Easter boredom 'good for pupils'

Leaving children to their own devices may actually help them

Feeling bored during the Easter holidays could be good for pupils as it gives their brains a chance to rest, a psychology researcher believes.

Dr Richard Ralley from Edge Hill College in Lancashire says there may be "legitimate rest" in boredom.

Dr Ralley says parents should leave their children to feel fed up, rather than keeping them occupied, allowing them to recover from last term.

And he urged parents not to be too hard on "inactive" children in the holidays.

Dr Ralley told the BBC News website that boredom was an emotion and thus had a purpose, such as allowing children to get sufficient rest.

The researcher is now embarking on a research project to assess the wider implications and benefits of boredom.

"Boredom is taken for granted as something that just happens, but as it produces an emotion, there must be a purpose for it," he said.

'Find a balance'

"As we approach the Easter holidays, parents across the country will be desperately trying to keep their children occupied for two weeks so they don't get bored, whereas actually, it may be better to leave them to their own devices and let them recover from the last term at school.

"If that means children want to sleep until 1pm every day and then lie on the sofa watching football all evening, then that may be more beneficial for them than having a timetable of activities drawn up to keep them occupied."

But Dr Ralley said it was obviously important to find a balance between conserving energy and doing something rewarding.

He said video games were the sort of activity which could help in this way but warned against excessive use of these.

"Children could easily spend the whole day doing nothing but playing with a video game and, taken to extreme, that's counter-productive."