Why ‘Doing Nothing’ Is Still Productive

Written By Laura Mukerji

When summer rolls around, many of us start feeling that familiar pressure—What should we be doing to keep our gifted kids learning, engaged, growing? Should we sign them up for a full summer of camp? Make a summer reading challenge? Create a daily schedule to keep their brains busy?

As I started thinking ahead, especially about my 8-year-old, I realized I didn’t want to just fill time. I’ve always had a gut feeling that less can be more—but I wanted to be more intentional about it. So I did a little digging (as I tend to do), and what I found really helped me feel more confident in that choice. Turns out, there’s research to back up what many of us already suspect: kids don’t need to be constantly busy to grow.

Dr. Gail Post talks about this in The Gifted Parenting Journey. She writes about how gifted kids often carry internalized pressure and perfectionism. That really stuck with me. When kids constantly hear how “smart” or “advanced” they are, they can start to feel like they have to be productive all the time.

But rest doesn’t mean nothing’s happening. In fact, it’s an essential kind of work. Neuroscience tells us that when we give our brains space to wander, we activate something called the default mode network. That’s when the brain connects ideas, processes emotions, and makes sense of things in the background.

So yeah, when your kid is lying on the couch staring at the ceiling? That’s not wasted time. It just looks different.

Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman calls boredom the “seedbed for creativity,” and wow, that checks out. Once gifted kids push through the discomfort of not being constantly stimulated, something shifts. They start to play. They invent. They think in ways they just don’t get to when everything’s scheduled.

And we can’t forget—gifted kids often feel things deeply. During the school year, they’re juggling academics, social dynamics, sensory overload, and sometimes big questions they don’t even have language for yet. Summer gives them a chance to just exhale. To reset—not just mentally, but emotionally.

So if your child seems to be doing “nothing,” here’s what I’m reminding myself:

— They might be sorting through something that really matters to them
— They might be soaking in a rare bit of quiet
— They might be building a whole world inside their head

We don’t have to fill every space. I’ve always believed that—but now I feel even better leaning into it. And sure, I know my daughter will come at me with giant plans, way too many questions, and probably leave a trail of chaos after her next big idea... but we’ll survive. And honestly? It’s all part of the magic.

Gifted kids are often celebrated for what they do. But they’re just as incredible in the moments when they’re simply being.

Sources


Laura Mukerji
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