Be Bored This Summer

Boredom has its benefits, yo

My daughters, ages 8 and 11, have been on summer vacation for precisely 4 days. Already they’re “boooored”.

… First, WTH?

Second, let’s talk boredom. Cultural stigma is at play, no? I’d perhaps argue that America is boredom-averse. Those of us with smart phones pick them up and check them (What are we checking them for?) the second boredom strikes and often without conscious thought. We pack our schedules jam tight, too, so we never feel the dreaded bore. Parents take on the duty of stuffing their children’s summers with All. The. Things. so their kids aren’t bored and, by consequence, destructive.

Yet boredom has its benefits. Boredom isn’t just normal, it’s healthy. The emotion offers our children—and ourselves—valuable learning opportunities, and it’s only when we’re bored that we unintentionally spur our own creativity or ponder that nagging issue that’s been swimming in the back of our minds.

Boredom gives us the space we need to let our minds wander; it encourages us to be present in the present moment, too.

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The concept of “enough” also comes into play here, and it’s something I’ve been thinking about an awful lot lately. In the U.S. we’re told that we should aspire to obtain more of everything forever. Capitalism normalizes wanting: More stuff, more information, more experiences, more entertainment. We’re on a never-ending hamster wheel of consumption, sure.

But who benefits from this, honestly? Certainly not you and me.

What if we hold the key to our own escape from this cycle? What if the solution isn’t more, but less? What if it’s not about “busting” boredom, but instead about embracing what is? Because let’s be honest: The endless pursuit of more—more stuff, more stimulation, more distraction—is ultimately unsatisfying.

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Alrighty. Despite my rant, I know you’re here for the boredom-busting listicle.

Earlier this week I posted my best suggestions on Instagram for addressing boredom without playing into capitalism’s tactics (ahem … spending money). A few of you chimed in; I asked my tween for her best thoughts, too. All these suggestions and more created the below list of 44 suggestions for addressing boredom in ways that encourage creativity and WITHOUT buying stuff we don’t need.

My suggestions:

1. Gather up your unused craft supplies and see who can make the wackiest art

2. Bake something for a neighbor

3. Go on a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood and try to find every color in the rainbow

4. Visit a different local library and perhaps attend one of their programs

5. Make a pillow fort

6. Visit a nearby park and learn about native plants

7. Host a board game night with friends

8. Make a new meal out of whatever’s in your pantry

9. Go star-gazing

10. Camp in your backyard

Suggestions from all of you:

11. Do a jigsaw puzzle

12. Water the plants then water the kids (a.k.a. spray them with the hose or sprinkler)

13. Picnic in a park at sunset

14. Visit a historic site near you and learn about local and Indigenous history

15. Try out Kids Bowl Free

16. Stay abreast of local free activities in your community (A summer music concert series, perhaps?)

17. Make homemade popsicles

Suggestions from my 11 year old:

18. Draw an awesome treehouse (Note from Stephanie: She’s an architect’s daughter, so this tracks.)

19. Cut up old magazines and make a collage for your bedroom

20. Write a letter to yourself, then put it away to open in 10 years

21. Rearrange your room

22. Try a new recipe

23. Memorize a favorite poem

24. Invent the ultimate candy bar, then make it

25. Write a song or rap

26. Start a summer journal

27. Build an epic fort

28. Write a short story

29. Invent a coded written language

30. Invent a spoken secret language and start using it with friends

31. Climb a tree (Note from Stephanie: Safely.)

32. Get a big piece of paper and try to trace your entire body

33. Make up a secret handshake

34. Try out a new hairstyle

35. Draw the view from your bedroom window

36. Learn how do to a decent headstand

37. Invent your dream sandwich

38. Make a movie or short film

39. Measure how far you can spit (Note from Stephanie: Gross.)

40. Create a standup comedy routine and perform it for your parents

41. Design and make a new board game

42. Create a new dance

43. Play any sport but use a frisbee instead

One final suggestion from an expert:

44. Author Katie Hurley suggests saying something to bored children like, “Take a walk around the house and come up with three ideas, and get back to me.”

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Back to the rant before we say goodbye:

Instead of giving buying our children countless activity books and craft kits this summer (and instead of resorting to endless screen time!) let’s perhaps instead give them the princess gift of FREEDOM.

Let’s give them what’s missing in so many childhoods these days, which of course is the opportunity to experiment with pursuits that fulfill or interest them, even if they aren’t “productive”. No, our children don’t always have to be striving for something. They don’t always have to be achieving something or becoming something, either. And hot take!! We adults don’t have to be constantly producing/achieving, either. I’m still working on untangling my own identity from my output, from untangling my WORTH from my output. Maybe you are, too.

Our kids deserve the time and space in their summers to be FREE. So do we.

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I released a new podcast episode on Tuesday about off the grid living with fellow Substacker, Elaina Jindra. For my supporters, please let me know your thoughts. What do you want to hear more of? What do you want to hear less of?

Please also leave your best free summer activities for both kids and adults in the comments, and thank you!

In a world that’s vying for your attention capital at every turn, I thank you for being here :)

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