Easy, Affordable Activities to Unplug with Your Kids

Now that school is almost out, screen time will probably be on the rise in most households. According to the CDC, children ages 8-10 are spending about 6 hours a day in front of a screen. Yikes!

Aside from the typical non-screen time activities like reading and drawing, here are a handful of activities you can do during the summer that will keep your kiddos off the screens. Not to mention, they are fun and cost you little to nothing to do!

• Make your own playdough. You can make your own playdough out of ingredients you already have in your pantry. Color them different colors and compete in a playdough build-off.
• Have a game night. Stay in, have some popcorn in your pajamas, play board games until you’re too tired to play anymore. To make it more fun, include fun prizes for the winner like skipping a chore for a day!
• Host an epic movie marathon. Take movie night to the next level with costumes, themed snacks, and more!
• Go fishing. Find an ocean, lake, river, pond, or swimming hole and go fishing. Make this a family event and borrow your equipment or rent from a local shop if you don’t have your own.
• Volunteer. This is a great lesson to teach your children too. Find a local organization that might need volunteer services.
• Have a camp out in your backyard. Got a tent? A sleeping bag and pillow? Perfect. Set it up and spend the day/evening out in the backyard having s’mores and telling stories.
• Make your own kite, then fly it. Kites are actually really easy to make! Make your own kite then spend the afternoon at the park flying it.
• Learn to make origami. Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper into decorate shapes and figures. You can folder paper into almost anything. Learn to make your favorite animal or a bookmark for a book you are reading.
• Make a bird feeder ornament. These are so fun to make and hang in your yard. When kids see birds actually eating from them, it’s majestic! You can make them in many different shapes and sizes.

There really are a lot of things that can help your children unplug this summer. I’ve only touched the surface. Let your children use their imagination to come up with something they would enjoy that you, as a family, can do together.

More importantly, have a great summer!