The Ugly Word Called Boredom by Judy Lyden

The Ugly Word Called Boredom

Boredom is a dangerous word for very young children. They should never have the opportunity to use the word nor even know what it means. Because boredom is really the inability to entertain the self. Boredom comes from within rather than without.

Being bored means a child has yet to develop a life of the mind. His imagination is flawed; he can’t make believe or invent without a great deal of hard work, and that’s an effort which seems beyond him.

Children who whine that they have nothing to do -- don’t. Watch them. They mill around without entering the play because they don’t know how. They don’t know what to do with blocks, with a play kitchen, a box of crayons, a puzzle, or nearly anything that takes effort.

Drifting or milling is passive and it’s easy. It means: “I don’t have to make a commitment.”

It comes as a result of not being expected to play -- without the help of parents or providers -- by parents and providers. It comes from laziness. Playing alone begins in infancy for short periods. By the time a child walks, his natural curiosity should be encouragement enough that he spends some time exploring his young world by himself. Children will still “home base” parent or provider, but the actual play will be self started by the child.

Preschoolers should be able to play for long periods without a participating adult. But this won’t happen if the tools of play aren’t available to the child both at home and at child care. It also won’t happen if parents play for children or use too much TV.

At the very least, any day care, preschool, or child care situation should provide enough play options, child focused activities and planned lessons designed to entertain and delight children the whole time they are in child care. Teachers should be on the ball enough to have planned at least for the day, and be enthusiastic about every child’s activities.

Now -- walk through your child care door and really look around. Does the warmth of color and things that belong to children, that they have made, welcome you? Lights on please! Toys out please! Noise shouldn’t deafen an adult, but a certain play noise should entice children to enter the games.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. But so are children next to God, and their concept of clean and neat will differ from appearance conscience teachers and providers who fuss about cleaning up the mess. Mess belongs to child care. Best looking child care room award goes to the teacher who produces the most interested kids.

Do you see children who are idle? It should never happen. There should be at least a play station for every three children, and they should be well equipped, well thought out capturing a child’s imagination. This is where many children learn to play. How is taught by other children.

Lots of books please-- information, picture books, poetry, rhymes, stories, and toy catalogs. There should be a puzzle station, a table time toys station, a science corner with natural wonders, a dress up station, an art station with all the media and a block area.

A day care child’s day should be filled with learning and doing. It’s called hands on. If there is enough to do, children will never lose their way into that awful unmentionable thing called boredom.