Get them off the screen and into the fun
Screens are easy. Real play is better, for their imagination, their attention and your time together. This is a free, growing bank of screen-free things to do, sorted by age and by the moment you are actually in, most of them using what you already have at home.
Off screens, into real play
Every idea here is screen-free by design, built to be more tempting than the tablet, not a lecture about it.
For every age
From a two-year-old with a tray of pasta to a teenager building a portfolio, there is something pitched at your child.
On any budget
Almost everything uses things you already have: boxes, pans, chalk, paper. No kits to buy, no cost to start.
Start with your moment
Not sure where to begin? Pick the situation you are in right now and go from there.
Ten minutes to fill
The gap before dinner, or the "I’m bored" that comes the moment a screen goes off.
Pick one quick, no-setup idea. Ten unhurried minutes together is plenty, and it often runs longer once they start.
A rainy afternoon indoors
Stuck inside, energy building, and the temptation to hand over a tablet is strong.
Choose one making idea and one active one, so there is something calm and something that burns energy.
Out in the garden or park
You have some outdoor space and want them in it, not on a device.
Give them a small mission rather than "go and play". A reason to be outside keeps them out there longer.
A long car or train journey
The trip where the screen usually wins by default.
Words and imagination games need nothing but the two of you, and they pass real time.
After a screen-time meltdown
The screen has gone off and the mood has gone with it.
Go for something calm and hands-on. The aim is to reset, not to entertain. Sit alongside them for the first few minutes.
A whole free Saturday
A long, empty day that could disappear into screens if you let it.
Pick one bigger project to be the spine of the day, and let smaller ideas fill the gaps around it.
The ideas bank
Real things to do, sorted by the kind of play. Each one shows the age it suits, how long it tends to take, what you need, and the skill it quietly builds. Pick one and start.
Outdoors & garden
Get them into the yard, the park or the woods, with a reason to stay there.
Nature scavenger hunt
Name five things to find: something rough, something red, a seed, a bug, a Y-shaped twig. Set them off and compare finds after.
- You need:
- A list you jot down, or just your voice
- Builds:
- Observation, vocabulary and early science
Mud kitchen
Hand over a few old pans and let them cook. Resist tidying. The recipe is the point, not the result.
- You need:
- Old pots, spoons, water and a patch of dirt
- Builds:
- Imaginative play, mixing and measuring
Build a bug hotel
Pack twigs and leaves into a container and tuck it in a quiet corner. Check back over the week to see who moved in.
- You need:
- Sticks, leaves, an old container
- Builds:
- Design, care for nature and patience
Chalk obstacle course
They draw a course to hop, spin and jump along, then you race it. Let them be the one who invents the rules.
- You need:
- Pavement chalk
- Builds:
- Planning, movement and turn-taking
Kitchen
Cooking and baking as creativity, with a side of maths and reading.
Invent a pizza
They design their own from what is in the fridge. Cutting it into halves and quarters is fraction practice in disguise.
- You need:
- A base and whatever toppings you have
- Builds:
- Sequencing, fractions and confidence in the kitchen
Bake and halve a recipe
Pick a recipe and halve or double it together as you go. Weighing and adjusting is maths they will not notice doing.
- You need:
- A simple recipe and scales
- Builds:
- Reading a method, weighing and real maths
Fruit-and-veg faces
Make a funny face on the plate from sliced fruit and veg, then eat it. Great for a cautious eater.
- You need:
- Whatever fruit and veg is in
- Builds:
- Fine motor skills and a friendlier view of food
Making & craft
Building, drawing and creating from things you already have at home.
The cardboard-box challenge
Give them one box and ask what it could become. A car, a castle, a robot. You are the tape and scissors assistant only.
- You need:
- A big box, tape and pens
- Builds:
- Design thinking and stamina on a project
Junk-model robot
Save a bag of clean packaging for a rainy day, then build a robot or creature from it. No plan needed, just start joining bits.
- You need:
- Clean recycling, tape, glue
- Builds:
- Planning, problem-solving and resourcefulness
Design a comic strip
Fold a page into six boxes and let them tell a story across it. The boxes do the teaching about beginning, middle and end.
- You need:
- Paper folded into boxes, a pen
- Builds:
- Story structure, sequencing and writing
Paint with nature
Use leaves and petals as brushes and stamps. There is no wrong way to do it, which is the whole point.
- You need:
- Leaves, flowers, a little paint or mud
- Builds:
- Texture, colour and open-ended making
Imaginative play
Make-believe, small worlds and role-play that need no kit at all.
The floor-is-lava run
Cross the room without touching the floor. They set the safe spots and the rules, which is where the thinking happens.
- You need:
- Cushions and furniture
- Builds:
- Risk assessment, movement and negotiation
Run a pretend shop or cafe
They are the shopkeeper, you are the customer. Prices, adding up and change are all real maths hiding inside the game.
- You need:
- Tins, play or real coins, paper for a menu
- Builds:
- Early maths, money sense and language
Small-world in a tray
Set up a tiny world in a tray, a farm, a jungle, the sea, and let their story take over. Often keeps them going far longer than a screen.
