Screen-free activities for kids: 20 indoor ideas

Screen-free activities for kids start with a little boredom

On a rainy afternoon, “I'm bored” can come every five minutes. You don't have to answer it with a plan right away. A child often needs a few slow, slightly awkward minutes before something comes up on its own: the box of blocks, a pretend game with a stuffed animal, an idea nobody planned.

A clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics describes play with parents and other children as a unique chance to practice social, language and thinking skills and self-regulation (Yogman et al. 2018). That doesn't make screens forbidden. It just means that time in front of a screen is time your child isn't spending in play of their own.

The 20 ideas below aren't a schedule. Think of them as a backup for afternoons when nothing works. One simple trick is an idea jar: write each game on a slip of paper. Whoever is bored pulls one out.

Moving: six indoor games

The World Health Organization advises that children aged one to four get at least three hours of physical activity spread across the day (WHO 2019). That is hard to manage in an apartment when it's pouring outside. These games need little space and almost no supplies.

• Cross crawl march: Elbow meets the opposite knee in a steady beat, all the way down the hallway. In the Cross Crawl March your child keeps crossing the midline of the body.
• Red light, green light: On “green” your child moves, on “red” they freeze like a statue. Red Light, Green Light works indoors too if you walk instead of run.
• Simon says: Your child copies a movement only when you start with “Simon says.” In Simon Says they have to listen closely and sometimes hold back.
• Ball figure eight: A small ball travels around both knees in a figure eight. For the Ball Figure Eight a rolled-up pair of socks works fine.
• The floor is lava: Spread out pillows, stools and blankets, and nobody may touch the floor. Your child figures out how to get from one end of the room to the other.
• Animal walks: Lumber like a bear on all fours, hop like a frog or scuttle sideways like a crab. Whoever's turn it is picks the next animal.

Stop-and-go games like red light, green light have been studied with preschoolers, with mixed results: one study in the US found an effect on self-regulation (Schmitt et al. 2015), a study in Kenya did not (Willoughby et al. 2021). So play them because they're fun, not as a training plan. You'll find more movement games under body and coordination.

Indoor games with no supplies: remembering and listening

All you need for these five games is each other. They work in a waiting room, in the car or at the kitchen table while dinner cooks.

• Clap echo: You clap a short rhythm, your child claps it back exactly. In Clap Echo the rhythm can get a little longer each round.
• I packed my suitcase: Each player repeats the whole list and adds one more item. Many parents remember I Packed My Suitcase from their own childhood.
• Instruction chain: Give two or three small tasks at once, such as “Get a spoon, put it on the couch and clap twice.” In the Instruction Chain your child repeats the tasks and then does them in order.
• The opposite game: You say “big,” your child makes themselves tiny. In The Opposite Game they have to pause that first impulse before reacting.
• I spy: One player picks something in the room and only gives its color. The others guess until someone finds it.

Games where children remember, listen closely and hold back practice what researchers call executive functions. A review of programs for children aged four to twelve found that what mattered most was regular practice that slowly got harder (Diamond & Lee 2011). One game on a rainy day is nice, but it isn't training. There are more ideas among the memory games.

Calming down: four ideas for in between

After running around, switching to dinner or a bedtime story is often hard. Quiet games make a bridge between the two.

• Shape breathing: Your child slowly traces a shape with one finger and breathes along with it. For Shape Breathing a sheet of paper with a shape drawn on it is enough.
• Statue poses: Hold simple poses like a tree or a flamingo for five calm breaths each. In Statue Poses you take turns choosing the next pose.
• Emotion charades: One person acts out a feeling without words, the other guesses. Emotion Charades gets you talking about what anger or pride actually feels like.
• Listening minute: Everyone sits still for one minute with eyes closed and counts the sounds they hear. Then each person shares: the fridge, a bird, rain on the window.

More quiet games are under calm and feelings.

Crafts and everyday life: five ways to join in

Not everything has to be a game. Many kids want to be part of what grown-ups are really doing. It takes longer than doing it yourself. In return, your child is busy and has actually done something.

• Build a fort: Two chairs, a blanket and a few clothespins are enough. Inside the finished fort you can read, have a picnic or just lie around.
• Treasure hunt: Hide a stuffed animal and give “warmer” and “colder” hints. Older kids get little riddle notes that lead from one hiding spot to the next.
• Help in the kitchen: Wash vegetables, stir batter, slice cucumbers with a kid-safe knife. At the end there's something on the table your child helped make.
• Sock matching: The laundry basket becomes a search game. Who can find the most pairs before the song on the radio ends?
• Bead pattern: You string a short pattern, your child looks at it and then strings it themselves. For the Bead Pattern you can use tube-shaped pasta instead of beads.

When you need to get something done yourself, give your child a real little job alongside you: setting the table, counting spoons, sorting clothespins by color. It's not really a game, but it fills the time without a screen.

Screen time rules without a daily fight

How much screen time is okay? The WHO does not recommend sedentary screen time for children under two. For ages two to four it advises no more than one hour a day, and says less is better (WHO 2019). For older children, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests a family media plan that changes as your child grows (AAP Family Media Plan).

What does the research say? A meta-analysis of 87 studies with about 159,000 children aged twelve and under found a small link between more screen time and more behavior problems (Eirich et al. 2022). Small really means small here. The studies also can't show what is cause and what is effect. It may simply be that restless kids are handed a tablet more often.

Arguments usually start when the rules get renegotiated every day. These steps take the pressure off:

1. Make the plan together: how long, when and what. The AAP suggests a plan for every member of the family, including yourself.
2. Fixed times instead of daily asking: If everyone knows there's one episode after lunch, nobody has to beg.
3. Give a heads-up: Let your child know a few minutes before screen time ends. Finishing an episode is easier than stopping halfway through.
4. Plan exceptions ahead: rainy days, sick days, long car rides. What you agree on in advance doesn't need a battle each time.
5. Screen-free zones for everyone: The AAP names the dinner table, homework time and the time before bed. That goes for the adults too.

The AAP also suggests adding “fun swaps” to your plan, like reading, outdoor play, family games and hobbies. The 20 ideas above make a good start for that list.

When to ask for advice

Boredom, whining and arguing over the tablet are part of family life. Talk to your pediatrician if your child rarely gets into play for weeks at a time, seems very restless or withdrawn, or if fights about screens are running your days. Your pediatrician can refer you to a specialist if needed.

The American Academy of Pediatrics publishes parent information on HealthyChildren.org. If attention and restlessness are your main worry, CHADD offers information and support for families affected by ADHD. The games in this article are time together. They are not a diagnosis and not a substitute for therapy.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• Activities for restless kids: burn off energy, then calm down