Screen-Free Activities for Kids: What to Do Instead, by Age and by How Much Time You Have

The best screen-free activities for kids are ones that match two things: your child's age and the time you actually have. In 5 minutes, try a sock toss, balloon keep-up or "I spy". In 15–20 minutes, try building with blocks, play dough, a treasure hunt or helping in the kitchen. With an hour, try a craft kit, a pillow fort, a board game or a walk outside. Toddlers need hands-on sensory play; school-age kids need challenges and games with rules. Keep a jar of ideas ready, and start the new activity before the screen goes off.

What are screen-free activities for kids?

Screen-free activities for kids are any play, creative, physical or household activities that do not use a phone, tablet, TV, laptop or video game. They include building with blocks, drawing, pretend play, reading, music, outdoor games, board games, cooking together and simple chores. The best ones are hands-on, open-ended and matched to the child's age.

Screen-free does not mean "educational" or "structured". A child lining up steel katoris on the kitchen floor is doing a screen-free activity. So is a 10-year-old making a paper boat for the first puddle of the monsoon. The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2018 report The Power of Play describes play as activity that is intrinsically motivated and ends in "joyful discovery", and says it builds language, problem-solving and social skills and lowers stress. Most good screen-free activities for children fit that description: the child chooses, the child is active, and nobody is keeping score.

The reason parents search for screen-free activities for kids is rarely the theory. It is that screens are the easiest option at the hardest times of day. A 2025 systematic review of Indian studies, published in Cureus, found that children under five in India spend an average of 2.22 hours a day in front of a screen — more than double the one-hour limit the Indian Academy of Pediatrics recommends for 2- to 5-year-olds. Children under two, for whom the recommendation is no screens at all, averaged 1.23 hours.

What to do with kids with no screen time?

With no screen time, give kids something hands-on and slightly challenging: building blocks, drawing, play dough, a treasure hunt, a board game, a dance-off, helping in the kitchen, a walk outside, or a book read aloud. Set the activity up before the screen goes off, join in for the first few minutes, then let your child carry on alone.

The first 10 minutes are the hardest. Children used to a screen often wander, complain or ask for the phone back. That is normal, and it passes faster if you sit on the floor with them at the start. After that, the aim is not to entertain your child all evening; it is to get a game going that they can continue without you.

Why screen-free time helps: play, sleep and stress

Screen-free play helps children build language, focus, motor skills and friendships, and it lowers stress. Active play also counts towards the WHO's recommended daily movement — at least three hours a day for 1- to 4-year-olds and an hour of energetic activity for school-age children.

Screen-free activities for kids are not only about removing screens; they are about what the time is used for. An hour on a tablet is an hour not spent climbing, talking, building or being bored enough to invent a game. The WHO's 2019 guidelines for children under five and its 2020 guidelines for ages 5 to 17 both treat screen time and movement as two sides of one day.

How to get rid of stress for kids?

To help a child let go of stress, give them daily unstructured play, time outdoors, enough sleep, a predictable routine, and a calm adult to talk to. Simple calming activities help too: "balloon breathing", drawing feelings, squeezing play dough, a warm bath or a quiet walk. If stress lasts weeks or affects sleep, eating or school, talk to your paediatrician.

The AAP's Power of Play report names stress reduction as one of the benefits of play. For a child, stress often comes out as clinginess, tantrums or trouble sleeping rather than words. Physical play, like jumping, dancing or pushing a laundry basket across the room, burns off tension. Quiet play, like colouring, building or listening to a story, settles it. Screens can calm a child in the moment, but they rarely help a child learn to calm themselves.

Screen-free activities by how much time you have: 5, 15, 20 and 60 minutes

Choose screen-free activities for kids by the time you have. With 5 minutes: sock toss, balloon keep-up, "Simon says", or a quick drawing race. With 15–20 minutes: blocks, play dough, a treasure hunt, washing toys, or kitchen help. With 60 minutes: a craft project, a pillow fort, a board game, baking, or a park visit.

Most lists of screen-free activities for kids are sorted by type — crafts, games, outdoors. That is not how a busy parent thinks. At 6:40 pm you do not need "a craft"; you need something that lasts until dinner is ready in 15 minutes. This chart sorts ideas by the time you have and your child's age, so you can pick one in five seconds.

