10 Ways To Keep Kids Busy Indoors Without A Screen

I’ve put together a list of 10 ways to keep kids busy indoors without a screen. We don’t have a garden which limits what the girls can do if we stay at home. I try to keep screen time down, whilst they do have tablets I try to encourage the girls to play as much as possible. The girls are often looking for suggestions or asking for our help to set up some of their favourites from below, check out our list if you’ve run out of ideas.

10 Ways To Keep Kids Busy Indoors Without A Screen

1. Indoor tents

These can be made with sheets & blankets using pegs or bulldog clips to keep them together. Use the backs of dining chairs to create little dens and let the kids run with their imaginations. The girls have had castles, caves, houses & shops depending on what they decide to play each time. Use pillows & blankets inside to create ‘furniture’ & ‘walls’.

 

A post shared by Ember (@relentlesslypurple) on

2. Origami

We’ve been learning origami and not only does it keep us busy making they can make fabulous gifts such as bookmarks. Bookmarks are our favourite as they are so simple to make and can be decorated in so many ways.

10 ways to keep kids busy indoors without a screen - Origami

3. Washing up

Kids love playing with water! Whether it’s a plastic tea set or like Izzy some stones the kids have collected they will love washing them up. Set them up on the kitchen/bathroom (anywhere that can be mopped!) floor with a small wash bowl on a towel. Guaranteed they will be busy for hours!

stone washing

4. Colouring/drawing

We always have a ton of paper/card & colouring books around for the girls for colouring & drawing. They love colouring with sparkly gel pens, they keep them busy & quiet!

 

5. Tea parties/Indoor Picnic

My girls love setting up on the floor with a blanket & their tea sets for a tea party! Izzy especially loves using her Lucy Locket Wooden Tea-set. Both girls love to dress up and have princess tea parties, pirate picnics & more. As a treat sometimes we let the girls have a real picnic whilst they play too.

Glittery cake

6. Simple Crafts

Whether you have craft supplies or not there’s always something to be made! Toilet roll tubes are always handy they can be used as telescopes which can be coloured & decorated, Maybe a fancy toilet roll tube pencil pot? Perhaps simple picture to pop on the wall?Pound shops are fantastic for stocking up on foam shapes, card, glue etc!

 

Always a craft day here 👌😍 💜

A post shared by Ember (@relentlesslypurple) on

7. Baking

Cakes, cookies & biscuites are all quick & easy to make. Kiids of all ages can join in pouring & mixing. They are fun to decorate and of course delicious too! If you’re feeling a little adventurous why not try out or Italian Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe?

Italian chocolate chip bread

8. Building 

Whether it’s Lego, Mega bloks, Duplo, wooden blocks or even lolly pop sticks! Building is so much fun and allows kids to get creative! Build castles, houses, cars, planes, people, towers it all keeps them busy & helps with fine motor skills.

 

A post shared by Ember (@relentlesslypurple) on

9. Reading

There are always plenty of reading materials around, finding a series of books or magazines or comic can be a fantastic way to encourage children to read. Even young children will enjoy sitting with their favourite books. Izzy loves to ‘read’ books she knows well to me using the pictures.

10.Write/Draw Your Own Story 

Writing can be fun! Secret diaries are fantastic for encouraging older children to write. A fun activity for all ages is to create your own story, it could be a picture story, a comic strip, or simply writing. Covers can be made & decorated for their stories & split pins or staples mean they can keep their book together!

 

9 comments

    You have proper lego, with proper blocks that encourage kids to use their imagination. I love the traditional stuff but so many kits these days have special panels that can only be used to make one thing. (In turning into an old whingy person) Tracey Abrahams recently posted...The Teddies In The Window – My Sunday Photo – 25/06/17My Profile

    Tracey Abrahams | 7 years ago Reply

      All mine & Alex's old lego with some new bits added in. They have worked out ways to use the kits to do different things but they do tend to just use their imaginations. I prefer the old stuff too!

      RelentlesslyPurple | 7 years ago Reply

    These are some fantastic ideas! I’ll certainly be using some of these over the summer holidays – thanks!

    Super Busy Mum | 7 years ago Reply

    There are some wicked ideas in here, I’ll definitely keep these in mind next time I look after my friends little ones as I can never think of anything to keep them occupied without spending money or sticking a screen on. Great post!

    Rebecca, libfemblog.com xo

    rebecca | 7 years ago Reply

    My 10 year old finds all sorts of things to do inside every day. he draws, writes, and plays sometimes recruits his older brother to play Nerf Wars with him but his favorite thing to do is build forts and not just for him. He loves building forts for his cat! It's really funny watching him build it while the cat watches him. The cat knows now what he's doing and he loves going into those forts that are made with cardboard boxes, my bike, dining room chairs, lots of pillows, and almost every blanket I own. Yep, my son is my little adventurer:) Michelle Kellogg recently posted...My Son’s Participation in Autism Awareness NightMy Profile

    Michelle Kellogg | 7 years ago Reply

      Haha! That is brilliant! It's amazing how much fun you can have inside 😊

      RelentlesslyPurple | 7 years ago Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Leave the field below empty!

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.