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You are here: Home / Play-Based Learning Activities / Screen Free Boredom Busters for Kids
Screen Free Boredom Busters for Kids

February 28, 2017 By Alana Pace Leave a Comment

Screen Free Boredom Busters for Kids

If you live in the Northern part of the Northern hemisphere, chances are February isn’t one of the mildest months. In the places I’ve lived, this month is typified by either dark rain cloud or grey melted snow. Though I do believe there is no weather, just bad clothing, February is a month where we spend more time indoors than say, April.

The problem with more indoors time is that my kids get cabin fever. And, they get it fast. When this happens, it becomes all too easy to grab an iPad or throw on a children’s show to distract them. As it is, children are exposed to screens way too much. While the American Pediatric Association suggests children under the age of six should have no more than one hour worth of screen time, the BBC reports the average child spend six hours in front of electronics. The consequences of this are staggering. Over exposure to TV, tablets, and computers stunt a child’s self-regulation, attention, and vocabulary.

In my own home, I’ve seen its effects too and limit their exposure. For instance, I try and always indicate how many shows or how long they can have an iPad for. Then, I warn them just before it’s time to shut it off. When my kids become defiant, I become concerned. On a select few occasions, I have noticed that when screen time is taken away, my kids get ornery. These are my main tell-tale signs that we need a screen time diet. And, fast.

On those rainy, slushy, snowy, or grey days, how can we successfully get around defaulting to screen time, but keep our children entertained? Here are several tried and true screen-free boredom busters for kids. They’re fun, budget-friendly, and simple to set up.

When the weather isn't great, it's so nice to have screen free boredom busters up your sleeve. These screen-free kids activities are perfect for preschoolers to keep busy, play-based learning. Rainy day activities, snow day indoor activities.

Screen-Free Boredom Busters for Kids

  • Open up the pantry and bake a healthy, tasty snack. There are some awesome kid-friendly recipes here.
  • Make a play dough play scene.
    • Use this recipe to make gorgeous play-dough.
    • Roll out the dough and use it in combination with toys. Or, use rubber stamps to make impressions in the dough. Knead and re-start as many times as desired!
  • Make bubble foam.
    • all you need is about 1/8 cup of liquid dish soap (we prefer stuff for sensitive skin), 1 cup water and then use your standmixer on full blast until it looks like this.
Bubble foam in our kiddie pool
  • Make a ramp for Hotwheels cars and then prop it up on the stairs to let them race.
View this post on Instagram

#rainyday and mom's sick means I need to entertain this little guy as simply as possible. I grabbed a box tied it to the stairs, grabbed his #hotwheels et voila!

A post shared by Alana-Parenting From The Heart (@parentfromheart) on Oct 20, 2016 at 11:12am PDT

  • Create a coloured rice solar system sensory bin.
  • Try any one of these 25+ play-based learning activities for your backyard.
  • Use your kiddie pool for sensory play.
  • Set up three simple science activities.
  • Make DIY bouncy balls – using chemistry.
  • Use any of these ideas to play outside in the rain.
  • Check out these screen-free boredom busters.
  • Try any one of these 15+ calming activities for young kids.

Filed Under: Play-Based Learning Activities, Posts Tagged With: boredom busters, learning through play, low-prep activities, play-based learning, rainy day activities, screen-free activities

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Hi! I'm Alana. When I'm not nursing cold, stale coffee, I usually can be found with the baby on my hip, barefoot, and racing after my two older kids. Thanks to a degree in psychology and a free-range childhood backing onto an expansive evergreen forest, positive parenting and play-based learning are my passions. Read more here.

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Alana-Parenting From The Heart
I remember in my earlier days of parenting when I I remember in my earlier days of parenting when I had two under two so much of my life was spent thinking I’ll be happy when…

I’ll be happy when they sleep through the night.

I’ll be happy when my husband doesn’t have to work such late hours.

