As parents, it’s easy to feel pressure to fill our children’s days with excitement—theme parks, elaborate playdates, endless activities, and the latest toys. But in truth, what children need most isn’t constant entertainment. What they need is space to breathe, to notice, and to delight in the simple things that life so generously offers.
We live in Dubai where the above noted are the norm. Fancy parks, high end playdates are the norm. We just came back from a few weeks in the countryside in South Africa where grandparents do not have a television! A small town where life is slow. Really. Slow. I expected my boys to be bored out of their minds, but to my surprise the opposite happened. They did not want to leave! They baked cookies, did gardening, helped grandma with the washing, played on real grass, walked to the corner shop to buy ‘loslekkers’. Simple. Uncomplicated.
Think back to your own childhood. Chances are, some of your fondest memories aren’t of expensive outings, but of afternoons spent climbing trees, collecting seashells, making up games with nothing more than a stick, or lying on the grass watching clouds drift by. Those simple pleasures shaped our imagination, resilience, and ability to find joy in ordinary moments.
When we overschedule our children, we inadvertently teach them that happiness comes from being busy and entertained. But when we slow down and allow life to be simple, we teach them something far more valuable: that joy can be found in stillness, gratitude, and everyday wonders.
Encourage your children to notice the smell of rain after a storm, the way bread dough rises, or the sound of birds greeting the morning. Let them be bored sometimes – it’s often in boredom that creativity sparks. Show them that sitting together as a family, sharing stories, or walking hand-in-hand is just as meaningful as any grand adventure.
A simple life doesn’t mean a dull life. It means teaching our children that happiness isn’t bought or staged – it’s discovered. By giving them the gift of simplicity, we help them build a foundation of contentment that will serve them for a lifetime.
Because in the end, the best memories are often the simplest ones.
