Screen Free Activities for Kids and Checklists
Find a balanced screen time for your children this summer with these screen free activities for kids and checklists! Research suggests that limiting or having less screen time is beneficial for kids’ development. But let’s face it, finding activities to keep them entertained can run out quickly as you want them to!
Redirect your kids to more engaging and kid-friendly activities this summer than spending time with their gadgets with these fun summer activities for kids!
With this creative list full of activities ranging from arts and crafts projects to science experiments, you will never have trouble coming up with something new and exciting for them!
There’s also something special about having an enjoyable activity outside of technology – so give your child a chance at some good old fashion fun!
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Activities Kids Can Do Instead of Screen Time
In a world where using mobiles, PCs, and tablets is becoming increasingly normal, it’s important to remember that there are still plenty of enjoyable hobbies and activities to do with our children that don’t involve the use of technology.
There are plenty of options to choose from that can help you bond with your kids without involving a screen.
Get Outside
Spending time with your kids in nature encourages them to be more active. Go on a nature trip, and have long walks. You can also prepare a scavenger hunt for your kids in your own backyard!
Puzzles and Board Games
These are classic activities that will kill hours of your kids’ idle time. They are perfect for rainy days and even during summer when the scorching heat of the sun outside is unbearable for your kids.
Reading a good book
Help your kids develop important skills while veering them away from too much screen time. Reading helps with this. Build a collection of great adventure books or summer books for your kids!
Baking and Cooking
This is another fun and delicious activity for your kids at home. You get to enjoy your kid’s hard work together after baking and cooking those delectable treats!
Game Night With Family
Spend quality time with your entire family over pizza and a few good board games! Your kids will surely appreciate the time you spend with them and will totally forget about the gadgets they are holding all day long!
Recommended Books for Kids to Lessen Screen Time
Check out these summer books to get your kids reading over the summer.
Summer Vacation, Here I Come!Cannonball: A Fun, Summertime Read About Believing In Yourself and Having Fun (Diverse Children’s Book)The Berenstain Bears Go to CampHow to Catch a MermaidI See SummerAnd Then Comes Summer
How much screen time should kids have?
Too much screen time means your kids are endlessly staring at a screen for hours. Get them more engaged in other activities and active to help keep them healthy and strike a healthy balance for your kids who would spend all day on screens if you let them.
Research suggests that during the first 2 years of a child’s life, too much screen time can negatively impact their brain development, and will interfere with their ability to process emotions, learn things, and form relationships.
It is recommended that children aged 2-5 years should have no more than 1 hour of screen time per day. You can encourage them to use these times to watch educational programs, but it is still important to limit their daily exposure.
For kids aged 6 years old and above, screen time should be limited to 2 hours or less per day. This already includes the time spent on homework, recreational time, playing games, and watching movies or cartoons on screens.
In our house, our kids didn’t get any screen time until all of the school work was done, it was a great motivator to get their school work done.
Parents should also establish consistent daily routines for their kids’ screen time, such as the use of checklists and charts to log their screen time hours per week.
Check out some activities kids can enjoy and useful charts or checklists you can use to keep them off the screen.
Recommended Routine Checklists and Charts for Kids
One way to lessen and keep track of your kids’ screen time is by encouraging a chore habit or routine, these helpful charts and checklists can help homeschool moms do just that.
Creative QT Chore Sticks for Kids – Make Chores a Game – Interactive Family Activity Combine Responsibility with Rewards – A Fun Alternative to a Chore ChartGoodtimer – Positive Reinforcement Activity for Kids and Parents. Replace Behavior and Reward Charts with a Visual Timer Toy and Tokens.Visual Schedule For Home Visual Wall Planner Daily Routine Chart for Kids by Create Visual AidsWelpirt Reward Chart for Kids Habit Tracker Chore Chart for Kids With 20 Prepared Replaceable SheetsLarge Magnetic Reward Chart for Kids – 127 Pre-Written Stickers + 30 Customizable Chores – Behavior, Responsibility & Incentive Routine Star Chart for Fridge (1 Kid Version)Mewise Visual Schedule Chart for Kids Daily Routine Cards 70 Pieces Multiple Kids Routine Cards Behavioral Tool Wall Planner-Home,School,Chores,Outings
Screen Free Activities for Kids and Tracker
Keep your kids entertained for hours with these fun and educational screen free activities and tracker!
Get a cool list of ideas for screen-free activities and includes a checklist to help kids keep track of their screen time.
Adopt a routine with your kids and finally lessen that screen time with this easy printable summer screen time checklist.
Going on a nature trip (even just within your local park) and teaching them about planting will take your kid's attention away from their screens.
Playing with bubbles is certainly a child's favorite! Make them even more excited when they make their own.
Another engaging and super enjoyable activity for your kids at home - baking! It's never too early to teach your kids smart skills that are enjoyable and educational at the same time.
Dart game for kids? Dangerous! But not when using Q-tips! Your kids will surely giggle a lot with this fun game for kids.
Does your kid have plenty of broken crayons? Let's not waste them and turn them into a beautiful work of art that will keep your child away from the screens.
Teach simple coding to your young ones using a deck of cards! Your little geniuses at home will surely have lots of engaging fun doing this activity with you.
What's more fun than a little competition among your kids? This fun boat race using Lego will surely bring out the confidence and smilles in your little kids!
Building fortresses at home is surely a fun activity that will create a memory they'll take for the rest of their lives. This activity is another great option to take your kid's mind away from screens.
If your kids love arts and crafts and loves building things, this adorable tinker box will surely keep them occupied for hours.
Speaking of technology, what's more entertaining than building your own robot? This entertaining STEM activity will surely keep your kids off the screen for hours!
This fun printable screen time tracker will help moms like you keep track of your kid's routine and how much time they are spending on their screens.
Create a doable routine for your young kids and help them track their own scheduled with this easy printable screen time rule tracker.
Taking kids off their screens will be just as easy as 1-2-3 with all these fun and engaging screen-free activities you can do with them!
Be sure to track their progress and increase their time doing activities that are more developmental but super fun!
More Fun Activities for Kids
Screen Free Activities for Kids + Screen Time Checklist
Great Summer Books for Children
Printable Summer Charades Game by Darcy and Brian
Bubble Foam Water Table by Busy Toddler