All Imagination & Play
Unplug & Play — 75 Family Activities for National Screen-Free Week
2017-04-28 by Zina Harrington
Shop the StoryJoin us for National Screen-Free Week. Plan to unplug and play. Spend free time daydreaming, creating, exploring and connecting with your family and friends. This compilation of Screen-Free Kids’ Activities is brought to you by our Blog Ambassador, Zina Harrington of Becoming UnBusy.
The magic of childhood is a collection of precious Moments of Wonder. These special “everyday moments” often happen when kids are given the opportunity to — be bored. Unstructured, screen-free time allows children to explore the outer reaches of their imaginations.
Many parents are concerned about screen-time and rightfully so. Research continues to show that screen time gets in the way of activities known to be good for young children, like playing creatively and interacting with caring grownups.1
So what’s the solution to this high influx of screen time?
We need to change the conversations we’re having with our children. Instead of restricting screen time, we need to teach our children balance in a world where technology is abundant. One way to do this is to help them embrace Moments of Wonder and remind them how lovely life can be unplugged.
In other words…
Disconnect to reconnect.
Nowadays, technology is an integrated part of our kids’ everyday — and it will continue to be throughout their lives. Perhaps surprisingly, our family doesn’t limit screen time; however, we are on a mission to teach our children self-moderation and balance.
Every year it surprises me how challenging National Screen-Free Week seems on Monday and how rewarding it feels by the end of the night Sunday. Participating in Screen-Free Week will help your family (parents and children alike!) truly gauge how often you default to a screen. We hope this list of 75 screen-free activities will inspire you to participate too!
75 Family Activities for National Screen-Free Week
1. Teach your child some classic jump rope songs
2. Give your house a little curb appeal
3. Plant a sunflower kids’ fort
4. Go to the farmer’s market with this free printable
5. Play zoo with stuffed animals and laundry baskets
6. Host a family game night
7. Schedule a one-on-one date with your kiddo
8. Create bubble art outside
9. Build the biggest wooden train route EVER
10. Fly a kite
11. Hire your tiny contractors to build a block tunnel
12. Go frog (or toad) catching — check out this book at the library
13. Blow a dandelion
14. Play hopscotch — Use sidewalk chalk or a Hop & Count Hopscotch Rug inside
15. Start a family garden and make these cute DIY plant markers
17. Collect pinecones
18. Use a children’s broom as a giant paint brush
19. Bake together — in your or your little one’s kitchen
20. Make mud pies
21. Play four square
22. Build paper airplanes
23. Paint patriotic spinners
24. Create stained glass solar lights for the yard
25. Play classics — Red Light, Green Light or Mother May I?
26. Go indoor family camping and check out this book list
27. Play dress-up
28. Chase butterflies
29. Make a homemade pizza together (felt or real!)
30. Create a heart keepsake gift
31. Go on a color walk
32. Blow bubbles
33. Learn to make spiral friendship bracelets
34. Go for a PJ walk with flashlights
35. Make nature suncatchers
36. Plan a picnic
37. Set up a community art easel in your yard
38. Take a bike ride
39. Learn to weave on a loom
40. “Bake” cookies and learn basic math
41. Look for cloud shapes
42. Plant a honeybee garden
43. Roll down a hill
44. Start a family mailbox
45. Host a lemonade stand
46. Go on a family hike
47. Play in the sand — at your house, the beach or the park
48. Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars together
49. Host a family music concert
50. Dance in the rain — with or without an umbrella
51. Perform a puppet show together
52. Create sculptures and play with modeling clay
53. Plant a tree
54. Chase bubbles with the dog
55. Start a rock collection
56. Make watermelon spinners
57. Create a sun catcher terrarium
58. Play toddler baseball with the Trixie Bat & Ball Set
59. Learn about three local birds that visit your yard
60. Build a fort with blankets or Jumbo Cardboard Blocks
62. Play this DIY flying disc game
63. Host a magic show
64. Play Suspend
65. Twirl in the grass
66. Create an Adventure Flip-Flap Book
67. Watch the sunset together
68. Do some toy decluttering or set-up a toy rotation
69. Take a nature walk with alphabet rocks
70. Make Chocolate Covered Cherry Granola Parfait for breakfast
72. Play a classic game of hangman
73. Become tree detectives
74. Jump in puddles
75. Stay up late and watch the stars
#TakeBackChildhood
There was a time not so long ago when childhood offered the space and freedom for children to explore their world. To be curious. To be creative. To be bold. To be bored. To just . . . be. Today, our overscheduled and overstimulated children are using their imaginations less than ever. It’s a crisis in the making. And it’s why Melissa & Doug is committed to making products that inspire open-ended thinking and encourage kids to see new possibilities. It’s part of our bigger vision to Take Back Childhood. Because by giving children a true childhood, we give them a path to realizing their full potential! Learn more about how you can help Take Back Childhood.
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1. Healthy Kids in a Digital World: Screen-Time Facts, compiled by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/unplug-preschool-citations↩
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