What are some 15-minute activities for kids?

Good 15-minute activities for kids are play dough, a sticker or colouring book, threading beads, a quick treasure hunt, building with blocks or magnetic tiles, a card game like snap, washing plastic toys in a tub, sorting laundry socks, or reading two short picture books together.

Fifteen minutes is the most useful block in a parent's day: the time to finish a work email, cook a dal, or take a call. The trick with 15-minute activities for kids is that they have a natural end — the treasure is found, the tower falls, the socks are paired — so the child does not feel something was taken away when it stops.

Quick 5-minute boredom breakers

When you only have five minutes, movement beats materials. Put on one song and have a freeze dance. Throw rolled socks into a bucket from further and further away. Play "floor is lava" with cushions. Ask your child to find five things in the room that are red. These are the fastest activities to keep kids busy while you do something with your hands.

Screen-free activities for children by age

Screen-free activities for children change with age: toddlers (1–3) need sensory and movement play; preschoolers (3–5) need pretend play, crafts and simple games; 6- to 8-year-olds enjoy games with rules, building and helping at home; 9- to 12-year-olds want real challenges — projects, sport, cooking and responsibility.

A good activity sits just above what your child can already do. Too easy and they get bored in two minutes; too hard and they hand it back to you. The ideas below are grouped by age, but go by your child rather than the number.

Toddler screen free activities (1–3 years)

Toddler screen free activities are short, hands-on and sensory: water play with cups, stacking steel bowls, posting objects into a box, tearing paper, sticker books, push toys, simple songs with actions, and "helping" with laundry. Toddlers play for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, so plan several short activities rather than one long one.

The Indian Academy of Pediatrics and the WHO both recommend no screens for children under two, which makes toddler screen free activities the default, not the exception. Toddlers learn by touching, pouring, dropping and repeating. Some of the best toddler screen free activities come straight from an Indian kitchen: a steel parat with a little water and some cups, a box of clean steel katoris to stack and nest, or a bag of big dry rajma to scoop from one bowl to another (with you right beside them — small dry items are a choking risk).

• Pour and scoop: water, cups and a funnel on a towel on the floor.

• Posting box: a shoebox with a slot cut in the lid, and a pile of big bottle caps or ice-cream sticks.

• Tear and stick: old newspaper to tear into strips, and a sheet of paper with a glue stick.

• Laundry helper: hand your toddler socks to drop into the basket one by one.

• Busy toys: a busy cube with buttons, gears and latches keeps small hands occupied for a surprisingly long time. INCLUD's 6-in-1 Busy Cube Bus (₹1,499) is made for ages 0 to 3.

Screen-free activities for 2 year olds

At two, children start pretend play: feeding a doll, "cooking" in a toy kitchen, talking on a toy phone. Screen-free activities for 2 year olds should use that. Give your child a spoon, a steel bowl and some blocks to "cook" with. Sing action songs like Machli jal ki rani hai, blow bubbles on the balcony, or put a few toys in a basket and hide it for your child to find.

How to keep toddler busy at home?

To keep a toddler busy at home, set up two or three short activities in a safe corner: a busy box of household objects, water or sensory play on a towel, blocks, a sticker book and push toys. Rotate the toys every few days so they feel new, and let your toddler "help" with real chores.

Toddlers do not play alone for long, so the aim is 10 minutes here and there rather than an hour. Put away most toys and leave out four or five. When those stop working, swap them for the ones in the cupboard. This is the single most useful way to keep a toddler busy at home without buying anything.

Screen-free activities for kids aged 3 to 5

Preschoolers can follow a simple idea for 15 to 20 minutes. This is the age of pretend play, early crafts and simple games.

• Dress-up and role play: a dupatta becomes a cape, a saree border becomes a crown. Play "doctor", "shop" or "school".

• Play dough: homemade (flour, salt, water, a spoon of oil and a drop of food colour) or shop-bought, with cookie cutters and a rolling pin.

• Threading: big beads, penne pasta or cut straws on a shoelace.

