• My account
  • Contact Us
  • 0 items$0.00

YoPlay Yoga for Kids

Where Yoga & Play Come Together

  • About
    • About YoPlay Yoga For Kids®
    • About Jen
    • YoPlay Licensees
  • Trainings
    • Upcoming Trainings
    • Teacher Trainings
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Join Our Team
    • Become a Licensee or Liaison
    • YoPlay Mentorship Program
    • YoPlay Yoga For Kids® Monthly Membership
  • Lesson Plans
  • Free Resources
  • Workshops
    • Mindful Yoga Breaks®
    • Yoga 4 Classrooms
  • The Blog
  • Subscribe

July 13, 2018

Let’s All Be Bored This Summer! 5 Ways to Bust Your Boredom

 

Bored, I’m so bored, bored bored bored.  I’m bored to death, audible heavy sigh. Bored, bored bored. Is this a common and recurring chorus in your home this summer?  Being bored is boring. Or is it?

 

Children need to sit in their boredom for the world to become quiet enough that they can hear themselves. ~Dr. Vanessa LaPointe

 

 

Being bored is saying no to chaos and yes to calm. Being bored is saying no to consumerism and yes to minimalism. Being bored is saying no to all the outside stimulus and saying yes to the imagination.  

 

How do we teach kids to be bored when it’s so boring?  Part of it is getting past the mundane drone of their current state of being, then having the patience for them to figure out what to do in the nothingness.  What did you use to do when you were bored as a kid? Was its endless games of “I spy,” crafting paper airplanes and seeing whose will go the furthest or was it sitting in your room mixing potions of powders and oils (like Lani used to do).

 

Good things can come from idle hands and minds.  When not engrossed in technology, or participating in structured and planned activities,  you can be sure kids’ minds (or yours for that matter) won’t be still. Their minds will be doing what it does best – thinking.  And probably some of the best and most creative thinking you’ve ever had happens when you’re bored. Just ask Tolkien. He was so bored with repetitively grading certification papers, that he wrote the Hobbit.  

 

Some really cool things happen when you are bored.

For example:

  • My twins, when they are not allowed on electronics, they have created their own worlds and are using Latin to name the continents and ocean in their imaginary world, along with speaking a made-up language in their imaginary world.
  • My daughter Stella’s chore is recycling but only half gets taken out because she keeps the rest to create a DIY project.
  • My friend Lani’s son Zephyr creates entire stories and scenes with the most random toys if given enough time to dig in and explore with them.
  • I find that I do my best creative thinking when taking a walk WITHOUT the earbuds in.

 

Boredom is a luxury. It’s freedom from constantly feeling the need to do something, be somewhere, or say something.  It’s the luxury of just being fully and completely in the moment.  ~Bill Byer

 

What will you create, imagine, or discover this summer by being bored?

 

This summer, it’s time to take back our boredom. We have a challenge for you, play along, share what you do or just try some of these ideas when you feel bored and feel like picking up the phone, tablet, or turning on the tv. (It’s good to give our brains rest to mindless tv every so often- we all do that). But there are SO many other ways we can quiet our minds and it can be about really doing not much of anything. Give yourself moments of not being entertained all the time or feeling like you have a huge to-do list to complete.

 

5 Ways to Bust Your Boredom 

  1. Find a time in your day where you choose boredom over being mindlessly entertained by technology. Here are some ideas!

 

  • Boredom Buster Jar

 

Create a boredom buster jar like this one for when you hear the words “I’m bored.”

  1. Standing in Line
  • instead of picking up your phone, connect with someone in line.
  1. Car Rides
  • Have a no electronics rule for rides under 2 hours.
  • Play music and have a car dance-off, play car games, or just daydream. Our family has a contest over who can spot the most wildlife.
  1. Make materials accessible
  • Have a bin of unusual objects, like your junk drawer, and see what they come up with to amuse themselves.  What will they do with a few paperclips, clothespins, scraps of paper and chopsticks? Let them make a mess – let them seek new experiences. AND don’t clean up after them as they are playing. Just let them play.
  • When our family travels overseas we don’t travel with toys my kids simply play with whatever they have on hand which usually isn’t much.  They play store by drawing items and toys on paper and then play with hand-drawn money for example.
  1.  Be Alone                                                                                                                                                        

Find a time in your day to do something (gasp!) on your own – Kids too

  • Adults: Go to a coffee shop, happy hour, a hike, walk around the ‘hood, sit in your yard with a book.
  • Kids: Those with siblings- make sure each child has their own time where they can be quiet away from chaos; listen to their needs.  Our singleton kids may be used to it, but don’t give in to the need to always be entertaining them with other playmates.

We would LOVE to hear from you…what are some of your ideas for when your child says “I’m bored?”

 

With Deep Breaths,

Jen

 

Article by Yo Play Yoga / For Parents, kids yoga, Kids Yoga & Mindfulness, minimalism, Mom Blog, Thoughts, Uncategorized / be bored, be boring, boring is beneficial, kids summer, summer, summer activities

YoPlay Yoga For Kids

Lesson Plan Monthly Membership

Get a new lesson every month with step by step guidance for a playful, engaging, thematic Yoga Journey.

breathing exercises
kid friendly yoga poses
relaxation
mindfulness activities
games
playlist and more!

I want to be a Member!

 

Categories

  • Bhutan
  • Camping with your family
  • change
  • Events
  • fantastic fall books
  • For Parents
  • Health Volunteers Overseas
  • kids yoga
  • Kids Yoga & Mindfulness
  • kids yoga and books
  • Medical Volunteers Overseas
  • meditation
  • meditation
  • mindful practice
  • mindfulness
  • minimalism
  • Mom Blog
  • Mudras
  • Outer Space Kids Yoga
  • therapy
  • Thoughts
  • travel
  • travel with kids
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016

Cart

Discover More

YoPlay Yoga For Kids is a mobile enrichment program for kids. Where we bring yoga and play to children in their space, whether it be a learning center, preschool, library, YMCA or school.
YoPlay Yoga For Kids® incorporates playful yoga poses, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques helping children learn to stretch and strengthen their bodies, be mindful, release stress, feel better about themselves and calm their emotions – all of which makes them healthier and happier.

Newest Posts

  • An Emotional Roller Coaster
  • 5 Ways to be Mindful During a Pandemic
  • Quiet, Cozy & Reflective
  • What Lights You Up?
  • 6 Tips To Help Your Child With Change
  • Fantastic Fall Stories & Yoga For Kids
  • Why Teach Mudras To Kids?

Come YoPlay With Us

  • YoPlay Yoga For Kids® Monthly Membership
  • Become a Licensee or Liaison
  • YoPlay Mentorship Program
  • Teacher Trainings
  • Mindful Yoga Breaks® Workshops
  • Lesson Plans
  • Free Resources
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Copyright © 2018 · YoPlay Yoga for Kids
Developed by Renaissance Web Solutions