It seems like a vicious cycle. You take your kids out of public school because they are bored and bring them home to school to realize they are still bored.
Exercising Creativity Muscles Prevents Boredom
Is boredom beneficial? Step back first and rethink the harried pace this educational world demands of our kids.
It’s one thing to be bored in public school because a child may not have a say in which courses he takes or may not be challenged and quite another to not seize moments of boredom while homeschooling.
Knowing that boredom can be caused by several factors and that some are positive and others are negative helped me to see that boredom can have a positive place in our homeschool journey.
Matter of fact, if your homeschooled kids are not bored, you may not be using homeschooling to the fullest. Out of boredom, worthwhile projects can be discovered.
Don’t get sucked up into the way the world constantly redefines success with school subjects, which consume every waking minute of a child’s life or that more academic work equals smarter.
Thinking back to my childhood, I didn’t grow up with ear buds hanging out of my ears or a cell phone hanging out of my pocket. I didn’t have 100 channels to select from on TV or even have YouTube, but my siblings and I never lacked for activities while learning.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not looking to go back to the good old days on some things because I love having information at my fingertips. And entertainment nowadays can fill a boredom niche, but it’s only temporary.
Growing up back then though, kids were less bored because they were more active, motivated and inspired. They had to look for creative outlets.
And wanting my kids to be active participators in their education instead of passive spectators is one reason I began homeschooling.
How to Not Let Your Homeschooled Kids be a Drag
Boredom is part of the homeschool journey because it gives a child a chance to unplug and quiet moments helps a child to widen their field of interests. It can mean you’re doing something right when every moment of learning is not planned.
For example, Mr. Senior 2013 enjoyed music always as a little boy. However, until he had quite boring moments at home, he didn’t realize that he had a love of classical music that he feeds to this day.
Too, Mr. Awesome 2015 knew he loved working with his hands and thought woodworking would be his calling. However, until he got bored and took lessons in a private woodworking class, he realized that he didn’t enjoy it as much.
Exploring and navigating through limitless opportunities for learning not widens a child’s interests, but adds spice to learning.
Many times being bored may not be the problem. The problem may be that a child takes a narrow view in interests, hobbies and activities and limits himself while learning.
He can’t think about what interests him when he seeks constant entertainment or satisfaction on his devices or with ear plugs plugged in. He needs to widen his interests and he needs time to investigate them.
Life is very different now and it’s easy to think that boredom is not bliss. I discussed this with my mother, who worked on a farm while she was growing up and who homeschooled my youngest sister. She told me kids weren’t idle back in her time either.
Again, a key point I learned from my mom was that kids didn’t get bored because they were making worthwhile contributions to the family and farm.
The way they spent their time was self-fulfilling because they were giving to others. That was another tell-tale sign of satisfaction, which is how they spent their time. Children and teens gain satisfaction by volunteering their time to help others.
Our kids are no different today.They still need a sense of accomplishment that only comes from doing.
Just reading, watching or listening to what other people are doing can make kids feel like an observer in their education.
A child’s mind needs to be fed with new experiences of their own created out of quiet, uninterrupted moments of boredom.
If your kids have had some boring moments and not because of negative feelings, what did they learn from those moments?
- Socialization – A Homeschool Hallucination?
- Homeschooling a Left-Brain Child a/k/a Socially Awkward and a Bit Nerdy
- 4 Reasons Your Homeschooled Child is Uninspired To Learn (and what to do)
- Transitioning from a Public School Mindset to a Relaxed Homeschooling Lifestyle
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I couldn’t love this post more if I wrote it myself!!! YES. My girls had time to figure out their likes and dislikes. Homeschool is where they developed their love for children and babysitting, fostering future auntie/mothering habits. Homeschool home-ec in about eight different homes is where they discovered a love for cooking. And yes, they also discovered things they didn’t like so much as well. I get tired of the plugged in lifestyle and the rat-race with kids these days. Which is exactly why I pulled mine out and brought them home. Home should be a place of discovery, learning, and yes, BOREDOM.!
Resonates with you too Ruthie, uh?
And for sure I get tired of the rush….however, did our grandparents get as smart and well rounded out as they were without being plugged in someplace?..
I definitely think boredom can be a good thing; usually shortly after they complain they’re bored I see my boys interacting and playing in new, deep and profound ways that they would not have been doing if I had come to the rescue with a list of things to do.
Mother of 3 recently posted…Beardsley Zoo
Absolutely…We need to quit trying to bail them out of those moments of silence…and boredom..