• Building: blocks, magnetic tiles or soft gummy blocks. INCLUD's soft magic gummy building blocks (40 pieces, ₹1,299, age 3+) are squishy enough to stretch and safe to throw.

• Simple crafts: a paper-plate mask, a leaf collage, finger painting.

• Treasure hunt: hide a toy and give picture clues.

Screen-free activities for 5 year olds

Five-year-olds are ready for games with simple rules. Try snakes and ladders, memory cards, "statue", hopscotch drawn in chalk, or a picture treasure hunt with five clues. They also enjoy real jobs: watering plants, setting spoons on the table, or pressing the dough balls for rotis. Screen-free activities for 5 year olds work best when there is something to finish and show you.

Screen-free activities for 7 year olds

At seven, children can read clues, keep score and follow multi-step instructions. Screen-free activities for 7 year olds include carrom and ludo, a written treasure hunt, making a paper boat fleet, building a fort, simple magic tricks, drawing a comic strip, a science experiment with baking soda and vinegar, or a bike ride. Many 7-year-olds love a "challenge card": build the tallest tower you can with 20 blocks or make a bridge that holds a steel glass.

Screen-free activities for 10 year olds

Ten-year-olds want real responsibility and real challenges. Good screen-free activities for 10 year olds include cooking a simple dish, learning a new card game, chess, a long model build, a circuit kit, a sketchbook, a sport, a diary or comic, planting seeds in a pot and tracking them, or teaching a younger sibling a game. Give them a project that takes a week — a comic, a model, a small balcony garden — rather than a single afternoon.

Rainy day activities for kids: indoors and outside

The best rainy day activities for kids are a pillow fort, an indoor treasure hunt, a board-game tournament, paper boats, baking, a puppet show, dance party, and craft projects indoors — and, if there is no thunder or lightning, puddle-jumping, floating paper boats and a rain-gauge experiment outside in a raincoat.

In India, "rainy day" means the monsoon: weeks of rain, cancelled park visits and children bouncing off the walls. Rainy day activities for kids need to work in a small flat, with no outdoor space and a child who has been indoors since breakfast. The good news is that rain itself is one of the best toys there is.

Rainy day activities for kids at home

These rainy day activities for kids at home need no special equipment:

1. Pillow and bedsheet fort. Chairs, bedsheets, cushions and a torch. Add books and it becomes a reading den.

2. Indoor treasure hunt. Hide small toys or wrapped sweets with clues on paper chits.

3. Board-game tournament. Ludo, carrom, snakes and ladders or cards, with a hand-drawn scoreboard.

4. Rain orchestra. Steel glasses filled with different amounts of water, tapped with a spoon, to play along with the rain.

5. Shadow puppets. A torch on the wall and your hands.

6. Masking-tape roads. Tape roads across the floor for toy cars.

7. Baking or no-fire cooking. Bhel puri, fruit chaat, sandwiches, or biscuits with an adult.

8. Indoor hopscotch. Masking tape on the floor, a rolled pair of socks as the stone.

Rainy day activities for kids outside

Rainy day activities for kids outside include jumping in puddles, floating paper boats in a stream of rainwater, catching rain in a jar to measure it, looking for snails and earthworms, and listening to rain from a covered balcony. Go out only in light rain, never in thunder or lightning, and dress kids in a raincoat and shoes with grip.

Rainy day activities for kids outside are what children remember. The first paper boat of the monsoon is a rite of passage in India. Make a fleet together, then float them in the stream running along the building compound. Make a rain gauge from a clear plastic bottle with a ruler taped to the side, and check it every day. After the rain, go on a "worm walk" and count the snails on the wall. Come in, dry off, and change into something warm and soft.

What to do with a kid on a rainy day?

On a rainy day, mix one active and one calm activity: a dance party or indoor obstacle course first, then a craft, a fort or a board game. If the rain is light, spend 20 minutes outside in a raincoat with paper boats. Keep a box of rainy-day-only toys so they feel special.

The trick with rainy day ideas for kids is to save something. A box of craft supplies, a new sticker book or a puzzle that only comes out when it rains turns a grey afternoon into a small event. It also stops you reaching for the TV by default, and keeps rainy day activities for kids at home feeling new all season.

