Life has been turned upside down since the pandemic. With everything else that happens in the digital world, from connecting with friends to attending classes, kids’ screen time has significantly increased. Even though the social distancing measures have ceased, kids continue using phones and tablets as a pastime activity.
To bring a little balance into their lives again and protect their kids from the hazards of digital screen exposure, many parents are currently looking for ideas for screen-free activities for kids. To help out, here are some amazing screen-free methods to entertain your kids and cut down on them experiencing health hazards.
Puzzles
Puzzles are great for people of all ages to spend some screen-free time. Puzzles are particularly great for children who prefer a bit of a challenge. In addition, puzzles are portable, making them a perfect choice for kids tagging along during the day.
You can choose from a variety of puzzles, like sudoku, crossword, word searches, Rubik’s cube, jigsaw puzzles, magnetic puzzles, etc. Additionally, there are puzzles of different complexity levels as well.
If you wish to take things a bit further, you might want to make your own puzzles. Just draw a vibrant picture on paper and cut it into larger pieces. Then, have your kids put the pieces back together when you want to keep them away from their smartphones and iPads.
Coloring or Story Books
Other options for reducing your kids’ screen time are coloring or story books. Come up with a list of 10-15 books of different genres so your kids can choose which one to read or color. Alternatively, you can also print pages of coloring books from top libraries and museums and cover your entire wall with these pages. So, your children have something fun to do all summer long.
Paper Folding
Kids have great imaginations and are at the stage of life when everything seems possible. Make use of this by encouraging them to create something new and crafty with paper. Paper folding, aka origami, is always fun and challenging. You have to make something by folding paper rather than cutting it, which requires a lot of effort and focus.
So, introduce this unique activity to your kids. And if everything else fails, attempt to make some paper boats or airplanes and try to see who can fly them the farthest.
You can also find ideas online. However, as this is supposed to be a screen-free activity, take print-outs of instructions, or buy a book.
Marbles
Marbles aren’t just collectibles. They also make an easy game for kids to play. In fact, collecting and playing with marbles were the most common things kids did a few generations ago. What’s more, they are portable. So, you could take them to a friend’s or grandparent’s house for some old-fashioned afternoon game.
Begin by having your children collect marbles. The more marbles you have, the better and the longer the game will be.
Card Games
When we were young, playing card games was a usual activity. Card games aren’t as common thanks to the rising popularity of computer and video games. However, the pandemic has helped us renew our interests, especially in classics like Snap, Go Fish, Slapjack, Happy Families, and Old Maid. There are also some new ones like Crazy Eights, Sequence, Beggar My Neighbor, and Menagerie.
Put away the iPads, iPhones, and other gadgets, and go old school with card games. They are great fun for the whole family and keep everyone occupied for some time.
Writing a Letter or Poem
Letter writing is a lost art, thanks to email and instant messages — now emojis have taken over the world of communication. So let kids bring this lost art to life by writing a letter to their friends, cousins, or grandparents. The letter doesn’t have to be complex. It can be a simple letter about their day, a new activity they tried, or even a childish complaint to Grandma.
Encourage them to use colors, drawings, and stickers to make the letter vibrant. Alternatively, you can ask your kids to write a poem for their loved ones.
Take a Chill Pill
At the end of the day, don’t stress so much over your kids spending time on their screens. Instead of constantly nagging your child about their screen time, try introducing and encouraging them to indulge in screen-free activities. Lastly, remember that you don’t need to plan every second of your child’s time. Go with the flow and be a role model to your kids by putting aside your device.
