Listen here:
Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Amazon
Why Boredom Is Good for Kids β and the Best Thing You Can Give Them This Summer
Every spring, parents start spending what feels like a second mortgage on summer camps β sports camp, art camp, STEM camp, equestrian camp. And at the very same time, social media fills up with moms already dreading having their kids home. Both reactions, says homeschool expert Christy-Faith, come from the same misunderstanding about what children actually need to grow.
Christy-Faith β an education and parenting expert with over 20 years of experience and the host of The Christy-Faith Show, the podcast for homeschool moms who take their craft seriously β makes a bold, research-backed case in this episode: the very thing we work so hard to protect our kids from, boredom, is exactly what their developing brains need. Here is the science, the reason boredom makes us so uncomfortable as parents, and five simple moves for a slower, richer summer.
The Summer Camp Trap: Why More Activities Isn’t the Answer
There is a camp for everything now, and the pressure to enroll is relentless. But Christy-Faith argues that all that spending β and all that scheduling β is built on a fear, not a need. We have come to believe that a “good” summer is a full one. The truth is closer to the opposite: the hours we almost fill but don’t are often the most valuable hours of a child’s day.
Before booking another expensive week of activities, she asks parents to consider what those dollars are really buying β and what they might be crowding out.
Boredom and Child Development: What Screens Replaced
Think back to the summers you or your parents grew up with: cereal from the box, out the door after breakfast, and nothing on the calendar until someone bled or someone called you in for dinner. Out of all that “nothing” came forts, elaborate make-believe games, bike gangs, sibling squabbles β and creativity, resilience, and independence.
Today the landscape looks different. According to the CDC, half of American teenagers spend four or more hours a day on a screen, and the kids hitting that mark are significantly more likely to show symptoms of anxiety and depression. Christy-Faith is quick to note this isn’t about banning screens for kids β her own kids play video games. It’s about being honest that screen time has quietly filled the space where boredom, and all the development that happens inside it, used to live.
What the Research Actually Says About Boredom
Three findings make the case. First, boredom activates the brain’s default mode network β the system that switches on only when a child is understimulated and turns inward to do the most important work of childhood: creativity, memory consolidation, self-reflection, and identity formation. It doesn’t fire up during a video game or a sports camp; it fires up during stillness.
Second, boredom is where creativity in children is born. Researcher Dr. Sandy Mann found that when people do undemanding tasks β folding laundry, taking a walk, staring out a window β their minds wander, and they become measurably more creative afterward. (It’s why our best ideas arrive in the shower.) The creativity happens on the other side of the discomfort, not during the entertainment. Third, Dr. Teresa Belton’s work shows that learning to sit with boredom teaches kids to manage harder emotions later β patience, frustration tolerance, and emotional regulation, the exact skills this generation is struggling with most. In short, boredom is training wheels for everything hard that’s coming in life.
Why Boredom Makes Us So Uncomfortable as Parents
If the research is this clear, why do we panic the second a child says “I’m bored”? Christy-Faith believes it’s less about our kids and more about us. We’ve absorbed a story β a lie, she calls it β that a good mom enriches every moment, creates magical summers, and has an activity scheduled for every day. When a child is just sitting there, bored, we feel like we’ve failed.
There’s a second layer, too: when our child is uncomfortable, we feel it in our own nervous system. The whining is physically activating, and the fastest way to make that feeling stop is to hand over a screen or an activity. In the moment it relieves us β but over time it can turn us into our children’s full-time cruise directors and cost them years of development.
White Space Is Not Neglect: The Case for Unstructured Play
Homeschool families have more unstructured time β more white space β than almost anyone, and many of us are so afraid of “wasting” it that we pack the schedule with co-ops, extracurriculars, tutors, and field trips. Christy-Faith’s reframe is simple: that white space is a gift, not a problem to solve. Protecting room for unstructured play isn’t lazy mothering β it’s the soil where real growth happens.
