Even in an excellent school environment, some students will inevitably be bored in class. Every student has their own learning style, their own pace, and their own interests. There are usually signs that your child is bored in school, but some of them may surprise you.

10 Signs Your Child Is Bored in School

1. Quiet about school and schoolwork. When kids are excited about school, they tend to talk about it, especially when asked. If all you hear is that things are fine, it is possible that your child isn’t being challenged or engaged in the classroom.
2. A declining mood or attitude. Frustration and boredom can build up over time, causing a formerly happy student to become a disengaged child. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the work is too difficult, but that they have lost the spark of interest.
3. Talking about being bored. Some bored students speak up directly and complain about the slow pace of classes or limited subjects available. Occasionally feeling bored in class might be normal, but, if your child often feels underchallenged, they might engage in other behaviors just to liven things up.
4. Inattentive in class. You might hear from teachers that your child is not paying attention, daydreams, or is inattentive in class. This is often a sign of lack of interest or too much repetition or that the class is moving too slowly for your child.
5. Declining grades. It might seem counterintuitive, but, once a child loses interest or disconnects from their instructors due to boredom, their grades can start to fall. Unless their coursework holds their interest, many gifted or 2e students can let their grades slip.
6. Working ahead of their class. If your child finishes everything quickly and even finishes chapter work or assignments long before they are due, boredom can set in quickly. They might need one-on-one instruction or an accelerated learning program to stay fully engaged.
7. Loss of motivation. When your child is not challenged at school, they don’t feel motivated to get started on projects or complete them on time. When a student loses the desire to do their work or does not feel a sense of accomplishment because it is too easy, they can start to coast along without putting their best effort forward.
8. Reluctant to go to school. When your child seems to be getting good grades but still says they don’t want to go to school, they may have become bored because they are not sufficiently challenged. School refusal is a complex issue that may have other causes, but it can also be the result of simple boredom.
9. Performs well on tests but not assignments. When the topics are not challenging enough or the pace of the class is too slow, gifted students realize that they can easily pass the test with a single night of studying or no studying at all. They skimp on assignments because they don’t see the need to do them.
10. Being disruptive in class. Sometimes the student who is bored makes things more interesting by becoming a class clown or challenging their instructor or classmates. While this is a natural tendency for a confident and under-challenged student, it can be a sign that your child needs a different learning environment.

Finding the Right Level of Educational Challenge for Your Student

If you’ve come to the conclusion that “my child is not challenged at school,” you may want to consider other options that will help them achieve their best. Middle and high school students who fall into these habits and behaviors due to being bored or under-challenged might be unprepared for the rigors of college when they arrive.

Lydian Academy specializes in helping parents and students find the individualized learning approach that suits them best. Lydian’s one-on-one setting and full-time private middle and high school programs are tailored to the interests and abilities of each learner. Contact us to schedule a tour of our campuses and enroll your child in a customized program that can start at any time of year.