Helping children kill boredom

Children easily get bored and when they do, they will do the most ridiculous things, break and disorganise everything and if not watched well, they might even get hurt. It is important to keep children occupied especially before midday when they are super energetic. These are some of the things you can do; “Switch off the TV and play with your kids indoors. Send them searching the house for hidden treats,” says Cynthia Umwamikazi. With three children aged between 5 and 10, Umwamikazi says her children really enjoy this game. “I bring sweets and hide them in places I know they will be able to find them. Naturally we do this when I’m off work whoever finds something shares with the rest. It has a lot of useful lessons that come with it but most of all it brings us closer together,” she said. You could let the children ride their bicycles around the compound or in the neighbourhood if it is safe. Riding bicycles is exercise and at the same time relaxing. It doesn’t get them so tired yet it still burns calories in their bodies. 29-year-old Alex Kwitonda Hafasha says some of the things his parents taught him during childhood still help him out today. “My mother would just come to the sitting room abruptly and ask us to go out for a ten minute exercise; we would stretch a bit and breathe in and out. Immediately after that, we would feel fresh and energetic. It also killed our boredom,” he said. He also added that to this day, he still does the same exercise when at work. Finally, teach children not to think of boredom. If you have children that are of an older age, make them put a coin in a jar for every “I’m bored!” that they utter. During the weekend, they can go out for ice cream using that money. Now isn’t that a treat?