Parents of kids who are bored in school

Can he bring a book to read? That's what I did when I was a kid in school. 
 

I had this issue in elementary school (although my daughter did not, she was about average in terms of time taken to complete classwork). Usually I would read or do creative writing until the rest of the class was ready to move on. You don't mention his grade level, because by the time I got to 7th grade, the work was much more interesting and challenging (French! Lab science! Real PE in sports I had never tried before!).

Yes, talk to the teacher; I recommend however, not making it about just your kid - be inclusive with other kids who may also finish faster and try to think of an alternative that they can quietly do together, such as work on a skit with a script, or draw a progressive cartoon that a few kids work on taking turns with the next frame. That said, boredom is part of life (hello checkbook and mopping). Good luck.
 

I was that kid and my son is that kid as well. First he got bored and then he started acting out, distracting others, etc.  I started making sure that there is always a book, a workbooks, and some worksheets from home in his bag.  The teacher knew about it and every time she saw him being done and starting to get antsy she will remind him to do the books/worksheets him mom sent from home.  Then I reviewed the workbooks/worksheets at home with him to make sure he is getting it and marked new pages for him to work on the next time he has free time.  It worked really well.  The teacher did not have to worry about him since he stayed occupied doing work interesting for him without her having to prepare it or review it, and I get some control over my son's education and allowed me to ensure that he is getting to do some interesting advanced learning and getting the differentiation he needed.  We still do it now since he still needs it but it is no longer a requirement as he gotten older (upper elementary) and the books/papers are just there for him to do when he wants (he is only required to do it if teacher noticed him distracting others in class) but he still prefers it to boredom and finds it interesting so usually will work on it at least every other day. 

At our son's Berkeley elementary school, teachers did a couple of things to accommodate fast learners. Usually in-class assignments and tests had extra credit stretch problems to keep those kids occupied or teachers allowed kids who finished early to do Khan Academy on the class Chromebooks. Maybe you could suggest those options to the teacher.

Surely his teacher would allow him to read a book or work on a drawing while he waits. Or maybe he could help other kids. 

Hi there - When my son was in 2nd grade at a school in Richmond he had a similar issues.  He would be finished first and wait around.  At first the teachers gave him work from the third grade, but that presented other problems.  After looking around we found The Berkeley School (On University ave).  Its an independent school that does an amazing job of differentiation in the classroom. We were able to move him in third grade and the results were pretty amazing.  He was able to be challenged with age appropriate material and encouraged to do more with his work.  He is now in the 6th grade there and thriving.  If a school isn't set up to already provide this type of support it is hard to get it into place but I hope this helps either give you the language to use in discussing this with the teachers or possibly a place to look at that may be a good fit for your childs education. 

Same story for my son.  You are the best advocate for your son.  Our schools and education system is in such a mess right now, don't expect the school to help.  Our schools and administration is focused on and rewarded for bring low test scores higher.  The reward for my son finishing his work early was to tutor the "kids" who needed extra help.  This was a disaster for him because he wanted to be in school and learn.  (Not be a tutor or a teacher.)  We were lucky in that my son had an older sister, (three grades ahead) and on his own stated doing the same work she doing.  Lucky for us the teacher like him and would grade his work and give him quizzes and tests.  This caused problems with his current teacher as she would get mad at him for doing other work in class even though he had finished the work for her class.  She felt he was being rude and disrespectful to her.  This eventually turned into a behavioral issue because our son was bored out of his mind.

There are programs out there for "smarter" kids but it's up to you to find them and get your son enrolled.  We looked into the program Stanford University offered.  Stanford would teach classes online to students in math, English, sciences, etc.  The students would go to library every day to attend the classes they were enrolled in.  Don't blame the teachers or the principal for the "mess" our schools are in.  For the most part they are doing a incredible job for very little pay.  What I do is approach the principal to see if they have any suggestions.  (They probably won't.)  Then contact Stanford, and look online to see what programs are available.  They are out there but you will have to do the work and work with the school.  Now you also have to remember the school is a "business" and the school will want your child to be there. everyday to receive government funding.  (So they might work against you.)

Again not knowing the age of your child I would highly encourage you to get involved.  If you don't chances are very good this will lead to behavior issues and other issues.  Get involved and stay involved (from a distance) to ensure you child stays challenged.  We have seen other bored kids where there parents didn't get involved not do so well.  My son's best friend who was also bored in class didn't do so well.  His grades went for A's to D's in just a few months. 

Best to you and your child. 

Probably not what you want to hear, but we ended up moving to private (a nearby Catholic school). My child said the work at the public school was too easy. The teacher’s response was to play more on the app they have access to at home. This was from one of the best teachers at school, didn’t address in class boredom and made us concerned about coming years. At private, those done early do a quality check, then read a chapter book of their choice they keep in their desks and/or do more fun worksheets (word searches, color by math problem, etc). Perhaps the book is an option for you? It wasn’t for us as the class had modular seating and it would have been too “distracting” to the class to go to a backpack or shelf to get it. Plus we’re finding the addition of extras (Spanish, music, science/stem lab) are much more challenging and interesting.

Bring a book works.

That said, to learn the material is one thing, to know it well enough to tutor others is the next level up.  Perhaps the teacher will let him get to that next level.

And keep in mind he may be bored now, but don't let it be a habit.  The time and teacher will come when it won't be that easy.  We don't know what subject or when, only that it will come.

Note my child treated "extra worksheets" like "extra chores".  He was interested in able in doing higher level work, but not "extra" work.  He would on occasion go for "extra credit", but when you already have an A that too seems a little hollow.  I encourage your child to stick through it: not all classes will be slow.

We've encountered this issue with my academically advanced 1st grader. A child therapist recommended that we encourage the teacher to allow our daughter to help others learn the material which, in addition to offering more mental stimulation, has the added benefit of encouraging empathy and building social/emotional skills. Our teacher's been on board with this and our daughter has thrived under this approach--we've seen her boredom-driven anxiety drop and her peer relationships blossom. Good luck to you!