Kids aren't the smartest. Sure, one moment they might drop a philosophical and poetic line that seems to tap into some universal truth and make you wonder about it for the rest of the day, but the next they might be shoving a straw into an orange, trying to have some juice.
So let's take a minute and have a little innocent laugh at them, shall we? I mean, people who witnessed our, let's call them, less fortunate moments have certainly had so it's only fair we enjoy what the younger generation has to offer too, right? We earned it.
That's why we at Bored Panda put together a new list of pictures that capture children at times they seemed to have no idea how the world actually works. Continue scrolling to check out the images and fire up our earlier articles here and here to catch up on the series.
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Kids Will Be Kids
How Do You Expect Kids To Live With Such Narrow Minded Parents?
How much you talk with your child can be really important to their development. In the mid-1990s, an interesting discovery was made about a stark difference in language achievement in children. Researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley visited families from different socioeconomic groups, spending an hour each month recording them over more than two years.
Going through the data, they found that children from the poorest backgrounds heard one-third as many words per hour as those from higher-income backgrounds. Scaling up, the researchers proposed that by the time the children were four years old, there would be a 30-million word gap between children from poor backgrounds compared to those in wealthier, professional households.
Dropping The Phone Will Hurt Grandma
Ahh Yes, That's Reasonable
My Son Thought This Light Switch Would Control The Lights In The Store
As Melissa Hogenboom pointed out for the BBC, this study was far from ideal. It had a small sample size, and it's not entirely clear if the word gap is as large as the researchers first suggested.
Critics have since shown that low-income children hear many more words than Hart and Risley reported when factoring in language they overhear from conversations both inside and outside the home.
But responding to these critics, another group highlighted that "young children do not profit from overheard speech about topics of interest to adults."
Never Give Up On Your Dreams
Important Questions For The Doctor
I remember when I was a kid, the local mayor came to talk to us and answer some of our questions. My best friend decided to ask him how often he changes his underwear.
Just Lost My Foot After A Motorcycle Accident. This Is The Sticker My Son Chose To Decorate My Brace
However, if this word gap does exist, it is problematic because language is known to be one of the most important predictors of how well you are going to do later in life, from your earliest school years to university and so, might even be an indicator of the success of your future career.
Whether we're learning basic numeracy or articulating memories, we need language.
He Refused To Let Me Help Him Order His Food Because He's A "Big Boy". Now He's Sitting Mad As Hell With His Egg On A Hot Dog Bun With Jalapeños And Black Olives
That Went Downhill Fast
We Found My Wife’s Phone In The Toilet Yesterday. We Weren’t Sure Which Of Our Three Kids Put It There Until My Wife Scrolled Through Her Pictures Today
That kid has the eyes of a master criminal. 'You gonna use the 'no' word on me? Fine. I'm gonna sever your contact with the outside world...'
Scientists are even able to show how the brain responds to early language exposure. One group, led by Rachel Romeo, a neuroscientist and speech language pathologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, showed that conversational interactions can have a visible benefit on brain development.
The team recorded conversations in families’ homes monitoring both the amount of language they were exposed to and the number of conversational turns and discovered that children who had more turn-taking conversations were better at language comprehension tasks.
Well It Was Definitely One Of You
Would Not Stop Crying Until She Got Her Own Cone Of Shame
My Niece Just Made Everyone Friends And Said "No Fighting". I Can't Stop Laughing
Someone should try this on Putin. And if that fails, concrete overcoat.
My Brother And I Met Our Favorite Super Hero (The Hulk) When We Were 4. We Were Frustrated Because Lou Ferrigno Wasn’t Green
Indeed, we have evidence that it is not passive hearing – or even the amount of words a child is exposed to – that matters most. Instead, it is the quality of the conversation that is important. The back and forth turn-taking nature that requires listening and responding.
It’s what Hirsh-Pasek and her long-time collaborator Roberta Golinkoff refer to as a “conversational duet”, as “you can’t sing it alone”. In fact, another study found that if a conversation is interrupted by a phone call, the child does not learn a newly presented word (they will learn it if the conversation is not interrupted).
