Action Plan for Putting an end to Your Child’s “I’m bored”

Posted on September 28, 2017

I’m Bored! Moms: how many times have you heard this phrase uttered from your children’s mouth? And when you hear it, how many times does it make you cringe? Did you start to unravel and feel like you were going to lose it? Yep, that was me.

Hearing the phrase: “I’m Bored” from my 5-year-old son and 6-year-old (soon to be 7-year-old) daughter is right up there with incessant whining for no reason. It’s like a rite of passage as they transition from babbling babies to talkative toddlers and beyond. This is probably why I have the pleasure of hearing, “I’m Bored” at least 3-4 times a week.

I have tried to figure out if there is a pattern so that I can proactively combat them. But they are too random to figure out. The “I’m Bored’s” can come at the most random times of day. First thing Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon after a fun-filled morning or birthday party. A random evening right before bedtime. While I am trying to cook dinner so that they can go to bed on time! Right after a good 30 minutes on their tablets. On the way home at the end of school or camp day.

In fact, not only do they come at the most random time of day but it’s not like I am sitting around waiting for them to tell me they are bored. I am usually cooking dinner or some other random item on my to-do list that I want to knock out and get done.

I do offer suggestions:
– read a book
– let’s play a board game
-go outside in the backyard
-play with your brother (sister)

What my soon to be 7-year-old would love for me to say is “let’s download 5 new games to your iPad so you can play for countless hours”. “Not going to happen sister”

Moms, we must work together to combat the “I’m Bored”. Not only for our children’s entertainment and engagement but also so we don’t lose our minds every time we hear “Mommy, I’m Bored”

Here is the I’m Bored Action Plan we should all implement together!

Step 1:

Complete a toy inventory – go through your kids’ toys (with the kids) and pack up the toys that your kids no longer want to play with. You may discover it is time for a toy refresh for the next birthday or holiday milestone. Take this activity one step further and make it an opportunity to teach that it is important to give away toys to kids who are less fortunate than they are.

Step 2:

Reacquaint yourself with the kids: ask the kids about the things they do and don’t enjoy doing. That way you are not recommending activities for them to do that they don’t even enjoy. It’s like me recommending my daughter to play with dolls.

Step 3:

Get your DIY creative juices flowing: I do realize that “I’m Bored” is sometimes a subconscious cry for attention from mommy and daddy. Create a list of age-appropriate DIY crafts that you can do together on the weekends that are a little less hectic. For example, make your own slime.

Step 4:

Last but not least, set expectations. Our kids cannot grow up expecting that their parents are going to drop what they are doing and be at their beck and call as entertainment concierges. Set expectations. Remind them about the after-school routine. Lay out the game plan for the day on the weekends along with their options so they won’t get bored.

So Moms, there you have it! My best attempt at laying out the best action plan to combat the I’m Bored’s. Let’s activate this plan together. Our children and our personal sanity will thank us for it.

This post was written by Nicole Walker. Nicole is a working mom living in the big city with her two beautiful children and husband. She recently added the title “Mommy Blogger” with the launch of her blog The Mommy Break Project. Her mission is to be intentional about putting herself first for an entire year, at least once a week (that’s 52 mommy breaks) so that she can achieve the perpetual state of “happy mommy.” She hopes that her journey inspires moms to do whatever they need to do to be their best mommy! When she is not busy being a mom, wife, and blogger, she enjoys entertaining, reading and knitting. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, or hit her up on Twitter @MomBreakProj.

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