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Over-scheduling children during the summer is unnecessary
- qrendel 10y agoClickbait headline is clickbaity. TFA pretty clearly indicates that they're recommending kids be forced to design their own activities to overcome boredom, not have their summer pre-planned by their parents with "chess camp, art school, cooking classes, or tennis lessons." Since most people only read the headline, as stated this seems like justification for parents depriving their kids of options in a sterile environment (or just banning whatever the latest moral panic is) while telling themselves, "Boredom is good for you!"
- dang 10y agoOk, we changed the title to a representative sentence from the article.
- cpncrunch 10y agoRunning my own business and developing my own products, I find boredom useful. After finishing a project I find it more useful to just relax for a few days. As well as preventing burnout, it also allows me to think about what would be the most productive use of my time.
- Aloha 10y agoObvious headline is obvious. That said, I went to school with kids who were very much overscheduled - nearly every moment of their lives seemed to be planned out by over enthusiastic but well meaning parents, who thought that well rounded meant 'do everything'. I was left alone - I found my way to technology, and many of my peers are still wandering alone in the metaphorical desert trying to find their spark or purpose in life.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- Illniyar 10y agoSo nice theories, but are there any studies made to back this up? I see no mention of any kind of science here.
- handojin 10y agoIsn't it possible that science is, occasionally, the problem, not the solution? What experiment would you perform? To falsify what hypothesis?
- alayne 10y agoScience isn't a problem or a solution, it's the search for the truth.
- handojin 10y agoStrictly, for knowledge, which isn't the same thing as truth.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- eximius 10y ago"Science" really shouldn't ever be the problem. The problem is that people are bad at science. They draw incorrect inferences, they get tunnel vision on a set of results, they overgeneralizw results, they make bad assumptions... That said, I don't really think itd be a good use of time proving that boredom can be good.
- blacksmith_tb 10y agoGood in principle, but I assume most parents are more or less desperate to find some kind of childcare in the summer, not having the luxury of being bored themselves with the little dears. So it's off to chess camp or else. Unless one parent doesn't work, or you're well-off enough that junior can be bored with some kind of nanny or minder...
- artpepper 10y ago^ This. I love the idea of spending this summer at home with my kid, reminding her to look at her list of interesting activities ... but realistically that's not going to happen.
- tajen 10y agoIt's hard to stay in the same city as the grand parents, but that's where it becomes incredibly useful.
- dagw 10y agoAm I the only parent who feels incredibly guilty every time I have to foist my kid onto my parents? It's not like they don't have their own lives and their own shit to do.
- sotojuan 10y agoInteresting. Depends on the culture I guess. My grandparents would offer to take care of me every summer, and say they wouldn't mind doing it now (I'm 22!).
- tremon 10y agoTalk to your parents about it. I know many grandparents who'd love to spend more time with their grandchildren, but don't want to intrude on their children's lives so don't offer.
- codesmurf 10y ago
- koolba 10y agoThe real solution is to abolish summer vacation. Education should be continuous and year round.
- douche 10y agoUgh, let's just lock them in a box with a hamster wheel and a feeding tube. Or a Dr. Venture learning bed. Nothing good will come of wasting even more of children's time in public schooling. Let them go outside, read some books they actually want to read, go fishing, work a little bit. Let them be children. Really, we should all get a summer vacation. Obviously, doing it all at the same time would be problematic, but the standard ten or fifteen days off over the whole year is just stupid. I would kill for two and a half months off to learn some hard things and get some projects done.
- seanp2k2 10y agoIf you really want this, you can probably have it, and you needn't go anywhere near as far as murder to get it. I know of quite a few people who make a living through various types of contracting (software and mechanical engineering in the cases of two personal friends who do this) and take off a few months each year to travel and relax. It won't maximize your cash flow, but it could maximize your happiness if that's what would truly do it for you. I suggest that you seriously look into it and consider if that would give you more fulfillment :)
- eximius 10y agoI desparately wish we as a society would stop clinging to the 40-hour work week and working non-stop until retirement. I don't think we live in a post-scarcity world, but we could sure make things easier on ourselves.
- handojin 10y agoLearning is continuous, and year round. It's weird but it's almost like they come equipped with their own OS and don't need anything installed...
