Readers are lucky – they will never be bored or lonely. ~ Natalie Babbitt
The word for today is BOREDOM.
Children who have trouble reading and learning do get bored. In fact, it may be a common experience for them.
They may not be able to keep up with their classmates or the things they are supposed to learn. Processing information and understanding ideas takes them longer, which makes reading and schoolwork feel difficult and too hard. This can make them not interested in doing it at all.
Added to that, when they must spend time reading and learning, they don’t enjoy school.
It’s difficult for them to understand the things they are learning, so It’s hard for them to see why those things are important. And this can lead them to being bored and appear unmotivated.
Another thing…
Struggling readers may not feel good about themselves or their schoolwork. They may be embarrassed or ashamed of their reading problems. This can make them not want to do schoolwork and they avoid activities associated with it…
Then their avoidance is interpreted as boredom.
What are some potential barriers to learning that boredom can indicate?
Let me give you 3 of them:
- Boredom can negatively impact learning: When children are bored, they are less likely to pay attention, engage in the learning process, and retain information. As a result, they may fall behind in their academic progress, which can further exacerbate their boredom and disengagement. Thus, boredom is important to recognize as a potential barrier to learning and address proactively.
- Boredom can indicate a need for adjustments: When children express boredom with reading and learning, it may indicate that the instruction is not appropriately challenging or engaging for their needs and interests. Teachers and parents can use boredom as a signal to adjust their teaching methods, provide more personalized instruction or introduce more engaging content.
- Boredom can affect motivation: Children with reading and learning difficulties may already struggle with motivation due to their challenges. Boredom can further decrease their motivation and interest in learning, leading to negative attitudes towards education. Addressing boredom and finding ways to make learning more engaging can help children develop a positive outlook on learning, increasing their motivation to participate and learn.
So, when your child tells you they’re bored… believe them. Not only are they bored, but they also often feel badly about themselves.
It’s important to give them extra help so they can do better and enjoy learning.
That’s why, if you have a child who struggles to read and learn, I’m inviting you to join other parents in my Learning Made Easy program which starts tomorrow.
It’s packed with tools, techniques, activities, and strategies that are designed to help your child have a better school experience and succeed in life. Get more information and register here: https://bit.ly/LearningMadeEasySp23
Those are important aspects to remember. However, they are true on the other end of the spectrum as well. Children who find it easy to read and write, get bored when things don’t move fast enough for their needs. Such a difficult task for teachers and parents to try and keep everyone involved and motivated.
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2023/04/awards-at-auditorium.html
These are important points to remember when struggling to keep kids engaged. Thanks for a great post.
I love the quote you open with – reading has been one of the greatest gifts of my life!
I see what you mean about how not understanding a subject can make it seem boring. And that would make it even harder to stay with it. I’m glad you have a program that will make it easier for kids to learn.
This happened to my now 54 year old daughter when she was in grade school. Her grades were slipping, teacher said she was lazy. This went on for years, no motivation and didn’t get any help from teachers. She was great at home, spending time with her horse and not worrying about school work. She would complete her homework but during school she wasn’t getting it. I’m wishing they had home school back then, I think her boredom at school was due to she couldn’t sit still all day.
Florence, I always enjoy your blog posts. My learning skills are the best they have ever been, yet as a child, I struggled. My parents were both brilliant, and possibly all 4 kids were (I was/am). But, as you know, this doesn’t mean the child’s learning style fits the schooling, or even the ability to read off a page. So I read your compassionate posts eagerly, for insights about my own learning, as well as for insights that can help parents of children who currently need learning help. I hope your program that begins tomorrow is a smash hit!