29/12/2025
Why boredom matters more than we think 🌿
The other day, a child told me, “I’m bored.”
Not tired. Not overwhelmed. Just bored.
Instead of fixing it for him, we talked about boredom — how it’s not a problem to solve, but a space to sit in. I told him that boredom is often the moment before an idea arrives. That when there’s nothing to do, the brain starts doing something very clever.
A little while later, his shoes were soaked. The ground was prickly with bindis, and he needed to protect his feet. With no instructions, no screens, and only the resources around him, he set to work.
He designed and made his own pair of shoes.
Not because someone told him to.
Not because it was an adult led activity.
But because boredom gave his brain the time it needed to imagine a solution.
This is what happens when children are allowed to be bored. Creativity wakes up. Problem-solving kicks in. Confidence grows.
When every moment is filled — screens, schedules, adult-led activities - there’s no space for ideas to form. But when children are given time, nature, and trust, their brains do what they’re designed to do: think, invent, adapt.
At Bush Magic, we don’t rush to fix boredom. We honour it. Because boredom is often the doorway to the most wildly creative learning of all.
