Remember Saturday mornings when you were a kid? Nobody had a schedule. You went outside, found some neighbor kids, and figured it out from there. Turns out, that was exactly right.
Three child psychologists were recently asked what kids should be doing on Saturday mornings. They all gave the same answer: unstructured play. Free time. Room to be bored.
If that sounds a lot like how your generation grew up, that is because it is.
Why Boredom Is Actually a Good Thing
Dr. Matthew Leahy, a licensed psychologist, wants parents and grandparents to relax about boredom. “Boredom is not an emergency,” he told Parade. “There is nothing wrong with a little boredom. You don’t have to solve it every time your child announces it.”
His suggestion when a grandchild says they have nothing to do? Just tell them, “I bet you’ll figure something out.”
Dr. Holly Schiff, a licensed clinical psychologist, agrees. She explains that boredom gives children a chance to practice something important: tolerating discomfort. “Children don’t get everything they want immediately, and boredom is a relatively safe place to practice that,” she says. “They learn that an uncomfortable feeling doesn’t require an immediate solution.”
Over time, she says, kids who experience boredom become more comfortable with waiting and persisting through situations that are not immediately exciting.
Five Things Free Play Does for a Child
The psychologists laid out the real benefits of unstructured time for kids. Here is what they found:
- It opens the door to new experiences. Dr. Amy Vigliotti, a licensed psychologist and founder of SelfWorks, says boredom can help a child feel more confident trying new things. An unplanned game of tag with a kid they just met at the playground, she notes, is actually an impromptu lesson in communication.
- It builds frustration tolerance. When children are not entertained every minute, they learn to sit with discomfort: a skill that pays off throughout life, according to Dr. Schiff.
- It supports independence. Dr. Schiff points out that when adults constantly solve a child’s boredom by handing them an activity, kids can become dependent on someone else to organize their free time. Giving them space to figure things out themselves sends the message that they are capable of making their own choices.
- It gives the brain a rest. “Children are surrounded by stimulation: school, activities, conversations, media and notifications,” Dr. Schiff says. Quiet stretches let them slow down and notice what they actually feel like doing.
- It sparks creativity. Dr. Vigliotti says creativity boosts help children process and retain memories. She also notes that a creative mindset can carry over into the school week, giving kids more motivation to learn.
What About Screen Time?
This is the question every grandparent has thought about. Dr. Schiff says there is no need to panic if a Saturday morning includes some screen time. The bigger concern, she explains, is whether screens are crowding out things kids need: sleep, movement, face-to-face time, and unstructured play.
She does not love hard rules like “no screens until noon.” Instead, she recommends clear family guidelines: when screens are allowed, what kind of content is appropriate, where devices can be used, and when they need to be put away.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends about an hour per day of high-quality programming for young children, prioritizing hands-on and social play. Dr. Schiff’s general breakdown looks like this:
- Under 2: Avoid routine screen time, with the exception of video chatting. If parents introduce media around 18–24 months, they should choose high-quality content and watch it together.
- Ages 2–5: Aim for an hour or less of high-quality programming per day, ideally with an adult watching alongside.
- Ages 6–12: No single evidence-based number fits every child. Dr. Schiff recommends clear family limits and making sure screens do not interfere with sleep, physical activity, family time, or unstructured play.
- Ages 13 and up: Focus less on a specific number and more on whether the teenager is sleeping well, staying active, keeping up with relationships and responsibilities, and able to put the device down. Screen-free times around meals and bedtime are especially important.
“The weekend shouldn’t become a screen marathon simply because there is no school,” Dr. Schiff adds. “It’s perfectly reasonable for a child to enjoy a movie, play a game or spend time online. The concern is when screen use becomes the default activity for every unstructured moment.”
The Overscheduled Grandchild
Many of today’s kids are busy in a way that would have seemed unthinkable when our generation was young. Dr. Leahy describes it this way: “Hobbies, sports, set play dates start to dominate, and before you know it, every hour of the weekend is booked.”
He is not against sports or activities. “These activities can absolutely be important and valuable,” he says. “The problem is children can burn out too, just like adults.”
Dr. Schiff adds that overscheduling can turn enjoyable activities into sources of pressure. And when a child moves from one structured event to the next all weekend, she says they never really get the chance to discover what they enjoy when no adult is directing the experience.
Signs a child may be overscheduled include stress, irritability, and sleep problems.
A Simple Weekend Blueprint
Dr. Schiff offers a practical framework for a good weekend, not a minute-by-minute schedule, but a few anchors that give the day shape without making it feel like school.
- Keep sleep reasonably consistent. Weekend wake times do not need to match the school-week alarm exactly, but Dr. Schiff says letting the schedule flip completely makes Monday harder for everyone.
- Start with food and connection. Sit down for breakfast together before the day scatters. “Even sitting together over breakfast gives the day a predictable beginning,” she says.
- Protect a block of unstructured time. At least an hour or two with nothing planned. “This may be the most important part of the weekend to protect,” Dr. Schiff says. For younger grandchildren, that might mean blocks, crayons, or toy animals. Older kids might shoot hoops, build something, or just wander outside.
- Include one planned activity. Something the family actually enjoys: a hike, a museum, a trip to the library. One anchor gives the day structure without turning Saturday into a second school day.
- End with a calm wind-down. A family dinner, bath, or some reading can ease the transition back to the school week without the Sunday-night scramble.
It sounds a lot like how many of us grew up, doesn’t it? A loose morning, some time outside, a family meal. The psychologists just gave it a name. We called it Saturday.
