Stop being Boring and Reclaim Imagination

In today's society, one of the biggest problems we have is that our kids are boring. No I don't mean they don't have a personality, I mean they don't do anything but play on phones, watch tv and play video games. 

Everywhere I go I see kids and teens on some sort of smart device whether it's a smart phone, a tablet or an iPad. I'm not saying anything is wrong with using technology but where is the human interaction? What happened to writing notes and meeting at the pool hall downtown to hang out after school? What happened to watching an entire ball game while chatting with friends?

Now all kids do is play video games, post to social media, binge watch a show and play more games.  There face is buried in the screen. Kids can't make it through a movie or a ball game without checking their phone. They sit in groups on their phones not talking. I have seen kids ages three and up buried in the screen. I'm sorry but if you aren't old enough to stay home alone, you don't need a phone and if you are still in diapers you definitely don't need a phone.

Parents we need to reclaim imagination. We need to get our kids active again. We need to limit screen time and get our kids outdoors even if that means going outdoors ourself. We need to spark our kid's creativity and challenge them to be a better them.

As a child I worked on a farm. I didn't have a cell phone until I was fifteen. I didn't have texting until I was seventeen and I didn't have internet on my smart phone until I was twenty. Yes times have changed, they have changed drastically in my lifetime and I'm still in my twenties. When I was bored I would try to find something to do. I remember using disposable cameras, going out on the farm and taking pictures of anything and everything. I remember going to the creek and exploring, making crafts and playing with Barbies. I remember if I complained that I was bored to much, my parents would find something for me to do to make me less bored.

Nowadays, a kid says they are bored, the parent most likely caves and turns on the tv or hands them an iPad which is exactly what their kid was hoping for. If you are one of those parents, cool, everyone parents differently but I want to challenge you to not cave. I want to challenge you to help reclaim your child's imagination. That next time your child says they are bored, tell them to go outside and play or write a story.

Being bored is a good thing. 

Being bored helps your child learn to use their imagination and spark creativity. It can help them learn to be more independent and less reliant on technology or mommy to come up with something to do. Being bored is good. 

Here is a list of 30 alternative activities your child can do instead of burying their face in a screen.

1. Color
2. Paint
3. Draw
4. Make a craft
5. Write a Story
6. Write a Book
7. Read a Book
8. Find a New Hobby
9. Take Pictures of random objects
10. Do a Puzzle
11. Listen to Music
12. Try to write/create a new song
13. Dance
14. Build something - a fort, treehouse
15. Play a Board Game or Card Game
16. Create a Bucket List
17. Clean their room
18. Organize something in the house
19. Clean out their closet
20. Fold the Laundry
21. Help out with Chores
22. Help Cook dinner
23. Bake a Dessert
24. Discover an Old Toy / Play with their Toys
25. Pretend Play / Dress Up
26. Go Outside and Play
27. Go Outside and Explore
28. Go for a Walk
29. Exercise
30. Create a list of everything you can do next time you are bored

So next time your child is bored tell them to use their imagination and come up with something to do. If all else fails, you can resort back to this list for inspiration. You can also write down these ideas or some of your own and keep them in a jar so next time your child is bored you can tell them to draw from the bored jar and they have to do what they draw. Fun right?!

There are hundreds of things kids can do when they are bored. I'd love to know what your favorite thing to do when you were bored as a kids was. Comment below!