Oh My
My 10-Year-Old Nephew Told His Mom He Doesn’t Know How His Phone Broke. He Just Woke Up And It Was Like That. A Few Days Later She Finds He Posted This On Youtube
It Makes 1 Hour That They're Looking For Their Car Keys That Their Kid Buried Inside The Sand
Toddler Got Her Hands On Hair Removal Lotion Instead Of Her Dad’s Hair Gel
Even if Hart and Risley's study wasn’t perfect, the idea that a significant socioeconomic gap exists has been replicated by numerous studies.
In 2008, for instance, Meredith Rowe of Harvard University found that types of conversations do differ significantly between low- and high-income families – in part due to the differing levels of education reached by the parents in these groups.
If You Look Closely, You Can See My Son Hiding From Me
The Neighbourhood Kid Loves My Cat And Insists That My Cat Loves Her Back. This Picture Accurately Shows How Much Kitty Loves Her
My Baby Is Trying To Escape The Car To Play With A Baby In Another Car
Though a word gap can have lasting consequences, the good news is that all parents talk to their children at least sometimes. And if parents would focus more on the quality of interactions rather than quantity, then children could benefit.
The more social experiences they have, whether with their parents or with any other caregivers around them, the more they will learn.
Crying Because She Found Out Her Mum’s Real Name
How dare you, next you're telling me you had a whole life before her!
I Just Have To Post This So I Will Always Have The Memory
Me to my class: "Okay boys and girls, hang up your snacks so we can go into art class!" I laughed so hard! I love kindergarten!
Time To Renew
Playing Hide And Seek With A Toddler Is Always A Thrill
While the stress of day-to-day life can leave less time for talk and play, with a few subtle tweaks in how we speak to children – and how we listen to them – we can literally grow their brains for the better.
My Child Has Tons Of Toys And Is Playing With An Onion
I gave one of my granddaughters a real potato to play with as Mrs. Potatohead. She drew a face with a Sharpie and stuck old costume jewelry on it. Carried it around for days.
Just Found Her Chilling Here For Over An Hour
My Nephew Is Shooting For The Stars
"We'll Split The Loot 50/50"
No Stupid Questions. Just Stupid People
I asked my mom why I wasn't invited to her wedding, that took place two years before I was born
My GF Works At A Daycare
Gonna Save A Bunch Of Money On College
Well at least now you k ow he's capable of following instructions without asking, perfect for middle management lol.
A House Of God
My Little Sister vs. The Roomba
My Son Was 6 When He Was Helping Us Move. Each Year This Memory Pops Up And It’s A Family Favourite
Hide And Seek With My Niece
"Mommy, There's Green Goo Coming Out Of My Waffle!" -My 6-Year-Old Son
My Son Said He Was Hot And Wanted Ice Cream. This Is Not What I Expected
Imaginary Friends Vibes
My 10-Year-Old Brother Is Stupid As Hell
hmm the hint is hard to figure out, anyone know what the password is?
Baby Geniuses 2: Electric Boogaloo
My 4-Year-Old Won't Stop Laughing About This Donut Smiley Face That's Wearing Sunglasses And Has Two Mouths
My Nephew Wanted A Portrait Of George Washington. Thank Goodness He Didn’t Want A Portrait Of Ben Franklin
As someone who has worked as a bank teller, I can confirm that this bill is still acceptable. Someone brought in $200 dollars worth of 20’s that were torn right in half in exchange for new bills. He had thought he removed the cash from the envelope we put the money in. As long as each half of the bills serial number matches the other, and is legible, we just tape it together. If you’re really good, and have a steady hand, it’s almost not even noticeable. If the bill is in really bad shape, it’s sent back to the federal reserve as mutilated.
She Dressed Herself. It's Definitely Backward
girl genius may not be as genius as she thought, still a fine effort though
I Guess I Don’t Have To Worry About College With This One
If you are young enough not to get that concept, you should not always have a phone in your pocket
Me At 3 Years Old, Having A Meltdown, Because My Parents Sold Our Car, Little Blue
It was part of the family! Today you sell Little Blue, who says Little Taylor isn't next?
He Didn't Want His Shoes To Get Wet, So He Put Paper Bags On His Feet And Waded Into The Ocean
I am 20 and today I was this🤏🏻 much away from using hand-wash on tooth brush instead of toothpaste
At Age 8, I Achieved My Lifelong Dream Of Becoming A Piggy Bank. That's A €0.10 Coin On The Way Out
Kid Causing A Traffic Jam At Legoland
You just know the kid with glasses in the yellow car is going to be a BMW driver one day. Extra points to the lad at the back already getting to grips with the futility of life.
