Plenty of activities are available for anti-boredom month in July
Jul 01, 2022 11:34AM ● By Greg JamesBy Greg James | [email protected]
National anti-boredom month begins the first of July. After the Fourth of July, the long, dog days of summer begin. For many families and kids, it means no school and hot weather.
“My kids know that if they tell me they are bored I will give them something to do,” Julie Castro said. “They have learned not to let me hear them say ‘I’m bored.'”
Boredom is also a phobia, called thalassophobia, the fear of having nothing to do.
National anti-boredom month was created in the 1980s. The idea is to get people to stop moping around and instead focus on other things in life. Boredom is defined as tedious repetition and mental tiredness and laziness.
Boredom has been used as a weapon. Prisoners were forced to sit silently, day and night. The practiceled many people to insanity because of the endless hours of silence and nothingness.
According to the National Library of Medicine, people who get bored easily are more prone to depression and anxiety and could develop heart disease.
“We have a long list of things we often did,” Jennifer Panameno said. “If we don’t hand them something to do or solve the problem they will likely find ways to stop being bored. We should let them be bored sometimes.”
Some ideas given to the City Journals include playing outside, riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline, playing tag, doing chores, puzzles and painting.
Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center and other community centers offer several programs that could help. Here are just a few.
Aquatic Fitness: lap swimming and recreation pools. KOPFC offers a program called Splashin’ and Dashin’. This fun class is a full-body workout with cardio, strength and routines in deep and shallow water. They have swimming lessons for babies, kids and adults. You could even join the swim team.
Kids Summer camps: full and half-day camps that include games and activities that keep them busy. Up With Kids meets on Monday evenings for a full musical theater experience.
Sports classes and leagues: The fitness center has open pickleball leagues for adults and juniors. They also offer dance classes and tennis lessons.
Friday night flicks: every Friday at 8 p.m. a fun family movie is shown on the big screen.
The fitness center is not the only place that families can turn to for fun.
The Society of National Anti-Boredom Month suggests taking up a new hobby, volunteering your time or experiencing a new part of your community.
“When I get bored I go play video games,” Chris James said.
A recent study for Kids Health has shown that certain video games can improve hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, and the mind's ability to process information. But too much play may cause problems. It is hard to get enough exercise if you’re always inside playing video games.
Our lives can be extremely hectic. National Anti-Boredom Month can help remind us of ways to break up the monotony.