My Child Gets Bored in Class

Gifted children and those with ADHD are two of the groups most affected by boredom in the classroom. In this article, discover what to do if your child gets bored in class.

Almost all children have experienced boredom in class. In fact, it’s likely that you remember having felt this way during your school years. Well, if your child gets bored in class, to what extent is this normal? What are the causes and what can you do about it?

Your child gets bored in class due to the education model

One of the main reasons for school boredom and disinterest lies in the education system. Obsolete models limit children to simply being passive recipients of information, have rigid and repetitive foundations, and totally disregard each student’s personal needs and characteristics.

Children are naturally curious and creative. However, when they reach school age, they begin to receive instructions to keep quiet and be obedient. This completely restricts their spontaneous and genuine desire to learn.

If you want to ensure meaningful learning that arouses children’s interest, you must:

1. Make them the center of the equation. The education system should allow them to have an active role in their own learning and encourage them to ask questions, participate, and express themselves.
2. Allow them to explore and experiment for themselves and encourage them to seek and create their own content. Thus, teachers should only guide them.
3. Vary the ways you present information to them so that said novelty captures their attention and interest. And, above all, the education model should adapt to every student. While some children are more visual, others learn better by reading, while others through movement.

It’s really beneficial for every child to find a space in the classroom in which to explore their personality and boost their talents. But, above all, to help awaken the desire to know more about the world.

Some schools have alternative education models that emphasize this essential change. Pedagogies such as Waldorf or Montessori’s are some of the options that are expanding the most.

My child gets bored in class: Is this normal?

However, despite the poor education systems most schools have, some children have a harder time concentrating and performing.

Talented or gifted children

This group represents a small percentage (only 1 in 25 students). These students are particularly affected by classroom boredom. Common lesson plans may not stimulate or motivate talented or gifted children. And if this situation isn’t detected in time, it can lead to school failure.

The main characteristics of these children are:

• Intellectual precocity. They usually reached milestones, such as learning to walk or read, earlier than most children.
• Sensory hypersensitivity. Bright lights, noise, and clothing labels bother them.
• Psychomotor hypersensitivity. They’re enthusiastic, motivated, and hard to exhaust.
• They question authority if they aren’t offered an explanation of the rules and question existential issues at an early age.

If you suspect that your child may be talented or gifted, you should consult a professional as soon as possible so that they can offer the most beneficial opportunities. However, keep in mind that the most important thing is to discover and promote their interests rather than trying to make them be like other children.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

The other group that’s affected by boredom in school is children with ADHD. In this case, they also feel an urgent need to be up and about but, in contrast to the previous group, these children are unable to concentrate for long periods of time (even if the subject really interests them).

You should bear in mind that these children’s goal isn’t to disturb or misbehave. Instead, their brains need higher stimulation levels to function properly and, usually, they don’t receive said stimuli. On the other hand, they also have problems planning and implementing, as their executive system doesn’t work optimally.

It’s essential to correctly assess children in order to make the necessary classroom adjustments. Small changes, such as dividing tasks into simpler ones or using positive reinforcement, can make a difference in the future of these children.