It will soon be time for the first school year to begin… but not quite! Mathilde, who turned 3 at the start of the year, is still at the nursery. School will be for September. For a few more months, she has to rub shoulders with babies who crawl on all fours, and share games and activities with “the grown-ups” of the nursery. Result, for some time, she grumbles, stays in her corner, gets annoyed for nothing … In short, Mathilde is bored. No wonder, for the child psychologist Stephan Valentin, since at that age, “a game that lasts too long no longer interests him. The child can then resign himself, and clearly verbalize his wish to do something else ”. Above all, he is no longer in tune with the games of the youngest and the daily activities of the nursery: “The task offered to him may not correspond to him in relation to his development,” continues Stephan Valentin. He doesn’t feel challenged. He wants to discover new things.
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A change in behavior
Already big for the nursery, but not enough for the school: not easy to find your place! The child then manifests his boredom in different ways. When the toddler baby will express the need to be busy by wriggling his legs and crying, the 2 or 3 year old will start to put his feelings into words. But it is also his behavior that can change, as Stephan Valentin remarks: “The child may have a tendency to become a little turbulent, even aggressive, no longer listen, disturb others, not obey the rules … He will try. to break his boredom by interacting with the other. “
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A book to accompany his games
Up to the age of 6, a child will play about 15 hours, or 000 to 7 hours per day. How to offer him adapted games? How to interact with him? The advice of Stephan Valentin, age by age, to support his awakening.
“From play to I”, accompany your child. By Stephan Valentin, Enrick B. éditions, € 11,95.
The benefits of boredom
How to remedy this boredom? To begin with, by giving him “big” responsibilities at home: “It can keep him busy and it’s gratifying and reassuring for his self-esteem,” underlines the psychologist. You can also try to stimulate your creativity by signing up for a painting class or an introduction to music. As for his day at the nursery, if the child continues to complain, you can talk to the team of professionals to try to find solutions.
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But do not worry too much, boredom can also have positive consequences: the opportunity for the child to choose for himself what he can do, for example. And that’s part of childhood, and even of life! “We can also wait until the idea comes from him, that he learns to take care of himself. By dint of being told what to do, the child can become passive. On the contrary, he must invent a game for himself, boredom is a moment when he becomes a creator. It’s also a good time to confront yourself, and take the time to dream a little, ”says the psychologist.
Auteur: Tiphaine Lévy-Frébault