I'm Sorry Cakey
A Couple Of My Son's Hiding Places:
He Asked Me For A Straw For His Orange Juice. Minutes Later I Remembered We Didn’t Have Orange Juice And Went Back To See This
"I Promise I Didn't Cut My Hair"
I did similar and as an adult, so there's hope for her yet.. Ha, ha, ha...
Don’t Talk To Me
Unrelated but as I read this, they are playing "Don't answer me" in the radio! It's all coming together...
Times Are Weird. Kid Was Given A Cash Register Set From Grandma On Christmas And Has Been Using The Scanner To Take Our Temp All Day
Modern problems require modern solutions... And in defense of the little one: I would be confused too. Really.
I Love When The Evening Light Brings The Bite Marks Out In Our Sofa
His New Favorite Spot. Climbs Up, Can’t Get Down, Cries Until We Come Get Him, Repeat
My 2-Year-Old Is Crying Because Some Of His Art Isn’t Going On The Wall
Parmesan
Totally Worth Losing Tears Over
Dinner Time
Now This Sofa Is Like A Big Chocolate
My 3-Year-Old Is Angry Because The Beavers Keep Chomping On The Tree
My Three-Year-Old Son Found My Hair Clippers
I Told My Daughter She Couldn't Take Clothes Off The Hangers And Try Them On So I Got This
I Can't
I Cut The Crust Off My Toddler's Sandwich So She Would Eat The Whole Thing. I Came Back To This
Having Fun In The Sandbox
Did I Do Something Wrong?
My Son's Upset Because I Don’t Believe The Dog Made The Hole On Our Yard
My Toddler Found A White Ink Pad And Immediately Turned Into Saruman
I Mean It's His Banana. Right?
Future Arsonist
Time to have a "why would you do that" conversion with your kid. Without judging, just active listening. The kid may try to say something.
The Pan I Use To Make Her Favorite Food Got Broken And She Was Convinced We Would Never Be Able To Eat It Again
So I Found My 9-Year-Old’s “Lost” Yoshi Toy In My Freezer
One Of My Four Children Dumped A Half-Gallon Of Milk In The Freshly Filled Pool
Apparently, the two that were present at the time blamed the other two. Their names are I don't know and not me
My Niece Is 4, And We Are Playing Hide And Seek In This Picture! To Be Fair She Did Look For Me For 35 Minutes After I Left The House (Forgot To Say Goodbye, Allegedly)
We're Playing Hide And Seek, I Don't Know If There Is Any Hope For This One
Now That Sofa Is Cursed
You know, I think it would be easier just to dye the whole couch black. Toddler launched the redesign.
My 5-Year-Old Made A Cat Food Bath For His Sister
Who owns that much cat food?!? Moreso, how many cats do you have, and how are they all not in the tub?
Yes, It's Totally Cool To Put Flower Stems In An Outlet
Put some plug in the socket before the kid thinks of sticking something conductive in it.
My 2-Year-Old Lined Up His Cars For The Big Race
2-Year-Old Put Crayons In The Dishwasher. There's No Coming Back From That
This Is My 12-Year-Old Nephew Doing His Homework
I… I Just
Smells Like Raspberry And Tastes Like Wood
Not Sure If She Was Trying To Hide Or Be Funny But She Fell Asleep Like This
This Kid Walked In With A Confidence Most Can Only Dream Of After His Mom Told Him To Go Get A Mask Out The Car. It Was Clean
Just Watched My Toddler Take Off Running And Run Straight Into Our Wall. Didn’t Even Try To Slow Down. What Were You Thinking Dude
Wrangled All The Seats Put Of The Minivan, Got 30 Seconds Into My Vacuuming When Suddenly It Shuts Off And A Kid Starts Crying. Kid Was Fine By The Way
Kid In Internet Café
He may have something here... I am not sure what, but I am invested in finding out...