Fun rainy day activities for kids

When the usual list has run out, these fun rainy day activities for kids tend to win:

• Indoor camping: the fort, a torch, "campfire" stories and a packed dinner eaten inside it.

• Obstacle course: crawl under the table, hop across cushions, balance along a dupatta laid on the floor.

• Mystery bag: put five objects in a pillowcase and guess them by touch.

• Paper-boat race: boats in a bucket or bathtub, powered by blowing through straws.

• Kitchen science: make a "volcano" with baking soda and vinegar, or watch raisins "dance" in soda.

Most fun rainy day activities for kids share three things: a little mess, a little movement, and a parent who joins in for the first five minutes.

Rainy day activities with kids: things to do at home together

Some of the best rainy day activities with kids are the ones you do side by side. Make pakoras together and let your child mix the batter. Read the same book in the fort. Teach them the card game you played as a child. Write and post a letter to a grandparent. Rainy day activities with kids do not need to be planned; they need an adult who is not on a phone either.

Things to do with kids at home on a rainy day (a simple plan)

If you have a whole rainy day at home, split it into short blocks. Here are things to do with kids at home on a rainy day, in an order that works:

Treat the plan as a menu, not a timetable: the best things to do with kids at home on a rainy day are the ones your child is excited about, so let them swap blocks around.

These rainy day ideas for kids work just as well on a hot summer afternoon when it is too hot to go out.

Boredom busters for kids (and summer boredom busters)

Boredom busters for kids are quick, ready-made ideas a child can pick from when they say "I'm bored": a jar of activity chits, a box of craft supplies, a list of games, or a set of challenge cards. The best ones are chosen by the child, need no adult setup, and cost nothing.

"I'm bored" is not a request for entertainment. It is a child's way of saying they have not yet found the next thing to do. Research even suggests boredom has a use: a 2014 study in the Creativity Research Journal by psychologists Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman found that people who first did a boring task came up with more creative ideas afterwards. Boredom busters for kids work best when they give a small push, not a full plan.

My child's best boredom busters: make a boredom jar

To make a boredom jar, write 30 to 50 activity ideas on paper chits — sorted by colour for quick, medium and long activities — fold them into a jar, and let your child pick one whenever they say "I'm bored". The rule: whatever you pick, you try for 10 minutes.

A boredom jar turns "my child's best boredom busters" into something your child owns. Sit down together on a Sunday and write the chits. Use one colour of paper for 5-minute ideas, another for 20-minute ideas, and a third for big projects. Let your child add their own. Here are 20 to start with:

Keep the jar where your child can reach it. Over time, the jar becomes your child's list of best boredom busters, and you stop being asked "what should I do?".

Boredom busters for kids at home

Boredom busters for kids at home should be things a child can start alone. Keep a "busy basket" with paper, crayons, scissors, glue, tape, stickers, old magazines, a pack of cards and a few puzzles. Add a cardboard box every now and then — children will turn it into a car, a shop, a house or a rocket. A child who knows where the basket is will reach for it before they reach for the remote. The best boredom busters for kids at home are the ones a child can find without asking you.

Summer boredom busters for kids

Good summer boredom busters for kids are a holiday project (a comic, a garden, a model), early-morning outdoor play before the heat, water play on the balcony, a library card, a new skill such as cooking or cycling, a weekly "adventure day", and a boredom jar for the afternoons.

Indian summer holidays run from April to June in most of the country, and afternoons are too hot to go out. Summer boredom busters for kids need a rhythm: outdoor play early in the morning or after sunset, quiet indoor play in the afternoon. Give the holiday one big project that runs for weeks — learning to cycle, growing tomatoes in a pot, writing a family recipe book with a grandparent — and use the boredom jar for everything else.

How to keep kids busy during summer?

To keep kids busy during summer, build a simple daily rhythm: outdoor play early morning, a project or craft mid-morning, quiet reading or play in the afternoon heat, and games or cooking in the evening. Add one "adventure" a week — a museum, a relative's house, a new park — and a summer project to finish.

How to keep kids busy at home during summer?

To keep kids busy at home during summer, set up water play on the balcony, a reading corner, a craft station, a board-game shelf and a boredom jar. Give each child one summer project and a simple job at home. Save screens for a fixed slot rather than using them to fill the afternoon.

