25 Screen-Free Activities for Kids to Do at Home

Trying to find screen-free activities for kids can sometimes feel harder than it should be.

Tablets, gaming, YouTube and TV are an easy way for children to relax and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying them. But sometimes you want an alternative – particularly during weekends, school holidays or those long afternoons when you’ve already heard “I’m bored” several times.

The good news is that entertaining children without screens doesn’t have to involve elaborate crafts, expensive days out or hours of preparation.

In fact, some of the best screen-free activities for kids are incredibly simple.

Here are 25 easy ideas to try at home.

 

 

1. Build the biggest LEGO creation you can

Instead of simply telling children to “play with LEGO”, give them a challenge.

Can they build the tallest tower possible?

A dream house?

A theme park?

A spaceship?

A hotel for minifigures?

Giving open-ended play a purpose can make an old toy suddenly feel interesting again.

2. Create an indoor treasure hunt

Hide a small prize somewhere in the house and write a series of clues leading children from one location to another.

You don’t even need a prize. The final clue could lead to their afternoon snack or tell them which film you’re watching later.

Older children could create a treasure hunt for the adults afterwards.

3. Make a den

This childhood classic requires very little explanation.

Gather blankets, cushions, chairs and pegs and let the children create their own hideaway.

Once it’s finished, they could take books, toys and snacks inside.

Just accept that your living room may be unrecognisable for a few hours!

4. Try a family board game

 

 

Board games are one of the easiest ways to replace screen time because there’s already a clear activity to do.

Choose something appropriate for your children’s ages and, if attention spans are short, start with games that don’t take hours to complete.

Card games work brilliantly too.

Our new favourite boardgame is the Lego Ninjago  Destiny’s Bounty Adventures!

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from any qualifying purchases.

 

 

5. Have a drawing challenge

You don’t need to be good at drawing.

In fact, it’s often funnier if nobody is.

Write ideas on small pieces of paper, put them in a bowl and take turns choosing something to draw.

Ideas could include:

• a dog on a skateboard
• an alien eating pizza
• your dream house
• a superhero hamster
• a haunted castle
• a dinosaur at school

You could even turn it into your own version of Pictionary.

6. Bake something

Baking occupies children and teaches plenty of useful skills at the same time.

Keep it simple with cupcakes, cookies, flapjacks or crispy cakes.

Children can read the recipe, weigh ingredients and practise measuring – sneaking a little maths into the afternoon without calling it homework.

7. Make your own restaurant

Let the children turn your kitchen or dining room into a restaurant.

They can design menus, decide on prices, create a restaurant name and make signs.

One child can be the waiter while somebody else is the customer.

It’s imaginative play, writing and maths all rolled into one activity.

8. Write a comic

Fold several sheets of paper together to create a homemade comic book.

Children can invent a character and create their own story using pictures and speech bubbles.

For reluctant writers, comics can feel much less intimidating than being asked to write a whole story.

9. Create an obstacle course

Use cushions, masking tape, chairs or safe household objects to create challenges.

Children could crawl underneath something, balance along a line, jump between cushions and finish by throwing a ball into a basket.

Keep the course appropriate for your space and supervise younger children.

10. Have a dance party

Put on some favourite music and dance.

Yes, technically you’re using a device to play the music – I’m not going to be that strict about the definition of screen-free!

The point is to get children moving rather than sitting watching something.

Try musical statues or give everyone 30 seconds to invent a dance move that everyone else has to copy.

11. Make paper aeroplanes

Give everyone the same size piece of paper and see who can make the aeroplane that travels furthest.

Then experiment.

Does changing the wing shape make a difference?

Does heavier paper fly further?

Mark a starting line and measure each flight.

You’ve accidentally created a mini science experiment.

12. Start a family quiz

Ask everyone to write five questions.

You can create rounds based on animals, sport, films, school subjects, geography or general knowledge.

Children often particularly enjoy being quizmaster and testing the adults.

13. Create a scavenger hunt

Write a list of things children need to find around the house.

For example:

Find something:

• beginning with B
• smaller than your hand
• that smells nice
• made from wood
• that is older than you
• that is yellow
• that makes a noise
• that feels soft

This is especially useful when you need an activity you can set up in about two minutes.

14. Learn a magic trick

You don’t necessarily need YouTube tutorials.

Look through a children’s magic book, practise a simple card trick or invent your own illusion.