- You need:
- A tray, toys, and stones, water or rice
- Builds:
- Storytelling and independent play
Words & stories
Storytelling, rhymes and word games that grow language and confidence.
Story-a-sentence
Take turns adding one sentence to a story. Perfect for the car, and it gets funnier the sillier it gets.
- You need:
- Nothing at all
- Builds:
- Imagination, listening and language
The what-if jar
Fill a jar with "what if" questions (what if it rained sweets?). Pull one out at dinner and talk it through together.
- You need:
- Slips of paper in a jar
- Builds:
- Creative thinking and speaking confidence
Make up a bedtime story together
Instead of reading one, invent one where your child is the hero. Let them decide what happens next at each turn.
- You need:
- Nothing at all
- Builds:
- Language, story sense and connection
Write a real letter
Write to a grandparent or friend and actually post it. Writing lands differently when a real person will read it.
- You need:
- Paper, pen, a stamp
- Builds:
- Writing for a real reader and handwriting
Build & tinker
Constructing, taking apart and figuring out how things work.
Take apart an old gadget
With supervision, unscrew an old remote or torch to see inside. No need to rebuild it. Understanding is the win.
- You need:
- A broken device and a screwdriver
- Builds:
- Curiosity, care and how things work
Marble run from tubes
Tape tubes to a wall or board to run a marble down. It will fail, they fix it, it works. That loop is the lesson.
- You need:
- Cardboard tubes, tape, a marble
- Builds:
- Engineering, testing and persistence
Build the tallest tower
How high before it falls? Rebuild and beat it. Falling down and trying again is the whole point, not a failure.
- You need:
- Blocks, cups, or tins
- Builds:
- Balance, planning and resilience
Music & movement
Dancing, singing and homemade instruments to move a mood and burn energy.
Homemade band
Make shakers and drums from the kitchen and play along to a song. Loud, yes, but it burns real energy.
- You need:
- Pans, tubs, dried rice, spoons
- Builds:
- Rhythm, listening and joy
Freeze dance
Dance while the music plays, freeze when it stops. Great for getting the wiggles out before calming down.
- You need:
- Any music you can pause
- Builds:
- Listening, self-control and movement
Invent a dance or routine
They choreograph a short routine and teach it to you. Teaching it is where the real thinking and pride happen.
- You need:
- A song they love
- Builds:
- Sequencing, memory and confidence
Calm & quiet
Slower, screen-free ways to wind down and settle.
Draw what you can hear
Sit quietly for a minute, then draw every sound you both noticed. A lovely reset after a busy or screen-heavy day.
- You need:
- Paper and pencils
- Builds:
- Focus, listening and a calmer nervous system
Start a nature journal
Once a week, draw or note one thing from outside: a leaf, the weather, a bird. Small and regular is what makes it stick.
- You need:
- A notebook and a pencil
- Builds:
- Observation, writing and a slow habit
Build a reading den
Make a cosy corner just for books. A special place to read does more for reading than any amount of nagging.
- You need:
- A blanket, cushions, a torch
- Builds:
- A love of reading and a calm-down space
Creativity age by age
What creativity looks like changes as children grow. Find your child's age to see what helps most now, and a simple screen-free swap you can make today.
Age 2 to 4
Toddler and pre-schoolSensory and open-endedWhat it looks like
Exploring with hands and senses, repeating things they enjoy, and simple pretend play like feeding a teddy.
What helps most
Open-ended stuff with no right answer: water, boxes, crayons, dough. Expect mess and let the process win over the result.
Age 4 to 6
Reception to Year 1Pretend and makingWhat it looks like
Rich make-believe, drawing that starts to tell a story, and wanting to make real things they can show you.
What helps most
Props for role-play and a simple craft box. Ask "tell me about it" instead of "what is it", so their idea leads.
Age 6 to 8
Year 2 to Year 3Projects and storytellingWhat it looks like
Making up detailed stories and games with rules, and sticking at a project across an afternoon.
What helps most
A bit more challenge and a real audience. Let them show or perform what they have made to the family.
Age 8 to 11
Year 4 to Year 6Independent creatingWhat it looks like
Choosing their own creative projects, following an interest deeply, and caring about getting it right.
What helps most
Time, space and trust to lead. Help with tools and materials, then step back and let them own it.
Age 11 to 14
Year 7 to Year 9Identity and craftWhat it looks like
Creativity becomes part of who they are: music, art, writing, film, design. Skill and taste start to matter.
What helps most
Room to get properly good at one thing, and respect for their taste even when it is not yours.
Age 14 to 18
Year 10 and beyondReal creative workWhat it looks like
Creative work that is genuinely good, often with a purpose: a portfolio, a performance, a product, a cause.
What helps most
Treat it seriously. Help them find a real audience or outlet, and connect it to people who do it for a living.
Learning hides inside the fun
A pizza is fractions, a den is engineering, a made-up story is writing. When you want to go further, our free reading and writing practice and our practical-learning guide turn this play into gentle, real progress.
What do you want to hear more about?
You know your child best, and we write for real families. Tell us what would help most: a topic, a worry, an age group or an exam, and we'll cover it.