The difference between a long summer and a lost summer is usually a routine. Children do not need every hour planned; they need a few anchors — breakfast, a morning activity, lunch, quiet time, an evening activity — and the freedom to fill the gaps.

How to keep kids busy at home without TV

To keep kids busy at home without TV, set up activities before the TV goes off, keep a busy basket of paper, crayons, cards and blocks, rotate toys weekly, give kids real jobs, use a boredom jar, and plan short 15- to 20-minute blocks. Join in for the first few minutes, then step back.

This is the question behind most searches for screen-free activities for kids: how to keep kids busy at home when you have things to do yourself. The activities to keep kids busy at home are not complicated; the setup is. Here are the eight habits that make the difference.

1. Set up before you switch off. Put the blocks on the floor, then turn off the TV.

2. Keep a busy basket in reach — paper, crayons, stickers, tape, scissors, cards.

3. Rotate toys. Keep four or five toys out and the rest away. Swap weekly.

4. Give real jobs. Folding napkins, sorting cutlery and watering plants are activities too.

5. Use short blocks. Two 20-minute activities are easier than one 40-minute one.

6. Start together, then step back. Sit down for five minutes, then go back to your work.

7. Make a "yes" space. A corner where your child can make a mess without being told off.

8. Keep screens to a fixed slot, so they stop being the default filler.

Things to keep kids busy at home

These things to keep kids busy at home are cheap and use what you already have: an old cardboard box, a bedsheet, newspaper, old magazines, empty bottles, clothes pegs, a steel plate and spoons, a torch, a pack of cards, chalk, a roll of masking tape, and a bucket of water. Most ideas to keep kids busy start with one of these. Collect them in one low cupboard, and the things to keep kids busy at home are always within your child's reach.

How to keep kids busy at home?

To keep kids busy at home, give them a mix of active play (dancing, obstacle courses, ball games), creative play (drawing, crafts, building), pretend play (dress-up, "shop", "school"), and real jobs (cooking, watering plants, folding laundry). Rotate toys, keep a boredom jar, and let children play alone for short stretches.

How to keep kids busy without screens?

To keep kids busy without screens, have the next activity ready before the screen goes off, keep toys and craft supplies within reach, rotate toys, give short, clear challenges, involve children in real chores, and allow some boredom. Children who have been used to screens need a week or two to adjust.

How to keep kids busy at home without TV?

To keep kids busy at home without TV, move the TV out of the main play space if you can, turn it off rather than leaving it on in the background, and replace the TV slot with a fixed activity — reading after school, a board game after dinner, outdoor play at 5 pm. Routines make "no TV" feel normal rather than like a punishment.

What keeps kids busy for hours?

Open-ended activities keep kids busy for hours: building a fort, a big block or magnetic-tile build, a long craft project, pretend play with dress-up, a treasure hunt they design themselves, a new board game, a backyard or park, and water play. The common thread is that the child decides what happens next.

A toy that does one thing — press a button, hear a song — holds attention for minutes. A toy or material that can become anything — blocks, a box, a bedsheet, magnetic tiles, play dough — holds it for hours. This is why the most reliable activities to keep kids busy are the simplest ones.

How to engage kids at home?

To engage kids at home, follow their interests, give them real responsibility, ask open questions ("What could we build with this?"), play alongside them for a few minutes, and offer a choice between two activities rather than an open "what do you want to do?". Praise effort and ideas, not just results.

How to keep children busy at home: ideas that cost nothing

Ideas to keep kids busy do not need to cost anything. Here are ten free ones:

1. A cardboard box — rocket, car, shop or house.

2. A bedsheet fort.

3. Chalk drawings on the floor or balcony.

4. A family newspaper, written and drawn by your child.

5. Sorting and matching socks.

6. An "I spy" walk around the house.

7. Shadow puppets with a torch.

8. A dance party with old songs.

9. Pressing flowers or leaves between heavy books.

10. Paper-plane and paper-boat competitions.

How to keep child busy at home when they only want the phone

If your child keeps asking for the phone, do not argue about it each time. Give one clear answer ("Phone time is after dinner"), keep it the same every day, and offer two choices instead: "Blocks or drawing?" Children stop asking when the answer never changes. This is where screen-free activities for kids work best: as a routine, not as a fight.

