Screen Free Activities For Kids

Are you having trouble getting your family away from the digital world throughout the day? Finding fun screen-free activities for kids can be difficult at first but once you unplug, you start to get creative and discover plenty of great ways to pass the time without the need for a screen. Here are a few ideas that entertain the kids and give you confidence their brains and body are staying active.

Indoor Activities

There are plenty of activities you can do right in the comfort of your home. Indoor play is especially needed in states that have harsh weather this time of year. One great idea is building a fort! I’m sure you remember gathering all the blankets and pillows in the house when you were younger and building a secret fortress. This activity keeps the kids entertained for hours, plus they can use it throughout the day and night, watching movies and playing games. If you are looking for something new to do, try a homemade archaeological dig. You can do this with brown sugar as the sand, or you can fill a bucket with water and treasures, place in the freezer and then chip away once it’s frozen for a dig in the ice age! Lastly, maybe your family loves to put on a show. Go ahead and have the kiddos use their imagination and create their own play or puppet show to show the rest of the family. This activity will keep everyone happy and doesn’t require any extra materials.

Outdoor Fun

If it’s a warmer day outside, a healthy way to play and avoid screen time is getting outside to burn off some energy. Here are some fun outdoor activities for kids! You can do arts and crafts in the driveway with chalk, create a hopscotch path or obstacle course to do with children around the neighborhood. If you enjoyed the archeological dig from above, similar outdoor activity is a treasure or scavenger hunt. You can help them out by hiding toys around the lawn or you can create a list of things that are already found in your backyard.

Another fun idea that the whole family can participate in is a car wash! Kids love to help when they are having fun doing it! Have an adult supervise to make sure everyone is being safe, but allow the kids to have fun covering the car in suds and spraying away the bubbles.

Arts and Crafts

Kids love to use their imagination and are crafty with all types of things. Some easy arts and crafts for kids to make are puppets, firework art or paint in a bag. For the puppets, all you need is an old sock and some markers. Firework art and paint in a bag both involve washable paint but aren’t too messy. For older children try the fireworks. Take a toilet paper roll, cut one end a little over half to create a type of fringe. Dip in the paint, swirl on canvas or paper, and voila! For toddlers, paint in a bag is perfect. Place small amounts of different colored paint on a plain piece of paper. Once you have five to seven paint spots, place the paper in a large Ziploc bag, and seal it tight. Then your little ones can smush the paint around all they want without the mess on their hands or your surfaces.

Still looking for ideas? Try making homemade airplanes out of art materials. Paper, popsicle sticks, and pipe cleaners are some great options to make sure your plane flies high inside and outside!

Active Play

Staying active is the best strategy for finding kids’ screen-free activity ideas. This can be done indoors or outdoors. Going for a bike ride or hike are nice ways to get outside and work in some physical activity. You can even play a game of eye spy on your hike to make it more challenging. If it’s a colder day, try taking the family to an indoor play center. Places like Pump it Up offer a safe environment to play in, with larger-than-life inflatables and obstacle courses, the kids will have a blast. Lastly, maybe the kids are tired of the same old stuff. Encourage them to try something new, like learning to rollerblade or ice skate. Maybe even learn the rules of a sport they haven’t tried.

Bring Joy to Others

This is the best time of year to give back to your community and bring joy to others. Have the kids go through their toys and make a pile of things they don’t play with anymore that they can donate to a local charity. You could make a nice meal to go drop-off to a family member or friend. A handwritten note is a nice touch to add! The meal and card can also be a nice way to celebrate a birthday. Make a calendar of your family member’s birthdays and create a special card just for them. Finally, if your kiddos love animals, local animal shelters accept volunteers to come in and help out for the day.

Family Fun

After a long day at work, it’s nice to have some quality screen-free family time. You and the kids can play games, go on nature walks or pack up a picnic to enjoy in the park. Games always get people excited and ready to play. Short games that don’t require a lot of set-ups, like Minute to Win it, are an easy way to go.

An activity that is something different and you don’t do often is look at old family photos. Kids love to see pictures of their elders when they are their age and think it’s funny to see the old fashion and hair trends. Take some time, dig out the photo albums and take a ride down memory lane together.

Although it may not always seem like it, kids love to have some screen-free fun with friends, family, or just by themselves. Try out some of these activities and let us know which ones were your family’s favorite! For even more family fun and kids’ activities, check out – https://www.pumpitupparty.com/blog/outdoor-activities/