15 Screen Free Activities

I don’t know about you but our winter’s here in New England can be pretty brutal. Snow storms and temperatures into the single digits sometimes make getting outside difficult. This is especially taxing when you have kids. I for one am trying to encourage less screen time which we all know is difficult when the kids are stuck inside for hours on end.

So if your struggling to come up with things for your kids to do, here are 15 screen free activities to get you through those long winter days.

Board Games

Board games are one easy screen fee activity to end boredom and get a little friendly competition going. If you really want to get the competition grab a game of Monopoly. Other fun games to play with the family are  Exploding Kilttens, Clue, and Scrabble.

Puzzles

Puzzles are a great way to keep kids busy when you are looking for screen free activities. The one down side of puzzles is you need the space to put them together.

Sledding

We have lots of snow right now so sledding is on our list of things to do when we are looking for screen free activities. Sleds or tubes just make sure that you are dressed for the weather!

Baking

My son loves to bake. Me, not so much. But since Hayden loves it, I find easy baking recipes that we can take on together.

Card Games

Uno, Phase 10 and Go Fish are our favorite card games for screen free activities. Teach your child how to play solitaire and keep them busy for hours.

Build a Snowman

Again, Dress appropriately for this activity but it is one that can keep kids busy during those long winter days. Recently my son and his two friends that live next door got out and built a snowman which kept them busy for most of the day.

Coloring

Avery loves to color so when I am looking fro screen free activities for her, I turn to coloring. Especially the Crayola Mess Free Coloring so she doesn’t color all over the house.

Reading

We are big on reading in this family. If your child blows through books the way my 8 year old does then you understand that the cost of books can add up. Hit up the library and book sales to stock up to have books on hand for those screen free activities.

Build a Fort

Gather blankets, pillows, random chairs and build a fort. Add in a flashlight, books, whatever to make it more fun. Kids love building things and then subsequently destroying things.

Create a science Experiment

There are so many DIY science experiments out there for kids. Making slime however was a hug fail in our household and I will not take that on again.

Get Crafty

Create something together as a family. Around Halloween time we made little ghost cut outs and strung them together to hang in the house since my son insisted on decorating. Little art projects like that are great screen free activities to try out with your kids.

Go on an adventure

Get out and take an adventure. Even in the winter you can find so many things to do. One year we ventured to the Ice Castles in New Hampshire. You can check out my post about it HEREand another we went to Great Wolf Lodge. You can read all about that experience HERE! 

Trampoline Park

Head to a local trampoline park and jump for a couple hours. They even have areas for littler children too play in. A great way to burn some energy for a couple of hours.

Scavenger Hunt

Plan and create a scavenger hunt for your kids. Then have them plan one for you! It’s a fun way to keep busy and off those screens.

Write letters/cards

One thing that I love teaching my son how to do is have nice penmanship. Writing is not something that a lot of people do anymore. Spend some time making cards for family, friends or classmates. With Valentine’s Day coming up you can create Valentine’s for your classmates. Have your kids write them out instead of doing them yourself.

What screen free activities do you love to do with your kids? Let me know in the comments!