When I was little I hated being bored. I still do, but the difference is that now I can think up my own ways to use my time. As a little kid I needed everything planned for me, as small children we learn this cultural behavior at daycare or even earlier than that. When children get picked up from daycare many of them ask “When we get home do I have time to play?” Why would children ask such a thing?

Characteristics of Swedish culture are being proper, being on time, keeping to the schedule and there is a wonderful Swedish term for all of this: “Ordning och Reda”. A daycare schedule might look something like this:

07:00 Day-care opens

09:00 – 09:30 Morning gathering

09:30 – 10:30 Free playtime

10:30 – 11:30 Clay-dough or other dough working

11:30 – 12:30 Lunch

12:30 – 13:30 Resting time

13:30 – 14:30 Outside play

14:40 – 15:00 Snack

15:00 – 16:00 Special actives in separated age groups

18:30 Day-care closes

To begin with this strict schedule was probably made to make parents feel safe in leaving their children. As a reassurance that their children actually were being prepared for school and learning as well as not just playing. The only difference between daycare and any other work place is the clarity of the schedule. Almost every working person in Sweden will recognize this pattern even if it isn’t written down like at daycare.

Children do not only learn this behavior from the daycare schedules, parents are a big contributing factor. A very common way of speaking is “You have to stop playing with your toys so you can go outside” and “We have to hurry so you have enough time to read the book about about Sebastian the dog”. (example only)

Many children’s lives are one big schedule: Monday afternoon dance, Tuesday and Thursday Soccer. Wednesday playing with friends, and Saturday is family time. Even family time becomes a scheduled activity. And not to be forgotten is the famous Fredagsmys.

All in all Swedes feel a great need to be active, in todays day and age with all the new inventions and appliances we have more time than ever. But we find ourselves saying that we never have enough time to relax or do what we really want to do. This is because of the increased number of options of how to spend our time and the feeling of having to do something worth while with it.

Is it the same in other countries, the need to do things?