Kid Took A Single Bite Out Of All The Apples
My 2-Year-Old Put A Silver Dollar In The Shredder
It Seems Directions Were Needed
Some Kid Stuffed A Cheeseburger Into The Computer At School
This isn't stupid as much as it's an illbehaved little s**t purposely trying to destroy school property
Look Mum. I Am An Artist
This Is Pure Torture And They're Just Feeling It
Seeing A Comic On The Internet Reminded Me Of This Brilliant Decision My Son Made. He Really Wanted A Minion I Guess
My Son, Attempting To Climb The Stairs While Sitting In A Chair
My Son Is Upset Because We Won’t Feed Him Dog Food
This dog food looks delicious, if your food don't look like this, then the kid have a point.
My Friend’s Kid Got Stuck In Our Cat Tower
I’m Not Sure If She’s Stupid Or Evil
It's 1AM. My 8-Year-Old Brother Came In My Room And Told Me We Have To Crack This Random Stone Open Because There Might Be A Crystal In It That Makes Us Rich
"This Seat Will Do Nicely For My Diaper Butt!"
4-Year-Old Put Cupcakes In My Dress Shoes. Are They Ruined?
Don't Let Your Child Use Your Laptop
Vitamins? How Dare You
A 1st Grader Asked Me If This Was Supposed To Be The Among Us Guy
My Son Is Awesome At Hide And Seek
I'm Currently Babysitting, I Walked In On My Niece Doing This
Looks fine to me. She's well balanced, eating, and not in front of a screen.
My Little Brother Decided To Cut His Own Hair... With My Dad's Nose Trimmer
Eats One Bite From Each Strawberry Because "It Freaks Me Out To Get Close To The White Part." Then, Puts Said Strawberries Back In Refrigerator To Be Found Later In The Day
Then acts sad and confused at mom's frustration.
My Curly-Haired Daughter Decided She Was Going To Use Her Stepmom's Brush
Bean Bag Chair Exploded By Kids
Looking After My Friend's Little Cousin, And I Wake Up To Her “Making Her Own Breakfast”
Excitedly Opened The Box Of Leftover Pizza Because I Hadn’t Had Any Yet, Only To See That My Little Hobbits Ate All The Toppings And Cheese
My Son's Best Friend Refuses To Eat The Crust On His Pizza Rolls
The Word Was “Jelly”
Two-Year-Old Was Opposed To A Diaper Change So She Screamed "Gonna Hiding", This Is Her A+ Hiding Place
Maybe It Would’ve Worked If He Had Added Water
When I Was Little, I Thought It Would Be Funny If I Used A Bar Stool As A Jail Cell. It Didn't Work Out That Well For Me
Having To Clean Up The Mess Of Ubereats Drivers Letting Their Kids Bring My Food
Guess She Needed To Try Every One Of My Crumble Cookies This Morning. But Cutting Out The Middle? Pretty Sure My Kid Is A Psychopath
My Nephew Insist On Watching Youtube On Vertical Mode, And Cry Otherwise
Happy Father's Day
My Little Brother's First Attempts At Solving Labyrinths. He Is 4 Year Old
We Found Signs Of A 6-Year-Old Dinosaur In Our House
I Told My Son Not To Throw Food On The Floor. This Is His Response
Today My 8-Year-Old Took Branch Cutters To The AC Unit Just Because He Likes Tools And Tinkering. Bye Bye Freon
Kid Sleeps With His Pet Goldfish
I remember as a kid, there was this one time where I wanted the heater on, but my parents said no. So being a kid I said, "I'm not cold, the room's cold!"
😂 Won't someone please think of the poor room?
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Yikes, y’all are so judgy. I don’t have kids, never wanted them, I’m just not a kid person. They can be annoying, infuriating and worrisome at times, like a drunk adult. I have always found it hard to talk to them, or hold babies, but also, it’s really hard for me to say “no”. BUT, we have NO idea who these people are, what their situations are, what their relationships are like, etc. so basically we know nothing about them, the parents, or who is even taking the picture. So why oh WHY must we judge the parents, or assume anything?! Geez, simmer down, this is supposed to be a fun post, and surely these people don’t want to be lectured about their parenting based on one photo!
These are not naughty kids. These are either a) normal kids or b) kids whose parents have apparently never learned the basic requirements of child supervision.
Oh, what about me? As a toddler I ate massive chunks of my wood crib.
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Once as a kid I tried to fake being sick to go home early from school. I was caught almost immediately by my mother, not because I was horrible at lying, but because as soon as she left my room when she brought me home I started loudly celebrating and saying "I got home from school early!" She had barely even left my doorway.
