As parents, we often question whether we are doing enough for our children. I recently had a realization about my daughter’s growth that changed how I view child engagement, boredom, and my own role as a parent.
Challenges of Keeping a Child Engaged at Home
I had been experiencing challenges in engaging my daughter productively when she was at home or during holidays. She does not prefer going out and playing much, which made it difficult for me to keep her entertained indoors.
Over time, I began feeling guilty. I felt that I wasn’t spending enough quality time with her and that I was becoming selfish—busy with my own work or spending time on my phone. I believed it was my fault that I couldn’t keep Anjali engaged or occupied.
Activities Were Not Enough
Although my daughter enjoys art activities such as painting, drawing, and sometimes craftwork, no child can do the same activity for an entire day.
Art has always been one of her favorite ways to express herself. She enjoys painting and drawing, and she even shares some of her artworks on her YouTube channel, Artist Sahasranjali, where her creativity comes to life.
👉 You can view Anjali’s artwork here:
https://www.youtube.com/@Artist-Sahasranjali
I also bought her a Kindle and some interesting children’s books. She reads them for a maximum of one hour a day and cannot extend beyond that. Honestly, even I cannot read a book for more than 20 minutes at a stretch, so I couldn’t blame her.
Old Toys and My Assumptions
She had old toys that she had received over a year ago. I noticed she no longer played with them and did not keep them tidy. Because of this, I assumed she wouldn’t play with new toys either. As a result, I never upgraded her toys or explored age-appropriate learning games for her.
She often came to me asking what she should do next and telling me that she was bored, and I struggled to guide her.
The Turning Point: A Parenting Realization
One day, when I asked her what she wanted to buy, she couldn’t think of anything other than Lego. When I asked for more options, she said she didn’t know what other toys or games existed or what she could ask for.
That moment made me realize something important—the problem wasn’t her boredom. It was my lack of exposure to age-appropriate toys and learning games.
Introducing Learning Toys for Her Age
I began showing her learning games and toys online. Slowly, she started understanding what was available and selected games suitable for her age. I filtered the options to include only educational yet entertaining toys and ordered around seven of them like rock painting, fun foil, spelling game, intelligence puzzle games etc.
Before giving them to her, I set one simple rule.
One Simple Rule That Made a Big Difference
The rule was that she could play with only one game at a time. Once she finished playing, she had to tidy it up and place it back on the shelf before choosing another game.
She loved the games and followed the rule happily. To my surprise, she stayed engaged throughout the entire day. I felt relieved and happy knowing she was learning while also being entertained.
A Lesson for Parents
This experience taught me a valuable parenting lesson. As parents, we need to keep our children updated according to their age and expose them to the right learning tools at the right time.
Sometimes, a child’s boredom at home is not due to a lack of interest but a lack of exposure. And often, the most important learning is not for the child—but for us as parents.