I’ll be happy when I look and feel like myself again and not a feeding troth 😬😬😬

As it turns out this struggle with finding happiness isn’t unique to me or parenting. 

Collectively our mental health is suffering, but there are many research backed ways to improve happiness. (Link in bio to read more).
♥️♥️ via Heather Shumaker ♥️♥️

via Heather Shumaker
THIS. 🙌🙌 (Follow Maryfairy Boberry) THIS. 🙌🙌 (Follow Maryfairy Boberry)
👣 via @creativechildmag 👣

via @creativechildmag
via Happy as a Mother 🙂❤ via Happy as a Mother 🙂❤
Though there are countless people who understand t Though there are countless people who understand the importance of positive, responsive parenting, the idea that young children should self-soothe remains a prevalent belief.

Though this ideology is well-intentioned, it actually goes against what we know about human development.

Babies come into the world highly dependent on responsive caregiving not only for nurturance and protection but also to foster social and emotional development.

While it may seem that leaving a child to cry will help her learn to cope, it actually floods her brain with cortisol. She doesn’t learn to self-soothe but instead to shut down.

Though it may seem counterintuitive to some, independence is fostered through responsive care. The less stressed a child feels, the safer he feels to explore his world. The less stressed he feels, the more appropriate his emotional responses become.

This is first seen in late infancy but pervades through childhood and adulthood.

Have any questions about these findings? Feel free to comment below or send me a message!
❤️❤️❤️❤️ Teach Through Love ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Teach Through Love
via @unconditional_parenting. via @unconditional_parenting.
via The Outnumbered Mother via The Outnumbered Mother
❤❤❤ ❤❤❤
😂 😂
So often independence and attachment are thought t So often independence and attachment are thought to be mutually exclusive.
However, research shows that in order for children (and adults) to be independent, they need to feel safe and secure within their closest relationships. In childhood, this means having caregivers who respond to distress and both emotional and physical needs.
In adulthood, people who have responsive and caring partners feel more stable and comfortable being independent.
So hold and comfort those babies.
Hug and respond to your kids.
Love and hold space for the adults you are closest to.
Attachment fosters independence.
Absolutely this. Via Living FULL Absolutely this. Via Living FULL
🙏🙏🙏 (Couldn't help but laugh at that last 🙏🙏🙏
(Couldn't help but laugh at that last one)
via Scary Mommy
Love this so much! via Nourishing Our Children Love this so much! via Nourishing Our Children
Yes 👏👏👏 via @DissociativeDiaries Yes 👏👏👏
via @DissociativeDiaries
via Domari Dickinson via Domari Dickinson
🙏🙏🙏 (Couldn't help but laugh at that last 🙏🙏🙏
(Couldn't help but laugh at that last one)
via @scary mommy
"This year, I changed my assessments by adding a p "This year, I changed my assessments by adding a piece of paper at the end, asking, 'What else do you know about the topic, that I didn’t ask you about?'

Another teacher suggested this idea online about a year ago – I wish I could remember who it was! – and I thought, 'BOOM. I want to do this.'

Answering the question is completely optional, and when students do show more understanding on the sheet than they did on their assessment, I’ll point it out to them. Sometimes I’ll write, 'The learning wasn’t shown in your assessment, but I can see you do know this from what you wrote at the end.'

Afterward, I’ll follow up with them about how to recognize and answer test questions asked in different ways. Clearly, in cases like this, they understand the material but aren’t able to formulate an answer in response to the way I posed the question. I’ll point out to them that while it’s great that they’ve shown me their learning, they won’t always have a chance to answer assessment questions in an open-ended way, and I want them to succeed when they encounter assessment-style questions in the future.

I love what this change has done. This strategy has made my assessments more inclusive. It helps me communicate to my students: When I assess your understanding, I’m looking for what you DO know."
—Teacher Julie Arsenault via @teacher2teacher
Oh my goodness. THIS. via @showerarguments Oh my goodness. THIS.
via @showerarguments
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