What should I do when my child says school is boring? 

Parenting Perspective 

Respond with Openness and Understanding 

When your child says, ‘School is boring,’ it is often a cue for deeper emotional or cognitive needs. Rather than dismissing the comment, respond with openness: ‘What part do you not enjoy?’ This question invites honest reflection and shows your child that their feelings matter. Their boredom may come from repetition, lack of challenge, disconnection from the subject, or even social discomfort. 

Tailor Solutions and Introduce Variety 

Once you understand the reason, you can tailor solutions. If a subject feels dry, introduce variety. Turn topics into story-based narratives, use short educational videos, or set up a small science experiment at home. Rotate study styles, let them illustrate a concept, act out a scene, or teach it back to you. For younger children, transform a topic into a game or treasure hunt. For older ones, link the subject to real-world applications, such as using maths to budget a shopping list or science to understand nature. 

Use Breaks and Gentle Rewards 

Short breaks between tasks help keep energy up. Use simple reward systems, a sticker chart, extra playtime, or choosing the next book to read. Sometimes, boredom stems from isolation. Consider study groups with friends, even if just once a week. The peer energy and shared ideas often refresh motivation. 

Adapt to Their Learning Strengths 

Help your child discover their learning strengths. Are they more hands-on, verbal, visual, or auditory? Adapt methods to suit their style. When children feel a sense of agency in how they learn, they become more engaged and curious. 

Most importantly, keep the tone light and encouraging. Avoid labelling them as lazy or unmotivated. Instead, say, ‘Let’s find a way to make this more fun together.’ This signals partnership and support, two things every child needs to thrive. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam invites believers to approach the world with reflection, wonder, and active seeking of knowledge. 

Allah Almighty asks in Surah Al Ghaashiyah (88), Verses 17–20: 

“Have they not empirically observed the clouds (carrying millions of gallons of water), and how they are created? And at the layers of trans-universal existence – how it is upheld (without any pillars)? And at the mountains – how they are established, and the Earth – how it is vastly laid out? And at the earth, how it is spread out? “

These verses are a powerful call to observe, think, and engage with the world as a form of learning. They show that even everyday elements, animals, landscapes, and the sky, can become sources of curiosity and knowledge. 

It is recorded in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1571, that holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used nature and real-life examples to bring lessons alive. He did not separate education from the world around him. Instead, he taught in ways that sparked thought and reached the heart. Whether through metaphor, parable, for example, he infused his teaching with relevance and wonder. 

When a child feels bored with school, it is often because the spark of curiosity has dimmed. Reigniting it does not require expensive tools, just presence, imagination, and a sense of purpose. Encouraging your child to explore, question, and connect their learning to the beauty of creation echoes the Prophetic model. 

By making learning engaging and personally meaningful, you honour your child’s unique journey, and open the door to a lifetime of joyful, purposeful knowledge.