My 9 yr old son is bored, what shall we do?

1. 57

   lonesomepolecatposted 14 years ago

   I invite friends from his old neighborhood over!

   replyreport
2. 61

   Stimpposted 14 years ago

   I'm not a bio-parent but I do know that it seems (from helping to raise two other peoples' children) that most kids now are always "I'm Sooooooo Bored" as if WE are to be their barbie dolls to play with and to entertain them. I grew up in rural ND and ALWAYS had something to do....because we didn't have others to entertain us and because we had to use our imaginations.....there were no video games, there were no iPods, cell phones, etc. The best we could hope for was a bell on our bicycles.  If we were lucky enough to make an allowance and wanted to spend it....WE WALKED or rode our bikes (unfortunately, because of the sick-oes stalking our children now, they can't be afforded those luxuries).  SO, when our girls come up and say "I'm booooooorrrrreeeeed."  I have a list of things they can do to earn money....like clean/organize a drawer or cupboard which is a job i don't want to.  Or, sweap the garage or whatever.  If they CHOOSE not to do anything on the list at all....then its "well, go clean your room which earns you nothing."  It takes about 2x before they stop coming to you (or another adult) for entertainment and start using their imaginations.  I also will photo copy more difficult picture/word game pages out of a book and give them ONE SHEET at a time (not all at one time) to complete.  I don't mean to sound like a harda@$ but I see this with all the kids I've been around nowadays.....that they are expecting to be entertained 24/7....ESPECIALLY in a split home.  "Dad what do YOU have planned for us this weekend?"  and to make the problem worse the girls' mother actually MAKES Them ask us that prior to them even coming over.  It's really sad. 
   
   At any rate....hope this helps.

   replyreport
3. 59

   ratnaveeraposted 14 years ago

   Your nine year old son can be given many useful GK books and encyclopedia. There are many magazines and weeklies for children to develop their knowledge. You can also get him some racing and driving games. But, your son should not get addicted with those games. All of your family members can enjoy weekly once movie or outing which will help to refresh mind. Apart from all these things we can tell about religious stories.

   replyreport
4. 0

   sneakorocksolidposted 14 years ago

   Start training him to play sports. When their that age you have to teach them how to be mean. And winning isn't everything it's the only thing! It's only illegal if the ref catches you. You have alot of ground to cover you better get with it. You don't want him to be a whoosie!

   replyreport
   1. 68

      goldenpathposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Keep their mind working.  We do a lot of dry canning.  I have my kids can food.

      replyreport
5. 0

   no1demonposted 14 years ago

   hi there im a parent of three  children one of which is 8  and he loves to toy fight and play computer games with me it makes his day when i spend time doing things he wants to do  so all im saying is have some fun  lol

   replyreport
6. 69

   Beth100posted 14 years ago

   Playdough...baking....racing cars....painting.....legos....  and a ton more.

   replyreport
7. 60

   Ms.Lavaeposted 14 years ago

   You can
   1. enroll him in karate
   2. encourage to join som kind of sport
   3. play a game with him
   4.join boys and girls club
   5. an after school program
   6. Get him an educational video game

   replyreport
8. 71

   dyonderposted 14 years ago

   macaroni & pudding paints...& a drop cloth

   replyreport
9. 60

   Passport Guideposted 14 years ago

   Why do you feel obliged to find something for your child to do? Why are we so obsessed with doing, being busy? Why not help your child learn the art of doing nothing and help him make peace with boredom?
   
   Here are some quotes from an article entitled "The Joy of Boredom" in the Boston Globe.
   
   The Cambridge Journal of Education, Teresa Belton and Esther Priyadharshini of East Anglia University in England reviewed decades of research and theory on boredom, and concluded that it's time that boredom "be recognized as a legitimate human emotion that can be central to learning and creativity."
   
   "If you think of boredom as the prelude to creativity, and loneliness as the prelude to engagement of the imagination, then they are good things," said Dr. Edward Hallowell, a Sudbury psychiatrist and author of the book "CrazyBusy." "They are doorways to something better, as opposed to something to be abhorred and eradicated immediately."
   
   It "may take a little bit of tolerance of an initial feeling of boredom, to discover a comfort level with not being linked in and engaged and stimulated every second," said Jerome C. Wakefield, a professor of social work at New York University and co-author of "The Loss of Sadness." "There's a level of knowing yourself, of coming back to baseline, and knowing who you truly are."
   
   The Joy of Boredom

   replyreport
10. 85

    rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

    passport guide, I do agree with this article and yet once a child is 9 years old, for the most part, his brain has already been programmed to expect gratification from being constantly entertained. a good teacher now has to also be a performer to keep kids attention.
    
    so parents have to wean their kids off of this constant need to be entertained. I see this early with young children where parents are buying infants all kinds of 'educational' toys a baby does not need. then they grow into toddeler/preschool age where more toys are introduced, t.v., computer, ipods (yes, even 3 yr. olds have them). parents thinking they're doing the right thing to help their kid grow up smarter are actually setting their children up for less creativity, and more materialistic, self-indulgent lifestyles.
    
    I'll be publishing a hub today that touches on this somewhat.

    replyreport