health
February 10, 2026
Use these 5 phrases when your kids tell you 'I'm bored,' says parenting expert: You'll teach 'essential developmental skills'
Parenting expert Lizzie Assa shares her best advice for how to handle it when your kids come to you and say "I'm bored."
TL;DR
- Parents often react to children's boredom with irritation or by providing solutions, which can create dependence or feel like rejection.
- Constant parental entertainment can lead to parental burnout and hinder children's developmental skills.
- Five phrases can help encourage independent play: asking to learn more about their interests, checking if basic needs are met, playfully challenging them to come up with their own ideas, offering a framework for decision-making, and acknowledging the difficulty of figuring things out.
- These approaches teach children to self-regulate, problem-solve, and find purpose from within, transforming boredom from a crisis into an opportunity for growth.
- Lizzie Assa, author of 'But I'm Bored,' emphasizes teaching kids that boredom isn't a crisis and can inform their next steps.
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