- handojin 10y ago
- vhost- 10y agoI find that many of my friends try to pack their lives full as adults. No one embraces boredom at all. I'm a rock climber, so I know what it's like to get out and do something, but holy crap are people scared of "wasting a day".
- hvidgaard 10y agoI think it's an epidemic we face. We have everything at our fingertips, and compare our average to other peoples best (think of all the posts on facebook). Being bored for long enough time, eventually leads to introspection - and I think that for some people that is a scary thing. It may just be confimation bias, but when I look around me, people that are fine with sitting a sunday in their garden and enjoy a book, are more content with their life, than people that have the next 9 weekends booked with various activities.
- arjie 10y agoI don't know, man. Being bored out at Fort Funston leaves me way happier than being bored at home.
- irremediable 10y agoThis comment really spoke to me. To a surprising extent, actually. I love having some days with no responsibility, no plan, no compulsory activity. That feeling of freedom and effortless enjoyment is one of the most satisfying feelings I know. And, looking back, it's often been that same freedom that's spurred me on to learn/make things. So, anecdotal, but don't be too busy!
- primitivesuave 10y agoI run a summer program that teaches kids to code, and I find that the kids who come into our classes are legitimately motivated to learn computer science. One of the key focuses of my program is to have them be creative with code, like building games with Java, solving problems with Python, or constructing Arduino robots from off-the-shelf materials. A lot of these kids would not discover their passion for technology without taking a structured class that introduces it to them in a fun way and encourages them to be creative. That being said, there are some programs that are simply horrible at introducing these ideas to kids. There are large summer camp organizations spread across many locations that have over-commercialized the summer camp business, who have become skilled at leaving parents oblivious to the true level of education their kids are receiving. A kid who loves Minecraft will be thrilled by the brief exposure to Java code while modding it, followed by hours of playing Minecraft on rented computers (something they can easily do on their own at home). In my particular niche of summer education, there are countless programs that do an absolute disservice to kids trying to learn something outside of their normal schoolwork during the summer. They are placated by simple copy-and-paste coding, drag-and-drop blocks that they could easily discover on their own, and the trivial blinking of LEDs. Becoming a maker requires a commitment to learning on the part of students, and an organization willing to accept the challenge of teaching it.
- j_s 10y agoCan you link to any info about your program online? I am particularly interested in the tools you find most effective in fostering creativity.
- primitivesuave 10y agoGlad you're interested! I didn't want to make my original post a marketing statement, the program is Techlab Education (techlabeducation.com). One tool we use to foster creativity is our Java game development library at apcs.io, it makes it easy to build games and creative applications of code. We're working this summer on open-sourcing all of our curriculum and methodology so schools and partner organizations can benefit from it. Let me know if you have any questions!
- d4nte 10y agoI'm not exactly a child anymore, but between the end of spring semester and the beginning of a summer studying abroad, I've had three entirely free weeks. The first three days, I was extremely restless. I thrive on accomplishing things and am accustomed to a very full schedule. But as this article suggests, empty time isn't useless; having no deadlines and no forced deliverables encourages self reflection and exploration. Looking back, having a few days of emptiness forced me to evaluate my interests and goals and then rediscover things that I'm genuinely excited about. I finished a couple of books that have been on my shelf forever, learned (at least the basics of) python, and spent some time working through interesting CTFs. I'm not sure if I'll ever have such an opportunity again, to simultaneously not work, not study, and have zero major responsiblities, but I'm incredibly grateful for the time I've had.
- cel1ne 10y agoBoredom and waiting is when all the essential thought-structuring happens, that we miss nowadays. Because we are able to fill every minute with media, which often engage our emotions too, we get distracted and worse at prioritising. If you can, allow yourself 5 minutes each day without apps, music or even books. It's worth it.
- Moru 10y agoAs long as I can remember I have had periods when I have been bored. When I was small I kept nagging at my parrents and they just ignored it, it's important as a child to find things to do by yourself. When I got older I started feeling proud that I could just sit and wait without bouncing off the walls. Now I get a bad conscience when I'm not doing something, it feels like I'm not pulling my weight. But at the same time I know that being bored is important for my wellbeeing. This is time when my brain gets to rest and recover.
