Why Kids Get Bored (and What to Do About It) - What Picture Books Teach Us About Child Development
How Books Can Help Child - A Peek Inside Are You Bored?
As the author and illustrator of Are You Bored?, I created each page with a mix of imagination, humor, and personal experience. Today, I want to share a peek behind the curtain and explain what inspired three specific spreads from the book, along with some thoughts and practical tips for parents.
1. The Room Full of Toys (and Still... Bored!)
A child stands in a room overflowing with toys, arms folded and clearly unimpressed.
This image captures the familiar (and slightly frustrating) moment when a child, surrounded by options, still insists they’re bored highlighting the need for novelty and creative stimulation.
This scene was inspired by a familiar moment many caregivers will recognize: a child standing in the middle of a toy-filled room, insisting, “I’m bored.” On the surface, it may seem confusing or even frustrating. But psychologically, this response reveals something deeper about how children experience attention, engagement, and novelty.
Children's brains are wired to seek stimulation and variety. When they’ve had prolonged access to the same set of toys, those once-exciting objects become part of the background - visually and cognitively. From a developmental perspective, boredom often signals a need for novelty, challenge, or a different kind of engagement. In other words, the toys haven’t disappeared but they’ve simply stopped offering the mental stimulation the child’s brain is craving.
This type of “stimulus fatigue” is common in early childhood. In these moments, what children really need is not more things, but a fresh way to interact with what they already have or an invitation to create something new.
Practical recommendations for parents:
Toy rotation strategy: Periodically remove some toys from the environment and reintroduce them weeks later. This reawakens interest and simulates novelty without additional purchases.
Encourage open-ended play: Offer simple materials (like cardboard boxes, fabric scraps, or household items) that invite creativity and can be transformed into something imaginative.
Let the child build their own toy: Projects like creating a puppet, fort, or homemade game not only engage problem-solving skills but give children a sense of ownership and pride.
Sometimes, the complaint of “I’m bored” is actually a request for connection or inspiration. By interpreting it through a psychological lens, we can shift from frustration to curiosity and guide children toward deeper, more satisfying play.
2. The Messy Room Scene – Boredom Turns into Discovery
A cluttered bedroom scene where a child is clearly not happy wit.h the idea of cleaning.
This illustration shows how cleaning may seem discouraging at first but also offers a chance to become a springboard for imaginative play, turning routine chores into unexpected moments of joy and discovery.
This illustration was inspired by a common parenting scenario: the request (or demand) that a child clean their room, met with minimal enthusiasm. When a child stumbles upon a forgotten toy while tidying the task quickly shifts from cleaning to imaginative play.
From a developmental standpoint, this moment represents something important. Children naturally move between exploration, play, and responsibility. While adults often see tasks like cleaning as linear and goal-oriented, children experience them through a lens of curiosity and spontaneity. When a child finds something interesting during a chore, it can awaken a powerful sense of discovery that outweighs the original task.
Psychologically, this behavior is not about defiance or laziness. It’s often about autonomy. Children are more likely to cooperate with requests when they feel a sense of choice, and when their intrinsic motivation - like joy, curiosity, or creativity - is acknowledged.
Practical recommendations for parents:
Turn cleaning into a game: Use a timer, create challenges (“Can you find all the red things first?”), or pretend the room is a treasure map.
Allow play during tidying: If your child gets absorbed in something meaningful, it’s okay to pause. Let the moment unfold before gently returning to the task.
Support shared control: Offer choices (“Do you want to clean up the floor or the shelf first?”) to help children feel empowered rather than directed.
Moments like these are not failures of discipline but windows into a child’s imaginative world. With a bit of flexibility, even a messy room can become a spark for joy and connection.
3. Reading with Grandma – The Power of Storytime
A cozy reading nook where a grandparent reads a dinosaur book to an engaged child.
A heartfelt moment between generations that illustrates the emotional, cognitive, and imaginative power of shared reading time.
This cozy scene of a child reading with their grandmother and exploring dinosaurs together, was inspired by some of my most cherished childhood memories. Being read to by a grandparent or caregiver offers more than entertainment; it builds a powerful emotional and cognitive foundation that stays with children for life.
Reading aloud is one of the most impactful activities an adult can share with a child. It stimulates both hemispheres of the brain, engages language processing, and supports emotional bonding. Neurologically, the shared rhythm of reading helps regulate attention and builds neural pathways for comprehension and memory.
Even more importantly, reading together provides a sense of safety and connection. For young children, books are not just stories but also shared experiences, adventures taken hand-in-hand with someone they trust.
Five Psychological Advantages of Reading to a Child:
Language Acquisition – Reading enriches vocabulary and syntax through natural exposure.
Executive Function – Listening to stories enhances focus, working memory, and sequencing.
Emotional Security – The routine of storytime fosters feelings of safety and calm.
Social Understanding – Stories introduce diverse perspectives and emotional experiences.
Cognitive Flexibility – Engaging with narrative structure supports creative thinking and problem-solving.
Five Practical Tips to Spark a Child’s Love of Reading:
Honor their interests: Let your child choose books that match their passions, even if they want the same one again and again.
Establish a ritual: Create a consistent time and space for reading, like before bed or after school.
Bring stories to life: Use expressive voices, act out scenes, or add sound effects.
Ask thoughtful questions: Pause during the story to wonder, predict, or reflect together.
Be a reading role model: Let children see you enjoying books - curiosity is contagious.
In this spread, the magic of dinosaurs is secondary to the deeper message: when adults share stories with children, they’re nurturing not just literacy, but emotional connection, imagination, and a lifelong love of learning.
Are You Bored? is more than a picture book - it’s an invitation to see boredom not as a problem, but as an opportunity. These three spreads reflect everyday moments that can be transformed into meaningful experiences with a little creativity and understanding.
I hope this peek inside the book inspires parents, caregivers, and educators to look at boredom through a different lens and maybe even smile the next time they hear those famous words: “I’m bored.”