5 Moves for a Slower, Richer Summer
Big ideas need action items, so Christy-Faith offers five. One: expect early protest. The first three or four days of letting kids be bored can feel awful β whining, wandering, flopping on the couch β and that storming phase is a sign it’s working, not failing. Two: don’t entertain them, equip them. It’s not your job to solve boredom; it’s your job to coach them through it. Three: make a “fridge list” β sit down with each child and brainstorm 30 things they’re allowed to do without asking (build a fort, bake something, write a story, dig a hole), then post it so you can simply point when the whining starts.
Four: protect the white space on your calendar. Aim for one anchor activity a day β a co-op, a play date, a swim, a library trip β and leave the rest wide open. Five: check your own habits. If we scroll through every empty moment, we teach our kids that boredom is intolerable. The best gift we can model is curiosity in the quiet, not escape from it.
β New to Homeschooling? Start with Episode 101 β the New Homeschooler Series is the best place to begin.
Resources Mentioned
- The Christy-Faith List β A free directory of homeschool-friendly businesses, doctors, and providers
- Thrive Homeschool Community β Christy-Faith’s membership community for homeschool moms
π Looking for more free resources? Find all of Christy-Faith’s freebies β including Curriculum Recommendations, Homeschool Style Finder, and Sample Schedules β at christy-faith.com/#freebies
Related Episodes
If this episode resonated with you, you’ll also want to listen to:
- The Secret to Making Childhood Memories β What kids actually remember (and why presence beats a perfect, packed schedule). Listen here
- Screens in Your Homeschool: What’s Too Much? β How screens affect kids’ brains and behavior, and 5 ways to reduce screen dependency. Listen here
- How Long Should a Homeschool Day Really Be? β Why quality beats quantity, and how to build a rhythm with room for free play. Listen here
Frequently Asked Questions
Is boredom actually good for kids?
According to Christy-Faith, a homeschool expert with over 20 years in education, boredom is one of the most underrated tools for healthy child development. When kids have nothing to do, the brain’s default mode network switches on and does the deep work of childhood β creativity, memory consolidation, and identity formation. The research is consistent: the discomfort of boredom is where creativity and resilience are actually built.
Why are kids today so anxious and unable to handle being bored?
Christy-Faith points to the data: the CDC reports that half of American teens spend four or more hours a day on screens, and heavy screen use is linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression. She explains that when a screen fills every moment of boredom, kids never practice sitting with mild discomfort β and that lost skill, frustration tolerance, is exactly what helps them weather harder emotions as they grow.
How should I respond when my kids say “I’m bored”?
According to Christy-Faith, the goal isn’t to entertain your kids but to equip them. Instead of rushing to solve it, she suggests responding with genuine curiosity β something like, “I can’t wait to see what you figure out on the other side of your boredom.” This coaches kids to plan and problem-solve, one of the most predictive skills for adult success.
Do homeschoolers need to sign their kids up for summer camps?
Christy-Faith says no β and that the pressure to fill summer with camps is largely a marketing-driven invention of the last couple of decades. Her recommendation is one anchor activity a day at most, with the rest of the day left as protected white space. She’s clear that this isn’t about being a “selfish mom” who plans nothing; it’s about resisting the urge to pack the schedule out of fear.
What is a “fridge list” and how does it help?
A fridge list is one of Christy-Faith’s five practical moves: sit down with each child and brainstorm 30 things they’re allowed to do without asking β build a fort, bake something, write a story, set up an obstacle course. Post it on the fridge so that when the whining starts, you can simply point to the list instead of solving the boredom for them.
About Christy-Faith
Christy-Faith is a homeschool expert, author, speaker, and the host of The Christy-Faith Showβthe podcast for homeschool moms who take their craft seriously. With over 20 years of experience in education, a master’s degree, and a background founding and directing one of the country’s top private learning centers, Christy-Faith has advised everyone from everyday families to A-list celebrities and billionaires on their children’s education. She is the author of Homeschool Rising: Shattering Myths, Finding Courage, and Opting Out of the School System, the founder of the Thrive Homeschool Community, and the creator of the Christy-Faith Listβa free directory of homeschool-friendly businesses and providers. A homeschool mom of four, she reaches over 400,000 followers across social media and has built one of the largest and most trusted voices in the homeschool movement.
Listen to the full episode above, and if this was helpful, share it with a homeschool mom who needs to hear it.