- konschubert 10y ago> Dr. Teresa Belton [...] told the BBC that boredom is crucial for developing “internal stimulus,” which then allows true creativity. This also applies to grown-ups.
- elgenie 10y ago"Over-scheduling" is by definition harmful, but the core disconnect is that there's a 9-month calendar of organized learning (with occasional breaks) and year-around parental commitments. If the article is correct and boredom is beneficial for internal motivation, it doesn't make sense for that boredom to be "overscheduled" into a 3-month section of the year. In the US: "the 9-month calendar that most schools operate on was established when 85% of Americans (and students) were involved in agriculture, and when climate control did not exist in school buildings. In today's United States, only about 3% of Americans are engaged in agriculture [and] most schools have air conditioning." The result is a roughly one month loss in education level over the three month break, depending on parental involvement (the kids whose parents are less involved in brain enriching activities lose more). [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_learning_loss https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_learning_loss
- ivanhoe 10y agoThey loose some math & reading skills, but they also get some other skills and benefits, depending how they spend the summer. Some will socialize, some will play sports, some will read a book or play games. And if they're at least averagely intelligent, these other skills might be more important for their future mindfulness and life, since they'll be able to pick up on math & reading anyway, it's not THAT hard after all. Also, in my own experience, forgetting and then re-learning usually leads to a much deeper understanding of the subject than what you get first time you go through it.
- up_and_up 10y agoWe are secular homeschoolers. For us, there is no summer break and when the kids get bored during their free time they come up with the most creative things. Ex: They decided to build their own mud cafe with menu, prep kitchen, seating etc. Every food item was essentially made out of mud. Another ex: my daughter was bored and tinkering around with a snap circuit set. All the sudden I hear a faint sound of sports radio. She had built her own AM radio without any help. Over-scheduling, scripted play, etc in my mind hampers a childs ability to develop deep imagination and creativity. Checkout the unschooling or self-directed learning movement.
- ianhawes 10y agoDo you plan on homeschooling your children for the entirety of their K-12 years?
- up_and_up 10y agoWe plan to make the assessment for each child, each year. I can imagine at least one might want to go to high school. But they will likely be so ahead academically we might just send them directly to college like these people: http://www.thebrainybunchbook.com/meet-the-harding-family/ http://www.thebrainybunchbook.com/meet-the-harding-family/
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- nibs 10y agoI was unschooled K-6. Private school in 7, public middle school in 8, public high school 9-11 (did 4 years in 3), straight to work. My brother was public middle school 7-8, public high school 9-11 (4 years in 3), University. And my other brother was no school, GED at 16, start a business. We were far ahead academically when my brother and I joined. We mostly went to socialize, so that was the main goal. If I had to do it all again, I wish my parents pushed me harder to go to University first and skip high school. This is what I will encourage when I unschool my kids.
- bmj 10y agoI think the article misses a crucial component of this tendency--working parents who have to fill the time left by summer vacation from school. If you don't have a high school aged child, you really can't leave them completely to their own devices for eight hours a day (yes, there probably are some 10 year old kids that are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, but I don't know many parents who leave elementary school aged kids at home every day, alone). That said, I do know some parents who don't need to over-schedule their kids' time (that is, one parent does not work, or has a flexible schedule), but still do it because they don't know how to just their kids be kids. Every wasted moment is a moment their kids aren't being prepared for college.
- LoSboccacc 10y agoon the other side of the spectrum, I distinctly remember forgetting all about math between secondary school and high school (the only year you don't get summer homework around here) - so I had a very rough first year. but hey it all turned out ok in the end, so just my .02
- surge 10y agoI was 8 and I ran all over my apartment community/neighborhood. I just had to be home before dark. Now my parents would get reported apparently.
- kinai 10y agoIn our 6 week summer holidays we did the following: 1 week visit grandparents, 1-2 weeks other vacation, rest time spending time outside, building treehouses, playing in the mud, doing stupid things, chilling at the lake, going swimming, bike tours, camping with friends. <-- my summer in a box. America really has an issue with stressing out their children with education and extra curriculums