5 screen-free activities

Now that we are staying at home a lot with our children, we want to offer them some entertainment. Perhaps you’re allowing them more screen-time now, but in this blog we are also giving you some suggestions for some fun activities that do not involve any screens.

1. Grabbing bag
Take a bag and gather a number of items together with your child that have different shapes and structures. This can be a spoon, a piece of soap, a puzzle piece or a toy car. Show all the items to your child and put them in the bag. With eyes closed, let your child carefully grope around in the bag. When they catch an object, they should feel and guess what’s in their hand. Even though they know what’s in the bag, it can be quite exciting for children to touch things they can’t see. A lot of fun is guaranteed!

2. Audio book
Perhaps more fascinating than a cartoon: an audio book. When your child is old enough to keep their attention for a longer time, audio books are perfect to entertain them. Within seconds, children are absorbed by a story. And this allows you to have your hands free to do other things. There are also audio books that stimulate children to actively participate in the story. But sometimes children love to listen to audio books in the background when they’re quietly playing by themselves.

3. Roleplay
Create a roleplay scenario. Children are often very capable of entertaining themselves, but they love it when mommy or daddy participates. If brothers and sisters like to play together, they can join forces and come up with their own casting. Sometimes all they need is your input for a suitable scenario and then get the roleplaying going with lots of imagination.

4. Cooking
Most children are better eaters when they are involved in the preparation of the meal. When your child is old enough, let them assist you by handing you utensils or cutting soft vegetables. Tell them all about the ingredients you use and what you do to make the food tastier - adding herbs, for example. This is also very educational! Is your child a little bit too young, then let him or her ‘help’ you in their own wooden toy kitchen. You will see they are observing and imitating everything you do.

5. Obstacle run
Create an obstacle run in your home or garden and let the children race the track. Make an obstacle run for example, by distributing cushions over the floor for them to jump over, a shelf in the garden to test their balance and a sofa that has to be defied with a summersault. Make up extra tasks to enhance the difficulty level. Have them take a cup of water, for example, to the other side of the room or garden without spilling or have them jump as high as they can three times. A bonus is that they’re playing and doing their daily physical exercise at the same time!