How to keep kids busy while working from home?

To keep kids busy while working from home, plan your day around your calls, set up a "work-time box" of special activities your child only gets while you work, use a simple visual signal (a sign on the door) for "do not disturb", give your child a small desk beside yours, and schedule short breaks to play together.

For working parents, activities to keep kids busy at home have to survive a 30-minute video call. Keep a work-time box with a sticker book, a puzzle, a colouring book and a quiet building toy — things your child only gets during work time, so they stay interesting. Put the box out before the call, not during. Our working mom survival guide has more on planning a day around work and school.

How to keep toddler busy while working from home?

To keep a toddler busy while working from home, schedule focused work during naps and early mornings, keep a box of toys used only during work time, set up a safe play area beside your desk, use water play or a busy toy during calls, and accept that toddlers need you every 10 to 15 minutes.

Honest advice: a toddler cannot play alone for an hour. Plan your most important work for nap time, and use short, absorbing toddler screen free activities — a sticker book, a busy cube, a tub of water with cups — for the rest.

How to get toddler to stay in room for quiet time?

To get a toddler to stay in their room for quiet time, start with 10 minutes and build up, use the same time every day, offer a basket of quiet toys and books used only at quiet time, set a clock or timer so they know when it ends, and praise them afterwards. Make the space cosy, not a punishment.

Quiet time replaces the nap many toddlers drop between 2 and 4. A small tent or a corner with cushions makes quiet time feel special. INCLUD's pink foldable tent house (₹2,199, age 2+) is one option; a bedsheet over two chairs works just as well.

How to keep toddler busy while homeschooling?

To keep a toddler busy while homeschooling an older child, give the toddler a "school box" of their own — crayons, play dough, a sticker book — at the same table, plan lessons during naps, let the toddler "help" with simple tasks, and use short breaks for play with both children.

Indoor games: how to entertain kids at home indoors

To entertain kids at home indoors, mix active games (obstacle course, freeze dance, balloon volleyball), quiet games (cards, carrom, puzzles), creative play (drawing, crafts, building), and pretend play (dress-up, shop, school). Traditional Indian games like chor-police, dumb charades and antakshari work for all ages.

Screen-free activities for kids indoors are about variety. A child who has been sitting at a puzzle needs to move; a child who has been jumping needs to calm down. Alternate the two.

What are 10 fun indoor games for kids?

Ten fun indoor games for kids are: raja-mantri-chor-sipahi, dumb charades, antakshari, freeze dance, balloon volleyball, carrom, ludo, name-place-animal-thing, an indoor treasure hunt, and indoor hopscotch with masking tape. They need little or no equipment and work for mixed ages.

What are indoor activities for children?

Indoor activities for children include building (blocks, magnetic tiles), creative play (drawing, painting, crafts, play dough), pretend play (dress-up, kitchen, shop), music (singing, instruments), reading, board and card games, cooking together, simple science experiments, and active games like obstacle courses and dance.

Screen-free activities for kids indoors, by space

A flat does not need to limit screen-free activities for kids indoors. In a small space, use the table for crafts and games, the floor for building and the bed for a fort. In a hallway, tape a hopscotch grid. On a balcony, set up water play or plant seeds. Screen-free activities for kids at home work best when each one has a place: blocks on the rug, crafts at the table, books in the corner.

Screen-free activities for kids in the car

Good screen-free activities for kids in the car are "I spy", antakshari, counting trucks or cows, spotting number plates from different states, 20 questions, story chains, audiobooks and music. For children who get car sick, choose eyes-up games that look out of the window rather than books, drawing or screens.

Screen-free activities for kids in the car have one extra rule: they should keep your child's eyes outside. The NHS advises that people prone to motion sickness should look at a fixed point like the horizon and avoid reading, watching films or using devices. So the best car games are talking, listening and spotting games.

For children who do not get car sick, a reusable water colouring book is a mess-free option: INCLUD's magic water colouring book (₹299) uses a pen filled with water, so there is nothing to spill on the seats. For toddlers, insect suction spinner toys (pack of 3, ₹399, age 0 to 5) stick to a window and spin.

