Health. Letting your child get bored: an educational act?

"Children need to rest, to be bored, to dream," emphasizes Florence Millot, a child and adolescent psychologist.

And for good reason, through this boredom, he "will be able to think about his next activity. In short, this stimulates his creativity, his imagination. He will invent stories. So many ways to escape and not dread the moments when he will find himself alone," notes the Association of Medico-Psycho-Pedagogical Centers (ACMPP) of Martinique.

Imagination and creativity

But you still have to let him get bored... Indeed, it can be tempting for a parent to break this boredom, too easily considered as a void, to stimulate him again.

So, let him. And if he insists on doing something, suggest something to do.

You can start it with him and discreetly, after a few minutes, leave him alone.

He will continue his game, drawing or coloring, alone with himself and his imagination. Without letting himself be guided.

Above all, no screens!

Alone, your child will have more chances to create, to escape through thought or even to talk to friends. imaginary! With long-term benefits for self-esteem.

So you too should learn not to constantly offer him things to do.

And above all, don't give in to the easy option called... screens! It's simply a passive occupation. Which is in total contradiction to the challenge of developing imagination and creativity.

Source : Association of Medico-Psycho-Pedagogical Centers (ACMPP) of Martinique – Interview with Florence Millot, July 15, 2025