Thank you, Bored Panda. Another 133 examples of why I really, really don't want children.
I love how watching kids in action really shows us how much we learn in our early years. They take so much literally and feel so passionately about just about everything. Much of their work in the early years is to explore and figure out how their world works. I find it fascinating.
I laughed so hard at these! I have one very distinct dumb memory from my childhood. I believed in "Mr. Pumpkin". For those of you who don't know, he who was this giant pumpkin that came alive on Halloween and handed out candy to the kids who finished their dinner (and vegetables). He was also letting you know you could start your trick-or-treating. It was literally just one of my parents ringing the doorbell, but since I wasn't allowed to open the door for strangers I never made it in time to see him before he made it back onto the roof! Also yes, it was a giant pumpkin decoration that the neighbors put up every year that my parents used to inspire the Mr. Pumpkin tale.
What makes this dumb... is that I also thought everyone believed in Mr. Pumpkin, almost like Santa Claus.
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When I was around 3 I thought that my dad, who was working for the British embassy in Athens, was going to London to work every day.
My sister was ironing clothes for school and burnt her hand she yelled to our mom, "I burned my hand on the iron!" Mom yelled back, "Put butter on it!" She put butter on the iron.
SO my sister.....when she was a kid loved people. She would hug people she didn't know and one day she went up to a MAN and said ¨I love you can we get married.¨ The guy was standing next to his wife and 3 kids.
Here's a magical shiny gold star for you! Do you want a trophy as well?
Load More Replies... I remember as a kid, there was this one time where I wanted the heater on, but my parents said no. So being a kid I said, "I'm not cold, the room's cold!"
😂 Won't someone please think of the poor room?
Load More Replies... Yikes, y’all are so judgy. I don’t have kids, never wanted them, I’m just not a kid person. They can be annoying, infuriating and worrisome at times, like a drunk adult. I have always found it hard to talk to them, or hold babies, but also, it’s really hard for me to say “no”. BUT, we have NO idea who these people are, what their situations are, what their relationships are like, etc. so basically we know nothing about them, the parents, or who is even taking the picture. So why oh WHY must we judge the parents, or assume anything?! Geez, simmer down, this is supposed to be a fun post, and surely these people don’t want to be lectured about their parenting based on one photo!
These are not naughty kids. These are either a) normal kids or b) kids whose parents have apparently never learned the basic requirements of child supervision.
Oh, what about me? As a toddler I ate massive chunks of my wood crib.
Load More Replies... Once as a kid I tried to fake being sick to go home early from school. I was caught almost immediately by my mother, not because I was horrible at lying, but because as soon as she left my room when she brought me home I started loudly celebrating and saying "I got home from school early!" She had barely even left my doorway.
Thank you, Bored Panda. Another 133 examples of why I really, really don't want children.
I love how watching kids in action really shows us how much we learn in our early years. They take so much literally and feel so passionately about just about everything. Much of their work in the early years is to explore and figure out how their world works. I find it fascinating.
I laughed so hard at these! I have one very distinct dumb memory from my childhood. I believed in "Mr. Pumpkin". For those of you who don't know, he who was this giant pumpkin that came alive on Halloween and handed out candy to the kids who finished their dinner (and vegetables). He was also letting you know you could start your trick-or-treating. It was literally just one of my parents ringing the doorbell, but since I wasn't allowed to open the door for strangers I never made it in time to see him before he made it back onto the roof! Also yes, it was a giant pumpkin decoration that the neighbors put up every year that my parents used to inspire the Mr. Pumpkin tale.
What makes this dumb... is that I also thought everyone believed in Mr. Pumpkin, almost like Santa Claus.
Load More Replies... When I was around 3 I thought that my dad, who was working for the British embassy in Athens, was going to London to work every day.
My sister was ironing clothes for school and burnt her hand she yelled to our mom, "I burned my hand on the iron!" Mom yelled back, "Put butter on it!" She put butter on the iron.
SO my sister.....when she was a kid loved people. She would hug people she didn't know and one day she went up to a MAN and said ¨I love you can we get married.¨ The guy was standing next to his wife and 3 kids.
Here's a magical shiny gold star for you! Do you want a trophy as well?
Load More Replies...