A smidge of boredom has never hurt anybody, but if your child is chronically bored in school, it can negatively impact their ability to learn. Perpetual boredom can also affect their mood and behavior at home. Consider these 4 signs that your child is bored in school and how you can help re-spark their interest in learning.

Their Grades Are Getting Worse

Was your child once a stellar student, but their grades have been slipping lately? When children are bored in class, becoming inattentive is a trait that follows. They might daydream or drift off in class instead of paying attention, and they may put less effort into their homework and studying, resulting in a steadily declining performance.

They Don’t Want To Go to School

Does your child put up a fight when you ask them to wake up and get ready for school? Have they been begging to stay home or feigning illness so they don’t have to go? Kids may refuse to go to school for a variety of reasons, like bullying, anxiety, or depression, but plain old boredom is another possible cause.

They Don’t Want To Talk About School

Not all kids are the talkative type. However, if your child was once a chatterbox, eager to tell you about what they did at school every day, and now they’re quiet and despondent when you ask about school, that could indicate a problem. When a child is bored with school, they don’t see the point in discussing it. From their point of view, there’s nothing new and exciting to share.

They’re Always in a Bad Mood

Imagine you have a job you strongly dislike. The work is trivial. You slog through your day like a zombie and return home exhausted. As time goes on, you start to feel depressed, then angry about your situation. You begin lashing out at people who don’t deserve it because you feel like you have no other outlet for your emotions.

This could be how your child feels about school. If they’ve taken on a cynical, rebellious, aggressive attitude, it could be because they find their classes boring and mentally draining, and feelings of frustration have welled up as a result.

There are plenty of reasons why children get bored at school. They lack interest in a subject, or they don’t vibe with a teacher and their teaching methods. Discussing your child’s preferred learning style with their teacher can help the educator better understand and engage with your bored student.

Maybe your child is struggling to understand their schoolwork and feels embarrassed and disheartened. Enrolling your child in an academic enrichment program can help get them back up to speed. Children like a challenge. If that is lacking that can be a factor in their boredom.  If that’s the case, you might want to discuss the possibility of having them skip a grade or move into a more advanced course within their school.

Mental health issues are another possibility; depression can make your kids lose interest in things they once enjoyed. If your child seems unusually disengaged and downtrodden, mention this mood shift to their pediatrician and follow up on any recommendations.