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Father of four, teach a programming class to some kids in my area, attend many social gatherings full of kids.
YMMV, but I haven't seen much progress happening as a result of boredom. As a child I was in this situation and spent most of my time pointlessly reading fiction. Got serious about math and programming only due to having amazing teachers in high school (actual math and CS researchers).
On the other hand, if you're asking about your kids, maybe they'll turn out like you and get interested in stuff naturally :-)
At preschool level it's games like broken telephone or I Spy. At school level I'm not sure, but I feel that my verbal abilities are low because I never did anything like debating in my teens.
Interesting, how do you motivate the kids to want to learn?
Reading fiction hardly seems pointless, compared to other pursuits a parent might push a child into. It develops vocabulary and reading comprehension (helpful when you later want to read non-fiction), general knowledge and social abilities, and can lead to other interests. I got inter... (read more)