I'm Bored.... You're Welcome

Do you know the phrase, "Only boring people get bored"? That's not just outdated - it's probably straight-up harmful to our kids' creativity. As parents and educators, there is often a pressure to keep our children constantly engaged and entertained. Let me share a story from this week that highlights why boredom might be the secret ingredient to unlocking imagination.

Children are our best teachers, and so like many of my reflections and anecdotes, this involves my 6-year-old son, Alfie. He came to me this week with that all-too-familiar complaint: "I'm bored." (You can almost hear the exasperated 'boorrreeedd'). Instead of rushing to provide entertainment, I said, "You're welcome." Confused, he asked what he could do. "Look around and think of something."

What happened next was nothing short of magical. Minutes later, Alfie had created an entire world where humanity was in danger. Tin cans from our upcycling box were planning a revolution against humans, led by a tiny sweetcorn tin, seeking revenge for having their bottoms cut off and being forced to roll everywhere. 'Old rusty' had gone mad from rain exposure, and they'd even started to recruit toilet roll tubes who were angry about having their "skin" ripped off for, well, you know.

In that moment of "boredom," Alfie's creativity flourished. He wasn't just passing time; he was world-building, problem-solving, and exercising empathy by imagining perspectives of inanimate objects. All because I didn't rush to fill his time with structured activities.

This story isn't just a proud parent moment (though I admit, I was pretty impressed with the plot). It actually aligns with what researchers have been telling us about boredom and creativity. Dr. Sandi Mann, a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, found in her 2014 study that people who had completed a boring task (like copying numbers out of a telephone directory) came up with more creative uses for plastic cups afterwards compared to a control group (Mann & Cadman, 2014).

A 2013 study by Karen Gasper and Brianna Middlewood of Pennsylvania State University showed that boredom, unlike other negative emotions, actually promotes creative association-making. They found that bored individuals performed better on creativity tests compared to those experiencing other emotions (Gasper & Middlewood, 2013).

But why? Neuroscientist Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang suggests it has to do with something called the "default mode network" in our brains. This network lights up when we're not focused on the outside world, allowing our minds to wander and make unexpected connections (Immordino-Yang et al., 2012). It's like giving our brains free rein to play and explore.

So, what does this mean for us as parents and educators? Here are a few takeaways:

1. Resist the urge to constantly entertain: It's okay (and even beneficial) for kids to feel bored sometimes.
2. Create space for unstructured time: Ensure your child's schedule isn't packed with activities from dawn to dusk.
3. Provide open-ended materials: Things like boxes, art supplies, or even random household items can become tools for creativity when a child is "bored."
4. Model embracing boredom: Show kids that it's normal to sometimes not have anything to do, and demonstrate how you use that time creatively.
5. Encourage reflection: Ask kids what they thought about or imagined during their "boring" times.

Now, I'm not suggesting we should aim to make our kids bored all the time. The goal is to find a balance. Structured activities and guided learning are important too. But by allowing for periods of unstructured time, we're giving our children's imaginations room to soar.

Alfie's tin can revolution? That didn't come from a structured lesson or an educational app. It came from a moment of boredom, a little encouragement, and the freedom to let his mind wander.

So the next time your child comes to you complaining of boredom, welcome it. You might be surprised at the creativity that unfolds. After all, in the spaces between activities, in those moments of "nothingness," we often find the seeds of imagination and innovation.

As the renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi once said, "If you are never bored, you most likely never get creative." So let's embrace a little boredom. It might just be the best gift we can give our children's developing minds.

What do you think? Have you seen creativity bloom from boredom in your own children or students? How do you handle those "I'm bored" moments?

References:

Gasper, K., & Middlewood, B. L. (2014). Approaching novel thoughts: Understanding why elation and boredom promote associative thought more than distress and relaxation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 52, 50-57.

Immordino-Yang, M. H., Christodoulou, J. A., & Singh, V. (2012). Rest Is Not Idleness: Implications of the Brain's Default Mode for Human Development and Education. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(4), 352–364.

Mann, S., & Cadman, R. (2014). Does Being Bored Make Us More Creative? Creativity Research Journal, 26(2), 165-173.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper Collins.