Two weeks ago, we wrote a post featuring our favorite web-based resources to supplement online learning. At this point, your children are probably getting plenty of daily screen time, and you may be looking for some creative, screen-free ideas to fill their long days. Below we’ve compiled a list of some creative and motivating activities that (mostly) won’t require screens. They also won’t require you to buy tons of materials or devote hours of your day to your kids’ entertainment, although many of these activities are way more fun when a parent gets involved. Some of them might just require a few minutes of prep on your part, in exchange for an enriching, and hopefully engaging morning, afternoon, or evening. The ideas below are categorized by age group, but there are no rules saying that high schoolers can’t do puzzles, or that a 4th grader can’t journal! These activities are beneficial for all ages.
Elementary
Scavenger Hunt The beauty in this activity is that you can put just about any items on your list and your child will be thrilled. To make it extra exciting, try coming up with clues for where objects are (but if you’re pressed for time, a simple list of objects will still be super fun.)
Crafts Give them a bunch of empty containers, some scrap paper, buttons, some glue or tape, markers, and/or whatever else you have lying around, and let their imaginations do the rest!
Puzzles The original stay-at-home activity, and extremely underrated. Puzzles of all kinds are great for cognitive development.
Dance Preferably together, but there’s nothing wrong with dancing alone to some upbeat tunes. It’s great exercise, blows off energy, and physical breaks help stimulate the brain. Win-win-win!
Get a Pen Pal from one of these websites. (Okay, so this activity does start online.) Once they’ve found a penpal, you can do the actual sending yourself by snapping a picture of their letter and emailing it off. Or better yet, have them write to each other using snail mail! Nothing is more exciting to a kid than the novelty of sending a letter through the mail!
Middle School
Redecorate These years are all about changes. Their bodies change, their minds change (every few seconds, it seems), and their brains change constantly. Let them rearrange their rooms (with your help if moving heavy furniture around).
Make a “vision board” Give them some old magazines and a piece of cardboard if you have some lying around. Not only can it be a meditative activity, but being able to visualize their goals and aspirations without having to put them into words will be extremely cathartic. Here’s a pretty compelling argument for their effectiveness.
Take something apart Then try to put it back together. This is how engineers are born. Just make sure it’s something that doesn’t need reassembly, just in case, like an old remote control that doesn’t work or a toy they haven’t played with in 5 years.
Dive into a Country Each week, have them choose a different country. They’ll research it (using paper books if possible, but this project might at some point involve screens), create a visual component that synthesizes their research, and then choose a recipe to make from that country. Bonus points if they’ll attempt to cook it themselves.
High School
Book Club Let them choose the book. If you don’t want to buy multiple copies, chances are you can find it through your local library’s online lending program. You will need to read it from a screen, but the book club part can be screen-free. Make it extra fun by sharing cookies and tea, or incorporate a theme like pajama book club or superhero book club.
Cook or Bake together. Or if you need a break, let them be in charge of dinner one night a week. They get to choose the entire menu, but they also get to prepare it. Just make sure they know the basics like how to make sure meat is cooked through, and how to handle a knife.
Voice their Passions Encourage them to identify an issue--any issue--that is important to them, and have them write letters to their local politicians. It’s never too early to get involved.
Journaling For many students, writing can be a powerful way to harness feelings that they otherwise don’t know what to do with. Journaling, and the promise of confidentiality that comes with it, can give students the safety and security they need to fully express themselves. It might even give them the courage to experiment with creative forms of writing like poetry or storytelling that they might otherwise be too self-conscious to try.
Photo Essays And for those who don’t necessarily like expressing themselves through words, photography can also be a healthy and healing outlet for students. Encourage them to use their photographs to tell a story, whether or not it is accompanied by actual words.
We at Smarten Up understand the daily struggle of balancing our own needs and responsibilities with the endless task of keeping our kids occupied. We may as well ensure that the activities we are using to fill that time are as enriching as possible, and address both their cognitive and emotional needs. And as difficult as it may be to find the time, try to devote at least a small amount of each day to actively listening to your child, whether it’s over a meal, completing a puzzle together, or discussing their favorite book.