better than an empty cardboard box for hours of creativity. Both of mine loved sitting in boxes to draw on the inside of them.

If you are constantly 'entertaining' your kids then they will never learn to think for themselves or just be at peace in their own company.

Over the years, during the school holidays, I would tell them we would have one day out to some local attraction a week, a couple of days at the park but the rest of the time they would have to find something to do in the garden or at home. They have local friends to see and can go out on bikes so I really prefer them to play with other kids or do something on their own than hang about me while I'm trying to sort out house stuff.

One rainy Sunday my sister and I, along with a neighbourhood girl spent one of the most enjoyable days of our childhood making a funfair out of cardboard, tape, glue and paper. It was so much fun and (it took me a while but) I even made a working ferris wheel! That stemmed from boredom so I do think it is a great motivator - necessity really is the mother of invention! Who's to know what the next generation will come up with, having had the benefit of exposure to many modern technologies? Onwards and upwards!

I don't think it does children any harm to get a little bored. Mine end up then using their own imagination to create great games and stories. Better that they are a little bored and have to work harder to find something to do than spending all day on a gadget or Xbox!
I usually send mine into the garden when they say the dreaded "I'm bored". They then end up having a great time

Boredom creates character and spurs on the use of their imagination! Over stimulated kids are no fun, they don’t need to be constantly harassed with entertainment. Sometimes they need to get on with life themselves.

I'm guilty of feeling guilty if my school are bored. As if it's somehow my job to entertain them. I have become more aware of it though and where I used to cringe if they ever said "I'm bored" now I think we'll, that's OK to feel bored sometimes.

When I think back to my childhood when it wasn't so child centered and the things we did to occupy ourselves including; spending hours choosing our favourite things from every page in the argos catalogue, creating plays to show the younger cousins, learning words and cheographing dance routines to our favourite records, making cakes and selling them to passers by, knocking on neighbours doors and running away......it makes me sad to think many children resort to screens for entertainment.

We are a creative family and I don’t often hear ‘I’m bored’ in our house. I’m a huge advocate of child led play from early years, and children making independent (guided) choices about their pastimes. We are all tech freaks but also keen on all things art and craft. The children are not keen readers but always have, and have had access to a large selection of all types of books (traditional, ebooks and audiobooks). Because they’ve always had choices but have been closely but not overtly intrusively supervised, they tend to make sensible choices about their viewing matter on-screen. We watch minimal TV but lots of educational videos and popular child friendly Youtubers. I’m very much involved in this as we like to discuss the latest videos’ content. Friends often have similar interests so this also leads to role play offline!

Out of interest, I entered my son last year and he was ‘long listed’ - but I can’t find details of the winners anywhere. Also, I’ve seen no billboard related to this. Please can you provide a link?

It's definitely good for kids to be bored. I work for myself at home, and there are times during the holidays when I need to work. The kids just have to make their own fun. I'll suggest going to the park, playing with Lego, doing a jigsaw or something, but make it clear that I'm not a paid entertainer.

I don’t think it helps when kids become bored as they start to irritate everyone and get upset too. Different activities may help to keep them occupied.

My parents used to say 'only boring people are bored'.

Children have to learn how to entertain themselves, without constantly asking others or help.

It's great to play with children, help them be creative, learning different skills, and reading great stories. Parents and caregivers spend time teaching and caring for children in order that they can become independent as they grow older.

By constantly entertaining them each time they're bored, they will never learn to be creative.

I did read that you should let your children/child be bored as you can't physically fill every hour of the day with entertainment and it encourages imagination and self thought. I see so many kids entertained with iPads/videos on smartphones at the table in a restaurant or whilst shopping, they go into melt down without constant stimulation and can't cope with what we have to deal with each day doing mundane things, or just chilling out quietly. When my daughter has nothing to do she eventually gets a notepad, some pens and creates something all by herself and it's brilliant to see. When I was a kid we had no internet, smartphones or games consoles....we made up our own games and fun times. Once you get used to being constantly entertained or stimulated it makes it very difficult at times you don't have that available....and takes away the capacity for a child to think by themselves, be content with themselves, communicate and create using their mind and imagination.

I have no problem with kids being bored. For this reason we don't use tablet on long car journeys and don't have kids TV on all day. I think it's important for children to have quiet time with their own thoughts and learn it's ok to just be sometimes.

Imaginative play always happens when the entertainment stops!

Despite having artistic parents none of mine have shown much flair yet but hopefully this will develop as they get older. Their games suggest that they are definitely creative!

In theory yes I think boredom is good for children; I certainly remember it. But it’s very hard to create boredom these days- too many easy unfulfilling unsatisfying activities out there like endless TV.

And I embraced boredom as an only child, but my two seem to deal with it by fighting. So... I don’t really have a solution for that other than to not let them be bored in the first place

I’m constantly surprised at how rarely my DCs say they are bored, even in the holidays when their usual term time clubs stop. That said, I do try to plan something for everyday of the holidays and they are good at entertaining themselves. They do have plenty of toys and love playing in the garden, which helps.

I think it’s fine! My children often say they want to watch tv or go on their iPads when it’s tech free time. I say no and they go off and find something to do.
Yesterday they dug out a load of old playmobil stuff and spend a couple of hours rescuing things and playing with an old police station.
The day before I sent them outside and they took grandads hedgehog from his garden and played hide and seek with it. (Ornament!)
They often say there is nothing to do and within minutes they are engrossed in some game or other. Usually rescuing someone/something - this seems to be a theme!