If there’s one statement parents have probably heard a lot these past two weeks, it’s “I’m bored” – usually with the added request of “will you play with me?” tagged onto the end.

But often we’re working, or trying to catch up on an admin list that’s as long as our arm (and the rest), or doing chores, so it’s not always possible to down tools and get stuck in.

While turning the TV on or handing over an iPad can feel like a simple fix (hey, we’ve all been there), experts are increasingly nudging parents to try and reduce kids’ screen time where possible.

So, if your children say they’re bored, how’s best to respond?

Yes, there’s the age-old classic of: “Great, grab the vacuum!”

But children’s author Ty Allan Jackson suggests you could say something along the lines of: “Wow. That’s awesome. What a great opportunity for you to be creative.”

And then he suggests you ask them a simple question: “What is something you wish you knew how to do?”

In a reel on Instagram, the TedX Presenter said: “That question will get them thinking and give you directions on how to entertain them, or better yet, on how they can entertain themselves.”

Of course, there’s every possibility they’ll respond with a shrug or an “I don’t know.”

But some parents have found it successful. One user, known as @mom.outofoffice, said she tried the ‘Wow method’ with her daughter and, admittedly, the first time she asked the question her daughter “just stared” at her.

“But then she said she wanted to learn how to use the coffee machine. We tried it together, and soon she was making it by herself,” said the parent. “Before I knew it… she had turned our kitchen into a full-on coffee shop. And wow… it became one of her favourite ways to play.”

Neuroscientist Alicia Walf, a researcher in the Department of Cognitive Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, told Forbes boredom is critical for brain health, noting it can improve social connections and foster creativity, too.

According to psychiatrist and author Dr Carl Marci, letting your kids figure out how to keep boredom at bay could be far more beneficial than stepping in for them.

When his children tell him he’s bored, he’ll urge them to go and figure out how to deal with it – but without technology or something connected to the internet.

“They get mad at me,” Dr Marci previously told HuffPost UK, “but after a few minutes, they start to creatively solve their problems or distract themselves with social interaction or play.”

Bring on the summer holidays…