Are We Giving Our Children Enough Boredom?

This is a question I've been sitting with for a while now—not as an occupational therapist, but as a parent.

In a world where we are constantly trying to enrich our children's lives, I sometimes wonder whether we've become a little too good at keeping them busy.

I found myself asking: Am I allowing my child to be bored?

Have I given him too many toys? Too many activities? Too many screens? Too many ways to fill every spare moment?

And perhaps the bigger question: Have I given him enough opportunities to simply sit with himself?

To know his own thoughts.

To use his imagination.

To notice his body.

To wonder.

Over the past few months, I've made a conscious effort to step back and allow more space for boredom. Not neglect. Not doing nothing. Just resisting the urge to fill every quiet moment.

What I've witnessed has been fascinating.

I've watched my son sit and daydream. I've listened to him talk through ideas, questions, and observations that I don't think would have surfaced if he had been constantly entertained.

Sometimes I'll ask him, "Sweetheart, what's on your mind?"

The answers often surprise me.

He'll tell me about a social interaction at school that he's still thinking about. He'll wonder why people behave the way they do. He'll invent stories, imagine different worlds, or ask questions about life that seem far bigger than his years.

It's in these moments that I realize boredom isn't empty.

It's full.

It's where curiosity lives.

It's where imagination begins.

It's where children have the opportunity to make sense of their experiences and their place in the world.

Of course, this isn't about throwing away the toys or banning screens. My son loves a good Lego set, and I love watching him build. He creates, rebuilds, problem-solves, and imagines. That's valuable too.

But I've started to think that the magic isn't always in giving children more.

Sometimes the magic is in giving them space.

Space to think.

Space to create.

Space to be uncomfortable for a moment while they figure out what comes next.

Because when children aren't constantly being entertained, they often discover something far more powerful:

How to entertain themselves.

So perhaps the question isn't whether boredom is something we should avoid.

Perhaps the question is this:

Are we giving our children enough of it to discover who they are when nothing else is competing for their attention?