The Funniest Ways to Avoid Having a Bored Kid

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bored-kid

What if your kid could be a curious and interested kid forever?What if you could avoid having to handle one of the biggest problems in our society today (and it will probably continue to expand rapidly)?I tell you that as a father of a seven years old kid. I am ok if he daydreams from time to time. It's good for his brain development. It's good to find the right answer to a problem too (actually, it's one way for your brain to use the diffuse mode, as opposed to the focus mode). But I am not ok if several days in a row I hear my son telling me, "Daddy, I'm bored." or any words related to that topic.Bored kids at school is a big problem right now. And the curve is going up, not down! What's happening?If you do an internet research on this subject, you will find a lot of writings and videos about bored kids and bored kids at school. I will not dig in the details now. One fact I know for sure is that the regular educational system kills the creativity in our kids. It has done it already with most of us. Kids aged 3 to 5 are almost 100% able to think in a divergent way. Aged 8 to 10 the percentage drops to 32% (two thirds are already thinking alike!). When they get older it gets even worse: the same test was used with 200,000 people 25 years old and they were only 2% were able to think divergently.I am sure most of you think like I do: "I will do anything I can to allow my kid to keep his or her creativity and even enhance it."The study I mention above was done in the UK in 2005. A recent one done in the USA is more dramatic because the bored kids at school percentage is going up at a rapid pace.Many years ago, I started to study the human brain. How it works, how we can keep it healthy, how we can improve it. I do it because many people still think really old ideas about their brain and it has to change. Since I am a dad, I want my son to benefit the most from the marvelous tool he has between his ears. But your brain likes challenge not boring activities like watching tv or ..... most of the time, sitting down passively at school (brain activity is really closed and low in both cases).WHAT MY SON AND I DO:Here are what I try to do frequently with my son:I tell him to observe everything like a detective, to ask as many questions as he wants about anything he sees, thinks, or feels.I try to make his school work at home more engaging by asking him questions and doing parts of his exercises in a funny way. I ask him to teach me what he has learned.I often tell him that failure is the fastest way to learn big things, so he can try again in another way if what he has done or created has not worked the first time.When we cook together, we create our own recipes and mix ingredients in a way we enjoy (sometimes it's really tasty, sometimes it's at least really fun 😄).I often ask him to imagine a new solution for any problem I found, or any problem he encounters.Sometimes he helps me model something in 3D and has different ideas if the model has to be 3D printed or not (angles, thickness, shape,.... Really good for his brain!).Mars is still a hot topic between us. He explains to me his life on the red planet and what he has to create or change to address his needs.Two days ago, he dreamed he was driving a jet ski on the sun. The discussion that followed was amazing and interesting. I really believe that we, as parents, are a key element for the future of our kids. We can and we will impact greatly (in the good or the bad way) the life of our children.They deserve the best in you. And you know what? It is a challenge for all of us. It will be sometimes difficult for all of us. But I really think it will make us better parents, we will get better as a person and it is lots of fun too! I AM SURE THAT YOU HAVE MANY IDEAS, ADVICE, AND COMMENTS.PLEASE SHARE THEM WITH ALL THE PARENTS HERE, ON 3D ROUNDHOUSE, OR ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.HAVE A GREAT DAY WITH YOUR KIDS!