Ways to Keep Kids Entertained (Screen-free)

Are you looking for a way to keep kids entertained?

Specifically a way to keep kids entertained with out plopping them down in front of a screen? If you answered yes, then this list is for you!

Because older children don’t seem to need near as much hands-on entertainment, this article will explore ways to entertain younger children from toddler to preteen.

Whether you’re looking for ideas to give you some free time to cook dinner or you just really need a little break, read on to explore a few ideas that might help you entertain your kiddos!

1. Blocks

I know! This one is a classic, but it really works! Even my older kids will sit for at least an hour to play with blocks. There are tons of different types of blocks out there! We have a few different sets. I just pull out a different set each time we do blocks to keep things fresh and exciting.

Here are some of our favorites:

2. Scavenger Hunt

If the weather is nice out, send them on a scavenger hunt outside! Have them look for things like a leaf, rock, stick, blade of grass, etc. You can make the things they need to find more difficult depending on age. For example for a little bit older kids you can have them look for things like something smooth, rough, pokey, etc.

Can’t go outside? That’s okay you can do a scavenger hunt in the house! Have them search the house and find things! They could find something of every color in the rainbow! Or maybe something that starts with each letter of the alphabet. (Even my 3rd grader loves this!)

3. Toy Cars

Yes, another simple one. But hear me out!

For younger kids simply setting them up with toy cars is sometimes plenty to entertain them. Older kids might need a little more encouragement.

-Try setting up a ramp the cars can go down.

-Or a target, (like bowling), they can push their cars through.

-Maybe set up roadways either in the dirt outside or with painters tape right on the floor!

-You can even encourage them to build an obstacle course for the car to navigate.

The options are endless!

4. Write a Story

Even the younger kids can do this, even if it’s just in pictures! Last year my older kids were writing stories to submit in a writing contest. My -at the time- 3 year old sat right along side them and drew a picture story in a “book” I made her by folding and stapling a few pieces of paper together. She LOVED it.

You can even challenge older kids to make a story ONLY with pictures, when they’re done you can try to narrate their story and see if you’re even close to what they were trying to depict.

5. Water Color Painting

We love watercolor paint because it’s less messy than most other types of paint. Depending on the age of your kiddos this one may or may not provide a break for you. If you’re just looking for fun ways to pass time then this one will work great! Older kids can do this unattended.

My 4 year old and older kiddos can totally do this on their own! But if I throw my 2 year old in the mix then things might get a little hectic if he isn’t supervised. The kids will sit there for a minimum of an hour creating art!

Ways to change watercolor painting up:

Give them a blank sheet of paper and let their imagination lead them.
Have them draw an outline of an image with pencil and color it in with watercolors.
Follow a guided watercolor YouTube video.

6. Small world play

Small world play is pretty much just what it sounds like. You provide your child with small figures they use to play pretend in a small world. Things like barbies could fall under this category, but let’s explore a few different ideas.

I painted some wooden peg dolls, (similar to the pic above), I ordered off of amazon a couple years ago for my kids for Christmas. They’ve held up well and my kids have played with them a ton between now and then! I also like to include this set of wooden town blocks from Mellisa and Doug to enhance their play.

Peg Dolls

Wooden Town Set

Dinosaur sensory play! I got these dinosaurs from Walmart a while back and my kids love playing with them outside in the dirt or inside in a box filled with kinetic sand, dried beans or dried rice. Throw in a few rocks and twigs from outside and they have plenty to keep their imagination going!

It’s also fun helping them learn the names of the different Dinos.

Dinosaurs

7. Board/Card games

If you have more than one child and they’ve learned their numbers they can play card games as simple as “Go Fish” or “War” without really any help from the parent beyond instructions.

If you only have one child, I’d almost bet if you shuffle a deck of cards up and have them sort each number into piles of 4 they’d be entertained for at least a little while. Older kids can play one-player games like Solitaire.

Here are some other card games and board games that my kids love and can play independently.

Check out this article for Brain games for kids (screen free).

8. Puzzles

Puzzles are a great way to keep kids entertained. Plus, they’re great for building brain connections.

Sometimes puzzles become difficult for my older kids while my 2 year old is nearby, (he likes to destroy), so we reserve this for while he naps. Depending on the difficulty of the puzzle this could potentially keep them busy for hours!