4 Reasons Kids Need Downtime

Is your schedule stressful with too many activities? Learn 4 reasons kids need downtime — and how to incorporate it into your days.

My son had one after-school extracurricular activity… and I was already frazzled.

Every Thursday, he attended a one-hour science class on campus. But on the first day, he freaked out about walking to the class alone, without me. He needed someone, understandably, to help him get acclimated and meet the instructors.

Thing is, I also picked up his twin brothers from preschool right before. So that meant I’d pick up the twins, hand them a snack in the car, and head to my six-year-old’s school. Once we had fetched him from his classroom, we’d snack again as we walked to science class.

Then, once he was settled in, I’d drive the twins home to play for a bit before going back to school once science class finished. We’d then drive home where we’d finally unwind for the day while I scrambled to get dinner on the table.

And that’s just one activity per week, for one child. Fast forward to today, and now we have taekwondo and violin classes to deal with.

I can imagine that your schedule is more frantic than mine. One with extracurricular activities, play dates, and back-to-back birthday parties on the weekends.

But like me, you also understand the value of enrolling your kids in these activities and fueling their passion for a sport or hobby. We wouldn’t do this if it weren’t worth it.

4 reasons kids need downtime

That said, all these activities can get overwhelming. You know you’re overscheduling when weekend mornings with nothing planned are rare occasions. We forget that young children need down time too, a chance to do what they want, to tinker, to be alone.

We risk depriving them of this important time when we schedule too many activities, despite our good intentions.

But why exactly is free time so important? And what are a few ways we can avoid the downside of over-scheduling our calendars? Take a look at several reasons kids need downtime:

1. More family time

With a full schedule, kids don’t enjoy the impromptu but often enjoyable moments together at home. Siblings can create a clever new game, or the family can decide to take an unplanned walk around the neighborhood.

But a packed schedule risks taking over this precious family time. Extracurricular activities override family dinners or spending time at grandma’s.

A day filled with events also prevents family members from getting to know one another and being engaged. Author Alvin Rosenfeld explains the importance of downtime:

“You know your parents, and your parents know you. That’s an essential facet of emotional health. If you feel your parents know you, love you and care for you, life can be difficult, it can challenge you, throw you curves, but you’ll always have that recollection inside and feel beloved.”

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2. Cultivating patience and tolerating boredom

Do you feel pressured to entertain your child all the time? Maybe you stress yourself out when you have nothing planned, as if weekends or after-school hours demand constant activity.

Don’t worry: It turns out, boredom is good for her. Yes, even when she’s twiddling her thumbs or nagging you for things to do.

This isn’t to say that she’ll enjoy being bored. But she can learn to tolerate and cope with it, getting creative with overcoming this uncomfortable feeling. She can use these “boring” moments to entertain herself and develop patience in ways she would never have a chance to without downtime.

Read why boredom is good for your kids.

3. Independent play

One of the benefits of downtime that you won’t find anywhere else is the opportunity to play alone. That might sound terrible, but unstructured play is an important skill kids should learn.

They shouldn’t have to rely on other people or forms of entertainment to enjoy themselves. They should be able to find joy in creating and playing all on their own.

After all, kids who can play alone learn problem-solving skills as well has how to entertain themselves. They can’t learn these skills when they’re shuffled from one activity to the next.

Independent downtime allows them to play without adults directing their every move. They have much-needed privacy without the watchful eye of an adult or even other kids. This is their chance to be silly or vulnerable or play without judgment from anyone else.

And finally, they need time to decompress on their own and process any stimulation they may have experienced that day. They might head to their bedroom or the backyard, away from the rest of the family, just for a moment of downtime.

4. A chance to tinker and experiment

My son’s science class wasn’t the only opportunity he had to create experiments. With downtime at home, he made plenty of inventions, from a pulley to a pop-up book. He also made Halloween decorations, his own checkers game, and drawings of maps.

I didn’t schedule any of these activities or even suggest he start these projects. But somehow, he found ways to tinker and play all on his own in ways that might not have happened with a full agenda for the day. Kids can find a way to use whatever materials they see to tinker and create on their own.

How to incorporate downtime even with a busy schedule

Now that we know the reasons kids need downtime, how can we include it in our day-to-day lives? Take a look at these simple changes you can make:

Ask yourself if your kids truly enjoy their activities. Some kids feel pressure, whether from us or their peers, to participate in activities they may not even enjoy. Ask yourself what would happen if you decide to stop—would your child fight to keep it, or would she feel relieved that she doesn’t have to do it?
Narrow down the activities. If you feel overwhelmed with a busy schedule, aim for a certain number of them. Maybe that’s one activity per season per child or one big outing per weekend. You’re not giving up these activities, but narrowing them down to the most important.
Prioritize one part of the day for downtime. Rather than scheduling your day around activities, schedule it around downtime. Protect this slot of the day by not planning anything during this time. This might be family dinners at 5pm or Sunday mornings lounging at home.
Let your kids be bored. Don’t feel like you need to entertain them every minute. Give them a chance to experience boredom, and let them struggle with how to cope with it. They can gain so many benefits, no matter how much they might complain at first.
Say “no.” Saying no to invitations or even obligations can be hard. This is why we often find ourselves attending many events in one day. But burnout is real. It’s okay to turn invitations down if it means less stress and more downtime for your family.
Reevaluate. Any time you or your kids feel stressed about your schedule, reevaluate your priorities. See where you’re stretched too thin or what areas are most important to you.

Conclusion

Enrolling kids in activities and attending events have many benefits, but so too does having downtime.

You can enjoy meaningful family time as you get to know one another even more. Your kids learn the important skill of overcoming boredom and getting creative in the process.

They’re able to entertain themselves, solve problems, and process their thoughts alone. And they could easily tinker and create new ideas when they don’t have to follow specific directions or a set agenda.

This doesn’t mean you drop all activities or events—the right balance, after all, makes all the difference. At least enough to survive another school pick-up and science class drop-off.

p.s. Check out the book So Few of Me by Peter H. Reynolds, all about how kids need downtime:

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