There will be times when your child will be faced with boredom and you may think that it’s not a healthy state for him to be in. Whether your child studies at an international school in Manila or elsewhere, you shouldn’t necessarily try and distract him from these occurrences because boredom can actually induce creativity, encourage reflection, and spark an inner sense of wonder.
Despite popular belief that boredom may impact your child in a negatively in terms of mental development, studies have shown that boredom can help stimulate a child’s mind and increase creativity. Boredom is a crucial experience for developing the internal stimulus of the mind.
When children are bored, they may start to daydream. This is what is responsible for creative thoughts. Boredom creates the mental space for children to self-promote creative association and experience a deeper state of imagination. With less focus on the physical world and more room to contemplate, their mind now has the space to be more creative.
The mental exercise that boredom gives our children can be a way for them to develop one of the most important skills – creativity. Due to the rapid development of technology and the ease of access to internet devices, children are constantly being preoccupied with gadgets.
Excessive use of electronic devices may be detrimental to a child’s imaginative and creative development. They are often used as tools to distract themselves from boredom, much like an escape.
Boredom is an important experience in life. It gives us the potential to find meaning where no meaning exists. When children get bored, they tend to look back at certain memories that are of great significance to them. This helps promote good memory and boosts their psychological well-being.
When your children are under times of latency, you shouldn’t instantaneously assume that they are not thinking about anything or that they have simply ‘spaced out’. More often than not, they’re in a deeper world of thought. Processing multiple instances of experience and giving meaning to them. This is great for their psychological development as they will have the capacity to shift perspectives.
Children will find value in their own experiences and past interactions with others. This can help them develop their own unique and grounded view of the world and their understandings. In the future, this can make them more psychologically formidable.
Boredom sparks curiosity and can play a role in developing self-confidence by allowing children to find ways to gain interest with what surrounds them and practice making their own decisions.
Whether your child studies in an international school in Manila or elsewhere, it would be best to refrain from always having to discourage idle moments or times of latency as this gives him the mental space to explore thoughts and experiences. It will be great to know that your child is making the most out of every situation to be imaginative.