On long drives, plan screen-free activities for kids in the car around stops: a game for each hour, a snack at each toll plaza, and a stretch every two hours.

Screen-free activities for kids with ADHD

Screen-free activities for kids with ADHD work best when they are active, hands-on and short: outdoor play in green spaces, obstacle courses, swimming, building, cooking, music and movement, "heavy work" like carrying or pushing, and games with clear start and end points. Use timers, break tasks into steps, and alternate active and calm activities.

Children with ADHD often find screens especially hard to put down, because screens deliver constant novelty. Screen-free activities for kids with ADHD need to deliver some of that too — movement, variety and quick wins — without the screen.

One of the best-studied options is simply going outside. A 2009 study in the Journal of Attention Disorders by Andrea Faber Taylor and Frances Kuo found that children aged 7 to 12 with ADHD concentrated better after a 20-minute walk in a park than after a walk in a downtown area or a neighbourhood. The researchers called it a possible "dose of nature". It is a small study, and it is not a treatment, but a daily walk in a green space is free and has no downside.

A few habits help most children with ADHD: give one instruction at a time, use a kitchen timer so the end is visible, alternate a movement activity with a calm one, and praise effort as soon as it happens. These screen-free activities for kids with ADHD support, but do not replace, advice from your child's paediatrician or therapist.

What activities can replace screen time?

Activities that can replace screen time are active play (outdoor games, dance, cycling), creative play (drawing, crafts, building), reading and audiobooks, board and card games, music, cooking and chores, pretend play, and time with family. The most effective replacement is one that is ready at the exact time the screen usually comes on.

Screen-free activities for kids only replace screen time if they fill the same slot. If the TV goes on at 6 pm every day, the new activity needs to be at 6 pm every day. Look at when your child usually uses screens — after school, during cooking, in the car, before bed — and plan one activity for each of those times.

What activities can I do to avoid screen time?

To avoid screen time, plan activities for the moments screens usually fill: a busy basket for after school, a kitchen job during cooking, car games for drives, a book and a story before bed. Keep devices out of sight, charge them outside the bedroom, and model screen-free time yourself.

The hardest part is not the activity; it is the moment of switching. Try this at the end of a screen session:

1. Warn early. "Five more minutes, then we build the tower."

2. End at a natural stop — the end of an episode, not the middle.

3. Have the next activity ready and visible before you say "time's up".

4. Name what comes next, not what is ending: "Time for blocks!" rather than "TV off!"

5. Keep it the same every day. Children accept a routine far more easily than a new rule.

What are some activities I can do on a no-screen day?

On a no-screen day, plan a loose schedule: outdoor play in the morning, a craft or building project, lunch cooked together, quiet time with books, a board game or visit in the afternoon, and a family walk after dinner. Tell children the plan the night before, and let them choose some of the activities.

A no-screen day works best as a family event, not a punishment. Try one Sunday a month to start.

Which toys keep children's attention longer?

Open-ended toys keep children's attention longest: building blocks, magnetic tiles, play dough, art supplies, dress-up clothes, toy kitchens and simple instruments. Having fewer toys out also helps — a 2018 study found toddlers with 4 toys played about twice as long with each one as toddlers with 16.

The study, by occupational therapy researchers at the University of Toledo and published in Infant Behavior and Development, observed 36 toddlers playing with either 4 or 16 toys. With fewer toys, the toddlers played longer with each toy and in more varied ways. In practice, that means toy rotation beats buying more.

Open-ended toys are also the easiest screen-free activities for kids to reach for, because they can become a different game every day. Here are INCLUD toys that fit that description, with prices from the live catalogue on 27 September 2026:

See the full range in toys, activity games, STEM learning toys, building and construction toys and the INCLUD Play Edit. For choosing by age, read our STEM toys for kids: age-by-age buying guide.

Two notes on toys and screen-free time. First, a toy with lights, sounds and a battery is screen-free, but not always open-ended — a button that plays one song holds attention for a few minutes. Second, sets with small parts or magnets are not for children who still put things in their mouths; keep them away from babies and toddlers.