Once they’ve practised, children can put on a magic show for the family.

15. Put on a play

Children can write a script or simply make the story up as they go along.

Old clothes make excellent costumes and toys can become additional characters.

If they don’t fancy acting, they could create a puppet show instead.

16. Play shops

Set up a pretend shop using food from the cupboards, toys or empty packaging.

Give everything a price and use pretend money.

Children can take turns being shopkeeper and customer.

Again, there’s plenty of maths involved without sitting down with a worksheet.

17. Start a puzzle

Keep a jigsaw somewhere that the family can work on over several days.

You don’t have to finish it in one sitting.

There’s something particularly satisfying about walking past and suddenly spotting where that impossible blue piece belongs.

18. Have a reading challenge

Reading doesn’t need to mean sitting silently with a school reading book.

Try a challenge such as:

Read somewhere unusual.

Read to a pet.

Read under a blanket with a torch.

Read a joke book.

Read a comic.

Read a recipe and make it.

Read outside.

The aim is simply to make reading feel like something enjoyable rather than another task.

19. Create something from recycling

Before putting cardboard boxes, tubes and clean packaging into the recycling bin, see what children can turn them into.

A cereal box could become a robot.

A large cardboard box could become a car.

Toilet-roll tubes could become animals.

You don’t need an impressive Pinterest-worthy end result. Let children decide what they’re making.

20. Make a time capsule

 

 

Ask everyone to choose a few things that represent life right now.

Children could include drawings, a list of their favourite things, photographs, predictions for the future and a letter to their future selves.

Put everything into a box and choose a future date to open it.

21. Do a simple science experiment

You don’t need a laboratory.

Try investigating which objects float and sink, growing crystals, making a baking-soda volcano or seeing what happens when different materials are mixed with water.

Ask children to predict what they think will happen before each experiment.

22. Make a family newspaper

Give your newspaper a name and assign everyone a job.

You might include:

• family news
• weather
• sport
• interviews
• cartoons
• puzzles
• reviews
• adverts

Children can write it by hand or create individual pages that you staple together.

23. Go on a mini nature hunt

If you have a garden, see how many different signs of nature children can find.

Look for birds, insects, leaves, flowers and different textures.

No garden?

Look through the window and keep a tally of birds, people, cars or different colours you can spot.

24. Let them be bored

This one might sound slightly strange on a list of activities.

You don’t actually have to entertain children every second they’re away from a screen.

If the immediate response to “I’m bored” is always an activity supplied by an adult, children don’t get much opportunity to decide what to do for themselves.

Give them some time.

They might complain.

Then they might pick up a toy, start drawing, invent a game or disappear into a book.

Boredom isn’t always a problem that needs solving immediately.

25. Create a boredom jar

This is a brilliant one to prepare for the next time you’re asked what there is to do.

Write lots of activities on pieces of paper and put them into a jar.

Ideas could include:

“Build something.”

“Draw a monster.”

“Play a card game.”

“Make a den.”

“Read for 15 minutes.”

“Create a treasure hunt.”

“Go outside.”

“Write a comic.”

When someone says they’re bored, they choose something from the jar.

The catch?

If you pick it, you have to try it.

Suddenly children may become remarkably good at thinking of their own activities!

How do I encourage my child to spend less time on screens?

You don’t necessarily need to declare war on screens.

For many families, a more realistic approach is to make other activities easily available.

Keep books where children can reach them. Leave colouring materials somewhere accessible. Have board games they can set up themselves. Keep a football by the back door.

And sometimes simply suggest an activity rather than saying:

“Get off your tablet.”

“Fancy making paper aeroplanes?” is a much more appealing proposition.

It can also help for adults to join in occasionally. A board game becomes considerably more attractive if everyone is playing.

Screen-free doesn’t have to mean expensive

One of the nicest things about these activities is that most cost virtually nothing.

Children don’t need an organised day out every time they’re bored.

Cardboard boxes, paper, books, old toys, a pack of cards and a bit of imagination can provide hours of entertainment.

And you don’t need to fill every minute either.

Choose one or two ideas, see where they lead and let children take over.

You may find that once the screen goes away and the initial cries of “there’s nothing to do!” have passed, they’re surprisingly good at creating their own fun.

More family ideas

If you’re looking for more simple ideas for family life, have a look around our Family and Education section for activities, learning ideas and practical advice for parents.