If you’re concerned about your child’s screen time, consider going on a digital retreat with your kids during Screen-Free Week (May 6-10). Screen-Free Week is a non-profit advocacy program that promotes the idea that families should find time to dream, connect, and play together without our ever-present smart devices getting in the way.
Here is a list of 52 easy family play ideas you can put into practice for Screen-Free Week or any time throughout the year! We included a mix of activities and ideas that can work whether you have a 2-year-old, 3-year-old, 4-year-old, 5-year-old, or older child! Think of these ideas as “sparks”—try one and see if it inspires even more ways to play!
52 Screen-Free Play Activities for Family Fun!
- Enjoy open-ended sticker play sessions with our Sticker WOW! collection, a whole new way for kids to play with stickers!
- Host an indoor campout
- Go on a family bike ride
- Host a family dance party
- Blow bubbles and chase them
- Have a "kickoff," by kicking balls of different shapes and sizes
- Make up a nonsense language and enjoy silly conversations; come up with fun names for objects around your house!
- Put together a jigsaw puzzle; here are some suggested top sellers:
- Create an indoor obstacle course
- Make paper crafts: snowflakes, airplanes, origami, paper flowers, holiday decorations—whatever their imaginations inspire them to create!
- Show kids how to play your favorite childhood game
- Embark on a character-themed pretend play adventure
- Create a gallery of kid art
- Look for a 4-leaf clover
- Make paper boats and race them in a kiddie pool; use a straw to blow them across the water
- Enjoy a fancy day: talk fancy, wear fancy clothes, eat fancy foods, and show off fancy manners
- Create a sidewalk chalk mural
- Explore the night sky: look for stars, constellations, meteors, and more
- Cook a family meal together
- Set up a pretend store, stock it, and shop it
- Teach your kids about our National Parks with our collection of National Park Collection toys…they can even pretend to go wild as a Yellowstone bear!
- Build a tiny town in the dirt or sandbox
- Play flashlight tag
- Give kids assorted ingredients and challenge them to come up with a concoction
- Go on an A to Z scavenger hunt, looking for items that start with each letter
- Go on a nature walk and collect treasures to make a collage
- Create, color, and mail a greeting card
- Do a blindfold smell test of different ingredients and spices
- Create a time capsule and bury it in the backyard
- Take the kids on a road trip. If you’ve got little ones, make sure to bring baby toys to keep them engaged during travel; for older kids, our Play to Go Ice Cream and Play to Go Cookies play sets make for great on-the-go fun
- Collect and paint rocks
- Make handprint art to give to grandparents (e.g. Turn a handprint into a flower and write "Grandparents help us grow!")
- Transform a cardboard box: make it a castle, a diorama, a secret headquarters—there’s no limits on kids’ imaginations
- Start a collection (seashells, pretty pebbles, bottle caps)
- Fly high on a kid-powered, open-ended pretend jet pilot adventure
- Set up an outdoor obstacle course with things to climb over, under, and around
- Create your own restaurant (complete with name, menu and decor)
- Set up a temporary outdoor playroom with a tent filled with toys, books, and stuffed animal friends
- Visit a fire station or other local landmark and learn about its history
- Host an indoor family picnic on a blanket
- Stock a dress-up bin, then see how many characters you can come up with
- Make a blanket fort
- Make personalized placemats for each family member
- Create a family handshake
- Stage your own Fun at the Fair with toys like our exciting Stunt Car jump!
- For parents & caregivers with babies, make sure they’re hitting key developmental milestones; when age appropriate, encourage them to do “tummy time” every day with baby toys like our Ocean Tummy Time Triangle
- Host a pretend pizza party for friends and family with our Wooden Pizza Food Truck
- Practice pretend self-care: visit the Barber Shop or Beauty Salon for pretend glow-up fun!
- Perform random acts of kindness for friends and family
Have fun!
For more screen-free activities, follow the blog links below:
Free April Printable Activities for Kids
Create a Child’s Art Studio in 6 Easy Steps
Unplug with Melissa & Doug: Fun Play Ideas for Global Day of Unplugging
30 Best Childhood Games to Share with Kids Today
35 Ways to Bring More Screen-Free Fun to Your Child's Life
