Is your child/children always complaining there's nothing to do

Thankfully we are past that stage with our own son, who is in fact an adult. We never got that comment thankfully but then again he knew if he uttered "I'm bored he would soon find him doing the worst job that we could find". LOL Pookie has the right idea and it is one that I use if and when we are looking after the children of any of our friends. They too learnt not to complain or say there was nothing to do. Children do need to be occupied but it is better if it is something that they can use their minds and brains when doing it. So what if the thing they have made is a bit lopsided, it was still made by them from their imagination. The decoration that sits atop our Christmas tree every year as one that our son made when he was about 4 years old and he is now 31. Okay so it is a piece of the roll something was wrapped around, painted red and has some cotton wool on it, but we treasure it and use it every year. :)

OMG do not even get me started on this. It got so bad in my kids room that before Christmas I took all of the toys from them and told them come summer all of it was going to be sold in a yard sale. the only thing they have now is the stuff from christmas. My son is good at keeping his room clean but my daughter good grief i cant figure out how to get her to keep it clean. going insane.

Since mine is a joint family there are 3 children of roughly the same age and then nighbours kids .. they keep themselves busy and keep playing. they never complain about nothing to do.. but i have to keep yelling at them to get inside the house and study some.

Sounds like it's time to put away some of the toys and bring them out in a month or two when they will seem new again. Rotating toys is one way to make them more interesting. Another tactic I've used to overcome the "I'm bored" is to assign chores every time I hear it. Baseboards are easy for kids to wipe down, toilets can be cleaned, tubs can be scrubbed, dusting, etc.....I don't hear "I'm bored" much anymore!!!

A few years ago I realized how many toys my son was getting but then not playing with half of them. It didn't help any that Christmas and his birthday are very close together. We started giving him(and now our daughter also)just one special thing from us and let the majority of other gifts come from family and friends. The first year we did this I made them each a blanket which they still use. This year my daughter got a play kitchen and my son got kindof a "guitar package" to learn how to play guitar. Of course, we try to spend the same amount on each child. I find that no matter what, they love using their imaginations. They like to build blanket forts in the living room and if we have a large box available i let them go at it with a bucket of crayons. They think of something every time. We are also fortunate to live in a woodsy area so they have an array of outdoor activities. If all else fails, we always suggest to them "go clean your room"!

Try playing with her with the toys, it worked on me when I was younger.

Remember its actually vital to a childs development that they get bored sometime, this forces them to start inventing games for themselves and this stimulates their creativity and ability to articulate and form connections between ideas and abstract principles. If you have too many toys (and I'm not suggesting you do them short, just don't go mad)they may never be in that position and be able to develop properly

I have three kids, and they used to whine all the time about nothing to do. I decided to put a stop to it and one day when my middle girl said she was bored because there was nothing to do, I gave her the sponge and she cleaned a toilet. The next one was my oldest girl, "MOM, there's nothing to do!" she complained, and found herself folding the laundry. My little son is smart and learned not to say anything! I also bought a trunk at a garage sale and filled it with craft things, and junk that they can make stuff out of. Problem solved.......

When humans are so thoroughly overwhelmed with different option, often times it's quite difficult to be decisive as to which to to choose or what to do.

yes my 5 year old does

I don't get that yet, since my daughter is still only two and a half, but we are continually discouraged by her lack of interest in her expensive toys. She's much more interested in the hairbrush, or the remote control to the TV, or the makeup, or the books and magazines, or the Playstation controller...I guess she wants to play with Mama and Daddy's toys!

no but my ten month year old doesnt stop whinging

Yes, but I have solved that problem by me asking them if they want me to find them something to do. At first, they would say yes and then I would send them to clean their room, fold laundry, rake leaves, or read a book. But they caught on really quick and I hear the "I'm bored" much less often. And if they say it, it is a friendly reminder when I ask, "Want me to find something for you to do?" hahahahahaha

ya its not a easy job

I think that it is hilarious when children say there is nothing to do when they have a room filled with toys, and they have their imagination. But, sometimes it just takes five minutes of your time to sit down and play with them, and they will definaltey be content for a while!! All they want is your attention, not the toys! :D

Oh yeah- I hear you- I have only 1 child.. So I imagine its tough- When I was a child I had a older brother to go bug when I got bored- But then again I didn't have nearly as much stuff to do as she does today. Almost every weekend-- I'm bored mom.. There's nothing to do-- OMG.. It drives me crazy- there are tons of things to do- Go ride your bike, go play with the dogs, go get a game.. etc. I think its just that she wants to have someone to play with. She is 10 and there aren't any neighbor kids within walking distance.. But she has friends up all the time- and as soon as they leave- I'm bored!

yap.. knew what i did, i indulge them into arts. like, hand painting or color pastels. Everytime they show their finished work, I would say... You can do better!, REvised your work, think! be more creative. This way, I can kill their "boring time", next thing they knew, I was calling them for lunch or dinner.. then they will exclaimed, "how time flies..". See, I have to help them, prolonged their activity time. Reward is, I will give $1 for the one having the good art design, this way, the next time they do art crafting, they wil l do their best to win.

sometimes my kids complain they have nothing to do at home. well there's playstation, dvd and some games. what they want are outdoor games.