Do you worry when your kids have nothing to do? Is doing nothing a waste of time? What do your children do when they do have free time? Is your family over scheduled? Does your family always feel hurried?

 

These are questions we should all be asking ourselves. While it is good to expose gifted children to a variety of experiences, we must not forget the value of down time.

 

The results of Time for Playful Learning? (a study done by the LEGO Learning Institute), showed that “…German and Japanese parents wish for more time for free play for their children, whereas parents in the USA, UK, and France seem to prioritise (sic) scheduled activities over free play.” The study also showed that “Doing nothing in particular is relatively more appreciated among parents with a higher level of education, parents with higher incomes and older parents.” Interesting.

 

My life seems to go in cycles from being over scheduled to having a more leisurely pace in which to accomplish necessary tasks. I have noticed that when I move at a more leisurely pace, I am actually more productive and definitely more creative. I have time for the necessities of life: adequate sleep, healthy diet, and quality exercise. Therefore, I am physically and mentally more prepared to handle tasks. In addition, I have time to organize everything I have to do and I also have time for my mind to wander.

 

According to many experts in creativity, one has to go through three stages to come up with a creative idea:

Finding that time to let ideas incubate is often difficult. When talking to adults about creativity, I often ask them when they get their best ideas. It is usually when they are doing mundane activities like driving, taking a shower, washing the dishes, or vacuuming. We as adults and certainly our children need time to allow for those great ideas.

 

In a Better Homes and Gardens article from last year, the author concluded that kids really need some down time and time to be creative. After one parent arranged for her children to have more free time, her oldest son became interested in the piano. Her other son created elaborate card games and now wants to be a game inventor.

 

In a recent syndicated article from Knight Ridder Newspapers, it is suggested that boredom is actually an opportunity for personal growth.

 

When we over schedule kids we deny them the opportunity to use their time to organize, plan, contemplate, imagine, create, and pursue interest areas. We also reduce family time for activities, conversations, and problem solving.