The value of boredom in a culture of busyness

I remember my afternoons in childhood vividly. The days felt like taffy as the sun stretched itself slowly into bedtime. I’d often spend the afternoons laying on the deck in my backyard, listening to the radio, daydreaming, or imagining some fabled world inside our treehouse, while my mother cooked dinner for the family. I’m lucky to be a part of what seems to be the last generation to have experienced boredom throughout childhood. Over the course of two decades, childhood has become more and more absorbed by our culture of busyness and the accelerated pace of scheduled activities. Preschoolers now spend an average of 3 hours a day in structured activity including school and extracurricular programming compared to an average of 20-45 minutes of unstructured play a day. At SLCC, we’ve emphasized the power of and necessity for child-directed play by incorporating an average of 3 hours of unstructured time into our daily experiences. 

As children’s days become busier and more scheduled, their nervous systems become more dysregulated, while their bodies become accustomed to seeking more stimulation. The overstimulated child is a result of our new culture of busyness and the decline of that whimsical trip through the mind called boredom.

What is surprising and profoundly beneficial about boredom is its potential to spark creative innovation, problem-solving, and our parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for activating our executive functioning, planning abilities, cooperation, and helping to quell those bath-time meltdowns.  According to scientists, boredom has been empirically proven to be a precursor for creative thinking, which is why many creatives find that their best ideas come when they’re engaged in mundane tasks, such as doing laundry or taking a walk. Boredom relaxes the brain and turns off its usual filters, allowing it to explore new ideas without the constraints of usual thought patterns. It’s no wonder why artists and writers seek retreats when working on their novels or next best projects. Children need these mental retreats even more.

Extracurricular activities can be beneficial to children’s weekly schedule if they are meaningful to the child and invite genuine and regulating experiences. However, thoughtfully choosing the best structured experience requires us to take an inventory of our child’s nervous system and level of stimulation. Stallman (2026) writes, “Learning about your child’s needs, prioritizing time for your child to explore “nothingness”, and mindfully choosing activities that support your child’s wellbeing without overtaking their schedule can help prevent “stimulation junkies.” Communicating with your child and watching out for non-verbal signs of stress is crucial to help both you and your child thrive.” Observing how regulated your child seems after a structured extracurricular program is a great way to gauge whether or not they are benefiting from the experience. Are they coming home calm, engaged, and attuned? Or are they coming home with meltdowns, tired, inattentive, and defiant? 

It can be overwhelming as a parent to navigate the various different classes, lessons, and extracurricular programs available to children. We can often fall victim to the playground pressure of other parents’ boasting reviews or fears of falling behind. We might fear that if our preschoolers aren’t getting enough activities they might not be ready for the big world of kindergarten. Or perhaps we’re not equipped with how to support their boredom. Well that’s just it! The great thing about boredom is that it sparks the imagination of the child, who then can direct their own play, interests, and ideas. Boredom is the gateway to self-initiation and doesn’t require any planning from the parent.  

By carving out one day of your weekend or an hour a day during the school week for uninterrupted boredom, we allow children the opportunity to regulate their nervous system. We give them room to process things they might need to talk about or play through. We give them time to make their own play choices, self-regulate, and build executive functioning. We also give ourselves permission to slow down as parents, which is vital for our children to see as well. If we show our children the value in a balanced life of leisure, boredom, and slowness, they will begin to value it themselves. 

References:

Mahoney, J. L., & Vest, A. E. (2012). The Over-Scheduling Hypothesis Revisited: Intensity of Organized Activity Participation During Adolescence and Young Adult Outcomes. Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence, 22(3), 409–418. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00808.x

Global Leaders Institute (June 13th, 2024). The Surprising Power of Boredom: Unlocking Creativity and Problem-Solving. [Website] https://www.globalleadersinstitute.org/blog-post/the-surprising-power-of-boredom-unlocking-creativity-and-problem-solving/

Ramirez-Guzman, K. & Hintz, M. (2026). Why Do Parents Over-Schedule? Cadenza Center. [Website] https://cadenzacenter.com/stop-the-rush-how-over-scheduling-can-hurt-your-child-what-to-do-about-it/

Stallman, A. (2026) The Overscheduled Child. Imagination Playground. [Website]. https://imaginationplayground.com/the-overscheduled-child/