Page 49 - Waterfall City MayJune Issue 2026

WHY KIDS NEED

BOREDOM

even if it drives parents mad

By Nicola Killops
I n a community like Waterfall City, Unstructured time builds In an estate environment filled with

where children have access to
creative thinking
opportunity, children still need time
sports facilities, cycling paths,
that is undefined.
When children are not being directed
swimming pools, extra-murals
and endless digital entertainment, or entertained, their brains shift Boredom teaches initiative
into a reflective state. This is where
boredom can feel unnecessary. We live imagination expands. It is where ideas When everything is organised for a
in an environment designed to offer connect and original thinking begins. child, they never need to decide what
stimulation. When a child announces comes next. Boredom forces that
boredom, the instinct is to fix it quickly. In structured activities, the rules are decision.
clear. In boredom, the rules must be
Suggest something. created. What should I do?
Organise a playdate. What could I create?
Hand over a device. That shift matters. It encourages What interests me right now?
children to invent games, build
But boredom is not worlds, design projects and In answering those questions, children
a problem. It is a follow curiosity. It strengthens practise planning, organising and
developmental tool. creativity in a way that problem-solving.
scheduled activities cannot
replicate. They gather materials. They start and
abandon ideas. They negotiate with
siblings. They learn to manage time
without constant instruction.

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