Screen free activities for kids book: activity books and reading

A screen free activities for kids book can mean two things: an activity book (sticker, colouring, puzzle or craft book) that gives a child something to do, or simply reading. Both work. Sticker and water-colouring books suit toddlers and car trips; puzzle and craft books suit older kids; picture books and read-alouds suit every age.

When parents search for a screen free activities for kids book, they usually want something a child can pick up alone. Good options by age:

• 1–3 years: sticker books, board books, touch-and-feel books. INCLUD's sticker paint book (₹999) is listed for ages 1 and up; stay close, as stickers are small.

• 3–6 years: reusable water-colouring books, dot-to-dot, simple mazes, first craft books.

• 6–9 years: puzzle books, joke books, comics, "make your own" books.

• 9–12 years: activity journals, sudoku and crosswords, craft and science-experiment books, chapter books.

A local library card is the cheapest screen free activities for kids book collection there is. Reading aloud together counts as screen-free time too, at any age.

What are the 5 responsibilities of a child at home?

Five responsibilities of a child at home are: looking after their own things (tidying toys, packing the school bag), self-care (dressing, brushing teeth, bathing as they grow), helping at mealtimes (setting and clearing the table), caring for shared spaces (watering plants, folding laundry), and following family rules kindly and respectfully.

Chores are one of the most overlooked screen-free activities for kids. To a 4-year-old, pairing socks is a game. To an 8-year-old, making a salad is a project. And a child who is busy with a real job is not asking for the phone.

If your child is still learning to dress, our guide to at what age a child can dress themselves has the milestones by age.

Seasonal events are also a natural time for screen-free family projects. Our guides to Diwali activities for kids and kids' birthday party ideas at home are full of crafts and games that need no screen at all.

Frequently asked questions

Is it okay for my child to be bored?

Yes. Short periods of boredom are normal and useful. Boredom pushes children to invent games, use their imagination and learn to occupy themselves. A 2014 study found that people who first did a boring task were more creative afterwards. Offer a boredom jar or busy basket, but you do not need to fill every minute.

Do video calls with grandparents count as screen time?

The American Academy of Pediatrics makes an exception for video calls with family, even for very young children, because they are two-way and social. Keep them short, sit with your child, and treat them as time with the grandparent rather than time with the phone.

Are audiobooks, music and talking toys screen-free?

Yes. Audiobooks, music, story podcasts and toys with sounds do not involve a screen, and audiobooks are especially useful in the car. They are not a full replacement for hands-on play, so mix them with active and creative activities.

My child cries when I switch off the TV. What should I do?

Give a five-minute warning, end at a natural stopping point, and have the next activity ready and visible before you switch off. Stay calm and consistent; do not switch it back on to stop the crying. Most children adjust within one or two weeks of a steady routine.

Should I ban screens completely?

Not for most families. For children under two, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics advises no screens. For older children, a fixed, limited slot with good-quality content is more realistic than a total ban. The aim is for screens to be one activity among many, not the default.

How many activities do I need to plan in a day?

Fewer than you think. Plan two or three anchors — for example, after school, before dinner and before bed — and let free play fill the rest. A boredom jar and a busy basket cover the gaps without you planning every hour.

What are free screen-free activities that cost nothing?

A bedsheet fort, a cardboard box, chalk drawings, paper boats and planes, shadow puppets, a treasure hunt, dance parties, "I spy", sorting laundry, a walk to the park, and reading library books. Most of the best screen-free activities use what you already have at home.

How do I keep screen-free time when my child is at a grandparent's house?

Talk to grandparents about the routine rather than setting rules, and send a small bag of activities — a colouring book, a card game, a puzzle. Many grandparents are glad to teach games from their own childhood, like carrom, pallanguzhi or chaupar.

What screen-free activities work for siblings of different ages?

Choose activities with many levels: building, forts, treasure hunts (picture clues for the younger child, written clues for the older one), cooking, dance, and board games where the older child helps the younger one. Give the older child a role, such as leader or scorekeeper.

How do I keep screen-free time going when I work late?

Build it into the routine rather than relying on energy you do not have in the evening. Leave a busy basket and a set activity with whoever is at home, keep screens to a fixed slot, and save one short activity — a story, a card game, a walk — for the two of you when you get home.