100 Screen Free Activities for Winter

    It's that time of year where the air is getting nippy, the days are cold, wet and raw and we're stuck inside.  We're finishing up school most days by noon and all the kids want to watch movies and play video games.  It's fine for a little while but after a week or so they seem bored, antsy and in need of activity ideas.  Here's a list of screen free activities to keep the kids occupied this winter:


  1. Play a board game
  2. Build with Legos
  3. Make a scratch art picture 
  4. Make embroidery floss bracelets 
  5. Put together some puzzles
  6. Build with Keva blocks
  7. Use masking tape to make hopscotch grid and play hopscotch 
  8. Draw a town with roads on a dollar store shower curtain to play with toy trucks
  9. Draw with dry erase markers on the window
  10. Play a card game or learn a new card game 
  11. Color in coloring books with markers
  12. Put on some music and dance!
  13. Use K'nex pieces to build a new invention
  14. Build with Qubits
  15. Play with shaving cream
  16. Make Flubber or Slime (recipes here)
  17. Put together a toothpick/ marshmallow sculpture 
  18. Draw your own comic strip
  19. Use an elastic band to adhere wax paper to your feet and "ice skate" on the hardwood floors
  20. Put together a model vehicle 
  21. Play with Play dough
  22. Go sledding
  23. Play ping pong
  24. Play Foosball 
  25. Read a book 
  26. Build a snow fort
  27. Make a bird feeder
  28. Try a new or make a favorite recipe
  29. Make your own movie
  30. Play a musical instrument or make your own to play
  31. Build a blanket fort
  32. Look at our 100 items under a Microscope post and use the Microscope
  33. Play air hockey
  34. Exercise-- lift weights, do some yoga, or use the treadmill
  35. Play with remote control cars; make a ramp or an obstacle course for them
  36. Have a Nerf Gun Tournament complete with target and scoring
  37. Make a painting 
  38. Use Extreme Dot to Dot books
  39. Use the wood burning tool and some wood to make a picture
  40. Play musical chairs 
  41. Build with Magnetic blocks
  42. Make a marble maze with Q-Ba blocks 
  43. Set up a long trail around the house using Domino blocks and then knock them over
  44. Try out a new hot cocoa recipe 
  45. Make Popsicle stick chain reactions
  46. Build a cup tower
  47. Play charades
  48. Play hide and seek 
  49. Go bowling 
  50. Make a marble roller coaster using pool noodles, tape, and cardboard tubes
  51. Play with snap circuits
  52. Learn a new dice game
  53. Build houses out of cards
  54. Make paper chains
  55. Use one of our boxed science kits
  56. Make a snowcano-- using snow, baking soda and vinegar
  57. Play with geoboards and elastics
  58. Play Twister
  59. Make spin art using the salad spinner, paper and paint
  60. Play with pattern blocks 
  61. Finger paint
  62. Learn how to finger knit, sew, or crochet
  63. Make up a secret code and send letters to your friend using that code
  64. Play with animal sets, soap and water
  65. Make a snowstorm in a jar
  66. Make bubbles freeze (blowing bubbles outside when the weather is below freezing)
  67. Make some snowflakes for the window
  68. Make a duct tape craft
  69. Weave a CD
  70. Play some Minute to Win it games
  71. Make your own bookmark
  72. Build a snowman
  73. Try soap carving
  74. Make your own bouncy balls
  75. Find an indoor pool and go swimming 
  76. Make paper bag puppets
  77. Make your own Zentangle
  78. Make Snow Dough for playing inside (recipe here)
  79. Build a balloon powered Lego car
  80. Grow some crystals
  81. Make a paper airplane and elastic band launcher
  82. Make a Swedish lantern
  83. Visit a trampoline park 
  84. Go on a winter hike
  85. Go to the aquarium 
  86. Do some woodworking
  87. Volunteer for a local charity 
  88. Design a better sled (like we did here)
  89. Put on some music, grab some friends and Limbo
  90. Origami!
  91. Have a picnic in the living room
  92. Make loom band bracelets
  93. Force/ plant some flowering bulbs 
  94. Use sand art kit
  95. Go ice fishing
  96. Visit a museum
  97. Learn a magic or card trick
  98. Grab your camera and capture all the winter wonders
  99. Play with Wedgits
  100. Have a snowball fight
Linking up With:  Over the Moon, 

Comments

  1. You've got so many great ideas here, I don't think the kids will be spending much time with videos. You go girl! :)
    Barbara @ http://www.glutenfreehomestead.com

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  2. Some great ideas. I've done many of them with my kids. We still play a lot of board games!

    Laura @ http://www.almostemptynest.net

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  3. Passing this on. My granddaughter only gets two hours of screen time a week. We play a lot of board games and read a lot of books together! Thank you for sharing your wonderful post at #OverTheMoon. I look forward to what you will share next week! Do something special. Give yourself a standing ovation today! We hope you’ll come back again next Sunday when we open our doors at 6:00 PM EST. “Like" someone in person today!

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    Replies
    1. Glad I could help! I try to encourage my boys to do a nice variety of activities and we play a lot of board games!

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  4. lots of great suggestions here.

    #dreamteam

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  5. I would absolutely love to go to a trampoline park! I'd be like a kid in a sweet shop!

    #DreamTeam

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    Replies
    1. I love them! I always forget what a workout it is just jumping on a trampoline; last time we went I was sore for days!

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  6. Some fab ideas here! I struggle sometimes as Baby Lighty is only 18 months old, but I can definitely do some of these with him already and adapt others. He loves those magnetic blocks at baby group so I need to invest in some of those!! Thanks for linking up with #DreamTeam :)

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    Replies
    1. When my boys were little we had a sand/ water table that was supposed to be for outside fun but it fit nicely in our kitchen and they often played with dry pasta, corn meal, dry oatmeal, little toy trucks and measuring cups/ spoons. As long as I changed out the toys or the medium frequently enough that would keep then busy for quite some time!

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  7. Love all the outdoor activities!!!

    You should link this up at #bloggerspotlight too!!
    http://www.raisingfairiesandknights.com/blogger-spotlight-46/

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I had meant to but then the day got away from me yesterday.

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  8. Lots of fun ideas here.


    Thanks for sharing on #FridayFrivolity.

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  9. These are all such fab ideas.My kids sometimes have way too much screen time. Sarah #FabFridayPost

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    Replies
    1. Yeah mine go through spurts when I feel like all they do is screen time and then once we make a concerted effort to cut back we rediscover all the other fun things we have to do around here. I have found keeping a list of activities on hand helps so it's not such an automatic reaction.

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  10. Ah amazing! I am always always looking for non screen activities with the little ones and find it really hard in winter. I will save this for future reference! Thank you so much for joining us at #familyfun

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome! I hope the list comes in handy.

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