If your family is anything like ours, there’s a never ending power struggle between screen time and screen free activities.
Momentary Co. is here to guide you through 10 Unplugged Playtime Ideas, carefully curated for parents who are seeking authentic connections with their kids.
Are you ready for unplugged family fun and creating lasting memories together?
- Storytelling Adventures
Have you read the same storybook a million times over? One of our favourite story time activities is to make up our own. Sometimes we write them down, other times we just make them up on the spot as we go (if you do an audio version, hit record on your voice recording app for built-in memories)
The only rules are, it must begin with “Once Upon A Time” and end with a very authoritative “The End”
If you hit a creative roadblock, this website is really fun for generating ideas.
- Geocaching - A real life treasure hunt
I can’t describe how much fun geocaching together is! It’s hilarious trying to find the tiniest container in amongst a tree trunk or a box full of trinkets someone has left as treasure.
We use this app when we go locally. It usually has a free and paid option. It’s such a fun way to get out of the house with something to do
- Family Drawing
I am a terrible illustrator, there - it’s out in the open! But one this I absolutely love to do is draw with my son.
This is something we started during the covid lockdowns and we have filled entire scrapbooks with our masterpieces. Rob is an amazing teacher and makes it such a fun and shared experience to do together.
- Family Board Game Night
Do you have a favourite board game which you play together? Maybe try playing with a set of house rules and see how it goes. We usually let one of us change one rule to see if the game is still playable.
As my son grows up our game choices have changed, but he is currently loving Settlers of Catan. If you have children who love strategy based games - this is a great choice.
And the games are usually done in under an hour (no more endless trips to jail, or past go until someone goes bankrupt!)
- Cooking Adventures
This might be one of those activities that seems like a lot of work at the time, but you will both look back on it fondly.
We have a few simple recipes which we can easily make together while chatting and making (messy) memories.
We’re all about those carbs in our family! And even better when we get to sit and eat all our hardwork!
- Spot the Difference!
We love Usborne activity books, they have loads of different ones, in regular and mini size.
Or if you have a printer, checkout etsy for a range of printable activity packs.
- Backyard Camping
I’ll admit, backyard camping might just be my favourite (wifi and bathrooms!). It’s also an easy, low pressure activity for a long summer night.
You don’t need anything except a tent. We’ve even dragged our regular blankets and pillows out at times, just to make it even more cosy.
You could even cook the pizza you made earlier as your camp dinner. Childhood, perfection!
- Family Yoga Session
Sometimes the best way to reconnect with each other is by something you don’t usually do.
For our family, that is yoga. Many moons ago I was a yoga devotee but those 4:45 classes don’t work with my responsibilities now.
When we need to uplug (admittedly still on a screen!), our go-to routines are here.
- Gardening Together
It’s so important to give our children the chance to feel the world around them, actually hold it in their hands and care for it.
This is why, a few times a week my son and I will go outside to water the plants.
Now the truth is, everything is already reticulated, so this is an entirely unnecessary chore. But, he absolutely loves it, it gives us a structure and we can both be at opposite ends of the garden, but still enjoy it together.
Or, more often than not, it ends in me losing the water fight to a ten year old with a hose!
- Read a chapter book together.
We’ve always been avid readers in our family, and while we still read cherished picture books long after my son has “grown out” of them. We also push ourselves to read chapter books together, usually without reading the back.
We will go to the library and both pick 4 or 5 books to take home and read together.
Some we finish, others are not to our taste. But it’s an in-built bonding activity which is easy, stress free and most importantly - it benefits our relationship before and after we finish the activity.
There you have it, Unplugged Screen free playtime activities. I hope you find them useful!
