Do you remember the dog days of summer?
Anyone who grew up before the fateful invention of the internet knows that a three-month summer break felt like an eternity by mid-July.
For parents, those “I’m bored” moments were the stuff of nightmares. As a grown-up, your relationship with boredom is different. With a busy schedule, any hour without something to do is likely welcome. For kids, modern entertainment and technology offers more stimulation than ever before, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy.
In fact, Psychology Today reports too much screen time disrupts sleep and desensitizes the brain’s reward system, causing kids to be more irritable, exhausted, and depressed. In other words, computers aren’t great babysitters.
Before whining reaches the point of no return, sit the family down and create a summer bucket list. Grab a big piece of paper and start jotting down things to do this summer. Encourage free or inexpensive activities. With better weather, outdoor activities in the park or backyard are perfect.
Add gardening, water balloon fights, stargazing, and chalk art to the list. Keep adding to your list until you’ve run out of ideas or you’ve filled up the paper.
Tack your summer bucket list to the wall and refer to it when you need an idea to cure the boredom. The bucket list exercise teaches kids to use their imagination and helps them better understand the value of time.
As an added bonus, if your kids aren’t the most easily motivated to do chores or yard work, the bigger ticket items on the list might serve as rewards for good behavior and hard work. After all, summer wouldn’t be summer without a little sweat — just like the good old days.