Over-scheduling children during the summer is unnecessary

I run a summer program that teaches kids to code, and I find that the kids who come into our classes are legitimately motivated to learn computer science. One of the key focuses of my program is to have them be creative with code, like building games with Java, solving problems with Python, or constructing Arduino robots from off-the-shelf materials. A lot of these kids would not discover their passion for technology without taking a structured class that introduces it to them in a fun way and encourages them to be creative.

That being said, there are some programs that are simply horrible at introducing these ideas to kids. There are large summer camp organizations spread across many locations that have over-commercialized the summer camp business, who have become skilled at leaving parents oblivious to the true level of education their kids are receiving. A kid who loves Minecraft will be thrilled by the brief exposure to Java code while modding it, followed by hours of playing Minecraft on rented computers (something they can easily do on their own at home).

In my particular niche of summer education, there are countless programs that do an absolute disservice to kids trying to learn something outside of their normal schoolwork during the summer. They are placated by simple copy-and-paste coding, drag-and-drop blocks that they could easily discover on their own, and the trivial blinking of LEDs. Becoming a maker requires a commitment to learning on the part of students, and an organization willing to accept the challenge of teaching it.

We are secular homeschoolers. For us, there is no summer break and when the kids get bored during their free time they come up with the most creative things. Ex: They decided to build their own mud cafe with menu, prep kitchen, seating etc. Every food item was essentially made out of mud. Another ex: my daughter was bored and tinkering around with a snap circuit set. All the sudden I hear a faint sound of sports radio. She had built her own AM radio without any help.

Over-scheduling, scripted play, etc in my mind hampers a childs ability to develop deep imagination and creativity.

Checkout the unschooling or self-directed learning movement.

Good in principle, but I assume most parents are more or less desperate to find some kind of childcare in the summer, not having the luxury of being bored themselves with the little dears. So it's off to chess camp or else. Unless one parent doesn't work, or you're well-off enough that junior can be bored with some kind of nanny or minder...

I think the article misses a crucial component of this tendency--working parents who have to fill the time left by summer vacation from school. If you don't have a high school aged child, you really can't leave them completely to their own devices for eight hours a day (yes, there probably are some 10 year old kids that are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, but I don't know many parents who leave elementary school aged kids at home every day, alone).

That said, I do know some parents who don't need to over-schedule their kids' time (that is, one parent does not work, or has a flexible schedule), but still do it because they don't know how to just their kids be kids. Every wasted moment is a moment their kids aren't being prepared for college.

I find that many of my friends try to pack their lives full as adults. No one embraces boredom at all. I'm a rock climber, so I know what it's like to get out and do something, but holy crap are people scared of "wasting a day".

Boredom and waiting is when all the essential thought-structuring happens, that we miss nowadays. Because we are able to fill every minute with media, which often engage our emotions too, we get distracted and worse at prioritising.

If you can, allow yourself 5 minutes each day without apps, music or even books. It's worth it.

Running my own business and developing my own products, I find boredom useful. After finishing a project I find it more useful to just relax for a few days. As well as preventing burnout, it also allows me to think about what would be the most productive use of my time.

"Over-scheduling" is by definition harmful, but the core disconnect is that there's a 9-month calendar of organized learning (with occasional breaks) and year-around parental commitments. If the article is correct and boredom is beneficial for internal motivation, it doesn't make sense for that boredom to be "overscheduled" into a 3-month section of the year.

In the US: "the 9-month calendar that most schools operate on was established when 85% of Americans (and students) were involved in agriculture, and when climate control did not exist in school buildings. In today's United States, only about 3% of Americans are engaged in agriculture [and] most schools have air conditioning." The result is a roughly one month loss in education level over the three month break, depending on parental involvement (the kids whose parents are less involved in brain enriching activities lose more). [0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_learning_loss

So nice theories, but are there any studies made to back this up? I see no mention of any kind of science here.

Obvious headline is obvious. That said, I went to school with kids who were very much overscheduled - nearly every moment of their lives seemed to be planned out by over enthusiastic but well meaning parents, who thought that well rounded meant 'do everything'. I was left alone - I found my way to technology, and many of my peers are still wandering alone in the metaphorical desert trying to find their spark or purpose in life.

> Dr. Teresa Belton [...] told the BBC that boredom is crucial for developing “internal stimulus,” which then allows true creativity.

This also applies to grown-ups.

I'm not exactly a child anymore, but between the end of spring semester and the beginning of a summer studying abroad, I've had three entirely free weeks. The first three days, I was extremely restless. I thrive on accomplishing things and am accustomed to a very full schedule. But as this article suggests, empty time isn't useless; having no deadlines and no forced deliverables encourages self reflection and exploration. Looking back, having a few days of emptiness forced me to evaluate my interests and goals and then rediscover things that I'm genuinely excited about. I finished a couple of books that have been on my shelf forever, learned (at least the basics of) python, and spent some time working through interesting CTFs. I'm not sure if I'll ever have such an opportunity again, to simultaneously not work, not study, and have zero major responsiblities, but I'm incredibly grateful for the time I've had.

In our 6 week summer holidays we did the following: 1 week visit grandparents, 1-2 weeks other vacation, rest time spending time outside, building treehouses, playing in the mud, doing stupid things, chilling at the lake, going swimming, bike tours, camping with friends. <-- my summer in a box. America really has an issue with stressing out their children with education and extra curriculums

The real solution is to abolish summer vacation. Education should be continuous and year round.

Clickbait headline is clickbaity.

TFA pretty clearly indicates that they're recommending kids be forced to design their own activities to overcome boredom, not have their summer pre-planned by their parents with "chess camp, art school, cooking classes, or tennis lessons."

Since most people only read the headline, as stated this seems like justification for parents depriving their kids of options in a sterile environment (or just banning whatever the latest moral panic is) while telling themselves, "Boredom is good for you!"