NewsPronto

 
The Times


.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

It’s more than OK for kids to be bored − it’s good for them

  • Written by Margaret Murray, Associate Professor of Public Communication and Culture Studies, University of Michigan-Dearborn
imageWhen children experience boredom, it can result in a brain boost that can push them to explore new activities.Richard Lewisohn/Connect Images via Getty Images

Boredom is a common part of life, across time and around the world. That’s because boredom serves a useful purpose: It motivates people to pursue new goals and challenges.

I’m a...

Read more: It’s more than OK for kids to be bored − it’s good for them

More Articles ...

  1. I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists
  2. As millions of Americans face a steep rise in health insurance costs, lawmakers continue a century-long battle over who should pay for health care
  3. RFK Jr. wants to scrutinize the vaccine schedule – but its safety record is already decades long
  4. Deception and lies from the White House to justify a war in Venezuela? We’ve seen this movie before in run-ups to wars in Vietnam and Iraq
  5. Miami’s new mayor faces a housing affordability crisis, city charter reform and a shrinking budget
  6. Understanding climate change in America: Skepticism, dogmatism and personal experience
  7. Rest is essential during the holidays, but it may mean getting active, not crashing on the couch
  8. With wolves absent from most of eastern North America, can coyotes replace them?
  9. What are gas stove manufacturers trying to hide? Warning labels
  10. Resolve to stop punching the clock: Why you might be able to change when and how long you work
  11. There’s little evidence tech is much help stopping school shootings
  12. Why it’s so hard to tell if a piece of text was written by AI – even for AI
  13. Large trunks discovered in a basement offer a window into the lives and struggles of early Filipino migrants
  14. Tennis is set for a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ sequel – with no movement behind it
  15. Trump tariffs and warming India-China ties have silenced the Quad partnership … for now
  16. Sudan’s civil war: A visual guide to the brutal conflict
  17. ‘This year nearly broke me as a scientist’ – US researchers reflect on how 2025’s science cuts have changed their lives
  18. Karoline Leavitt’s White House briefing doublethink is straight out of Orwell’s ‘1984’
  19. Where the wild things thrive: Finding and protecting nature’s climate change safe havens
  20. Billionaires with $1 salaries – and other legal tax dodges the ultrawealthy use to keep their riches
  21. Unpaid caregiving work can feel small and personal, but that doesn’t take away its ethical value
  22. The US already faces a health care workforce shortage – immigration policy could make it worse
  23. America faced domestic fascists before and buried that history
  24. Supreme Court case about ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ highlights debate over truthful advertising standards
  25. Rising electricity prices and an aging grid challenge the nation as data centers demand more power
  26. Shaping the conversation means offering context to extreme ideas, not just a platform
  27. The #iwasfifteen hashtag and ongoing Epstein coverage show how traffickers exploit the vulnerabilities of teens and tweens
  28. Hacked phones and Wi-Fi surveillance have replaced Cold War spies and radio waves in the delusions of people with schizophrenia
  29. Trump’s second term is reshaping US science with unprecedented cuts and destabilizing policy changes
  30. School shootings dropped in 2025 - but schools are still focusing too much on safety technology instead of prevention
  31. From record warming to rusting rivers, 2025 Arctic Report Card shows a region transforming faster than expected
  32. The North Pole keeps moving – here’s how that affects Santa’s holiday travel and yours
  33. How rogue nations are capitalizing on gaps in crypto regulation to finance weapons programs
  34. 2 superpowers, 1 playbook: Why Chinese and US bureaucrats think and act alike
  35. A, B, C or D – grades might not say all that much about what students are actually learning
  36. The next frontier in space is closer than you think – welcome to the world of very low Earth orbit satellites
  37. Gazing into the mind’s eye with mice – how neuroscientists are seeing human vision more clearly
  38. If tried by court-martial, senator accused of ‘seditious behavior’ would be deprived of several constitutional rights
  39. My prescription costs what?! Pharmacists offer tips that could reduce your out-of-pocket drug costs
  40. Chile elects most right-wing leader since Pinochet – in line with regional drift, domestic tendency to punish incumbents
  41. Epstein’s victims deserve more attention than his ‘client list’
  42. The ‘one chatbot per child’ model for AI in classrooms conflicts with what research shows: Learning is a social process
  43. Christmas trees are more expensive than ever in Colorado — what gives?
  44. Pardons are political, with modern presidents expanding their use
  45. How the NIH became the backbone of American medical research and a major driver of innovation and economic growth
  46. Getting peace right: Why justice needs to be baked into ceasefire agreements – including Ukraine’s
  47. From civil disobedience to networked whistleblowing: What national security truth-tellers reveal in an age of crackdowns
  48. Best way for employers to support employees with chronic mental illness is by offering flexibility
  49. How are dark matter and antimatter different?
  50. Coup contagion? A rash of African power grabs suggests copycats are taking note of others’ success