Parenting

Every parent has heard the cries of boredom from their child at some stage or another. It doesn't matter how many toys or computer games a child has they still experience boredom.

When left to their own devices to find amusement and entertainment children will invariably select an activity that is not quite suitable in some way or another. As a parent it is your responsibility to provide your children with a range of stimulating and interesting activities that are appropriate for your child's age and ability.

Children have a short attention span. The younger the child the shorter the span. This is why young babies are time consuming, they need constant and varying stimulation. They are however easily occupied. A simple container with some rice enclosed or a saucepan and lid will often do the job. Likewise a walk in the garden or a change of scenery can also do wonders for a bored infant. It is when they get older that relieving boredom becomes tricky!

Being the mother of a six year old on school holidays for 6 weeks, boredom is something I am currently hearing a lot about!

Sure she has a gameboy and a playstation that would happily keep her amused for hours and the Internet as back up. All which would happily keep her occupied for hours on end, but is this really the right kind of stimulation for children?

Naturally a resounding no is the answer so in a bid to avoid electronic baby sitters I have come up with an interesting alternative to provided boredom relief.

Word of the day

Choose a word suitable for the child to understand the meaning of. This will vary from child to child. Write the word down and discuss the meaning and usage. Give examples in sentences that the child will understand. The child may even wish to write a few sentences using the word.

At random times in the day, try and make a point of using the word. You can also ask the child to see how many times during the day they can use the word.

The educational aspects of this are obvious so how will this stop boredom I hear you ask?

Easy! Children get bored because their brains are inactive. It is well known that a babies brain is like a sponge. People seem to forget this is not something children grow out of. They may forget about their thirst for knowledge if it is not constantly fed but children are always willing to learn.

Ultimately what the “word of the day” does is create an opportunity to talk and interact with your child. It can be discussed while washing the breakfast dishes or hanging out the washing. You can get your child to practice spelling and writing the word while you feed the baby of get dinner ready. Depending on the word you may even be able to get the child to draw a picture. The variations are endless and easily adaptable to your personal situations and family lifestyle.

The best part of all such activities have a wide range of benefits.

• Alleviates boredom

• Develops child's vocabulary

• Great bonding opportunity

• Can allow you the opportunity to get things done yet still spend time with your child

Trust me this is fun and easy and a great way to learn with your child.

Tags: boredom, development, education