In summer children have more free time and sometimes conciliation is not easy for families. It is common that during the summer months we are more flexible with routine that we follow during the school year, when the children have class. This also means that in summer let's throw more screens at certain times. It is a matter of find the balance and formula that works best in each home. Last summer I wrote this post with 5 keys to managing screen use in summer Maybe I can give you some ideas.
On this occasion I share some proposals alternatives to screens for that necessary balance between the online and offline world. A good excuse to share a fun time with your children. You will see that most of the activities are simple, you can prepare them with your children for a little while at home. Others are more elaborate. The objective of the post is simply to provide proposals and, if any are useful to you, welcome :)
I want to make a special mention of the last of the proposals that I have included in the list, because it seems basic to me: get bored! Yes, as you hear it. It's great when kids get bored! This allows them to imagine, think, invent, make decisions, manage frustration… Sometimes the most fun game proposals come out of boredom: building a little house with a couple of sheets and the living room table, reading stories to your little brother, inventing an illustrated story.… It is not necessary to fill the children with activities. It is also not necessary to avoid boredom. The trick is finding the balance: moments of boredom, moments of playing alone, moments of family activities, moments of screen time (with quality content and managing time, I have several blog posts about it ;-)).
Good luck with the conciliation and… happy summer! 😀
21 activities without screens to do in summer
1. Homemade plasticine
In this post you will find a super simple recipe to make homemade plasticine with natural ingredients.
2. Yoga
In this post you will find a compilation of Yoga videos for children + a free downloadable with Yoga postures for children.
3. Frozen flowers
Take advantage of your next outing to the countryside to pick some wildflowers and freeze them. You will see how they like this activity!
4. Board games
There are plenty of board games for all ages. Here I leave you some of our favorites.
5. Clue games
Organize a treasure hunt at home in the form of a gymkhana. We started doing this activity during confinement and our son still asks us for it from time to time 🙂
Hide an object inside the house (for example, their favorite stuffed animal or a lollipop. Whatever you want). Draw the clues where the child must search on pieces of paper and place the clues throughout the house. For example: the first clue could be in the living room, a piece of paper with a drawing of a sofa. Then the child will have to go to the sofa where he will find the next clue hidden with another drawing of the place where he must continue searching. Thus, until reaching the final surprise. Try it and tell me, my son loves it!
6. Sensory bottles
A very simple activity. Take advantage of a glass jar or plastic container to turn it into a sensory bottle. You can fill it with chickpeas, rice… Let your imagination free and some really fun bottles will surely come out. Ideal for the little ones, they love to move them and listen to the sound.
7. Frost paint
Another simple and very cool activity: frost paint. You will need ice cube trays, water and paint or dye.
8. We paint with water
Easier, impossible! Ideal for those days when you don't feel like dirtying anything 🙂
9. Homemade ice cream
We're going to cook ice cream with the kids. Very simple and super healthy. Pick some fruit that they like (kiwi, banana, mango…) and a natural yogurt. You crush everything together, place it in ice cream molds and put it in the freezer. Ideal for a snack!
10. Hidden puzzle
A good way to extend the life of puzzles. When a puzzle has already become too simple for the little ones, you can give it a more original touch by hiding the pieces in rice, wrapping them in paper, mixing several puzzles at the same time.… what else can you think of?
11. Box of memories
My son loves it 🙂 Take a box, it could be shoes, for example. Ask your little one to decorate it (they can paint it, put stickers…). It will be your memory box where you can keep your treasures. For example: movie tickets for a movie that you really liked, a photo with your friends, your vacation plane ticket.…
12. We learn by playing
Take advantage of material you have at home to prepare an educational activity that serves as a review of what they have learned during the course: review colors, letters, numbers, emotions… in my account Instagram You have many proposals for activities, I invite you to take a look.
13. Bottle of calm
You will need: a glass or plastic jar, glitter, body oil, warm water and coloring. Mix the ingredients and you will have your own bottle of calm.
14. Artificial snow
Snow in summer? Why not? Here I show you how to make artificial snow super easy!
15. DIY light table
In this video I show you how to make a light table step by step. We made ours about 4 years ago and they still love playing with it.
16. Mandala natural
Take advantage of a trip to the beach or the countryside to collect some natural elements: leaves, shells, pine cones, stones… You can create a very original mandala.
17. Go fishing
Let's go fishing without leaving home 😉
18. We read stories
If you are not yet a member of the library, I encourage you to do so. We go at least once a month and we love it. In this post I tell you 8 ideas to encourage reading in children:
19. Edible paint
When I say edible, I mean that it is made with natural ingredients, so it is ideal for babies 🙂 To make this edible paint You only need Greek yogurt and food coloring. You'll see what a fun time!
20. Kidnapped Toys
Aid, the toys have been kidnapped! If you have babies at home, they will like this: use some washi tape to tie some of their toys and… to the rescue! Ideal for working fine motor skills.
21. Get bored
As I told you at the beginning of the post, boredom is not only inevitable, but also necessary.
Boredom is ideal for working on imagination, creativity, patience, decision making, and frustration management.… So instead of avoiding it, what we can do is accompany them and help them face it.
In this post I have shared several ideas for screen-free activities, but that does not mean that we have to keep them entertained and busy all day. The key is, like practically everything in this life, in balance 😉
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