Last year, we spent eight months in a caravan. A lot of that time we didn’t have electricity, only solar power, which meant we relied heavily on the sun for our power. This meant we had to be very careful with our power usage. This also led to many screen-free activities; no tv, video games; screens of any kind. This actually turned out to be a real blessing to our family. We started spending more quality time together and really enjoyed it. If you too are crazy about seeing your kids glued to a screen, then this is the list for you!
Disclosure: *This post may include affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the disclosures and terms for more information.
For ease of use, I have categorised the 100+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids into 3 parts: activities you can do at home, activities you can do out and about and activities that you can do weather-permitting.
At Home:
- Read a Book
- Make Super Soft Playdough or Scented Playdough
- Make Slime
- Build a cubby house or fort
- Blow bubbles
- Play handball
- Draw a picture with chalk on the driveway or side walk
- Do some bird watching
- Hunt for bugs and insects
- Jump rope
- Write a poem
- Paint a Picture
- Read the Bible
- Create with Lego
- Bake some cookies or a cake
- Throw a frisbee or boomerang
- Make some crayon shapes with broken crayons
- Make some Fake Snot
- Make some Fake Blood
- Create with kinetic sand
- Play a board game
- Play a card game
- Build a marble run
- Complete a Lego Bible Challenge
- Make a Bird Feeder
- Make Lavender Wands
- Make some Sherbet
- Make some Bath Fizzies
- Make some Marbled Paper to write letters on
- Hid some treasure and make a treasure map to find it
- Make some musical instruments and start a band
- Write a Play, practice it and then put on a show
- Make some Story Stones and then write a story with them
- Make some puppets
- Play hopscotch
- Race toy cars
- Sew some clothes for your dolls
- Make some paper doily flowers
- Write a letter or postcard
- Help clean the house or your bedroom
- Water the plants
- Ride your bike / scooter
- Play catch
- Make mud pies
- Play freeze tag
- Play hide and seek
- Pick a topic and make a sensory bin
- Make people out of toilet rolls and put on a play
- Make paper planes and race them
- Build a tower out of plastic cups
- Make light sabers from pool noodles
- Write a song and sing it
- Turn on some music and dance
- Create origami
- Plant some sunflowers seeds and watch them grow
- Make a catapult
- Make a simple compass
- Make some Colour Changing Magic Potion
- Stick a Skewer Through a Balloon
- Make shadow puppets
- Play dressing up
- Make some salt dough ornaments
- Decorate some flowerpots
- Create a self-portrait
- Create a fairy garden
- Start a journal
- Make some jewellery
- Shoot hoops
- Wash the car
- Make a boredom buster jar
- Create your own crosswords or word searches
- Have a clean out and create a sculpture with your junk
- Make wooden spoon puppets
- Write your own joke book
- Make a paperweight
- Collect some twigs and make a sculpture
- Write secrets messages and try to decode them
- Write your own comic strip / book
- Have a bubble bath
- Write to a pen pal
- Start a Lemonade Stand
- Do a puzzle together
- Look through family photos and share your memories
- Build an obstacle course and see who can run it the fastest
- Make a string telephone to talk to each other
- Make a bubble wrap painting
- Paint with toy cars by rolling the wheels through paint and rolling them onto paper
- Do some straw weaving
- Make a collage with pictures you have cut out from a catalogue
Out and About:
- Go on a picnic
- Go on a hike
- Visit the library
- Go for a walk
- Visit a playground
- Go on a scavenger hunt
- Skip rocks
- Start a rock collection
- Make a kit and then go fly it
- Go for a bike ride / scooter
- Go fishing
- Go to a museum
- Go geocaching
- Head to the pool or a swimming hole
- Go to the zoo
Weather Permitting:
- Go to the beach
- Build a sandcastle
- Build a snowman
- Make a snow angel
- Run through the sprinkler
- Look at the clouds and make them into shapes
- Have a backyard campout
- Have a water balloon fight
- Have a bonfire
- Jump in the puddles
To make it easier for you, I have made these Screen-Free Activities into a printable list for easy reference. Print it out on white cardboard, laminate it and pin it up where the children can easily read it.
This Post Has 4 Comments
Tina B
13 Apr 2016I think we just found our Bucket List for Summer. Yay!!
Morgan
11 May 2016These are all such good ideas! Kids should take advantage of the suggestions you’ve made above-they certainly wouldn’t have to worry about getting bored. Excellent tips for having fun, whatever the circumstances are! Thanks so much for sharing!
Aimee
23 Jun 2017your website has been so helpful, Tauna! it is a blessing to have Pinterest as i have discovered your website, very rich information! Although, i am having some problems downloading some of your printables. 🙁 Keep up the good work. Bless you and the work you do!
Tauna Meyer
27 Jun 2017You’re so welcome! I know… I’m perpetually working on making that better 🙂 Always feel free to email me for a direct link! tauna (at) proverbialhomemaker (dot) com. I’m happy to help!