Keep Kids Busy with These Screen-Free Activities
No screens needed for summer fun. Keep the kids engaged indoors or out with these creative ideas and must-haves for screen-free play.
There are few things worse than a rainy day in the summer, but we’ve all been in the situation where it’s either raining or way too hot or not enough for your kids to do and you’re those two words that make your skin crawl… “I’m bored.” Between the nine kids combined in our two households, we’ve seen just about every stage of summer restlessness. To be completely honest, we don’t ban screens entirely because we value our sanity, but we do like to reserve screens for when we’re desperate and not as the standard go-to. That’s why we love having a list of screen-free activities that actually keep our kids busy and, most importantly, happy.
This post is packed with our favorite screen-free activity ideas that work for all types of days from sunny days to rainy days or from hectic to calm days. These are the activities we keep on hand, rotate through, and reach for when we want the kids to unplug and stay entertained without a big mess or a lot of prep. Let’s get to it!
How We Keep Nine Kids Off Screens All Summer
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here. As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Keep Kids Entertained Without the Screens
The key to keeping kids entertained without screens is having a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. It’s so helpful to have a mix in case it’s too hot out or raining that day. We like to keep a stash of a couple of bins that we can rotate our toys and projects through weekly to help keep them feeling new to our kids too.
Activities that encourage imaginative play are the best. We love the ones with tools that spark creativity like bug kits, books, and arts & crafts. It’s also important to make space for independent play and even time for the whole family to connect with activity books, STEM kits, or backyard fun. You could even add in some activities that help you get the chores done without them feeling daunting to your kids.
Ideas for Rainy Days That Don’t Involve TV
We find that the rainy days are the hardest to keep our kids off screens because there are only so many movies you can watch before their brain rots completely. Some of our kid’s favorites are the foil art kits, sticker books, or themed craft sets that help guide them through a project.
We also adore this double-sided inflatable art easel we linked in the list below because it allows the kids to paint without us needing to do too much supervising. Activity books are always a good idea to have on hand too to give kids fun tasks to do by themselves or with their siblings. And, there’s nothing more fun than playing a game of mini indoor soccer using the LED hover ball we have linked in the list below too.
Easy Backyard Setups That Keep Them Busy for Hours
On those oppressively hot days, our favorite go-to’s are bringing out the splash pad or water slide to help beat the heat. Our kids always come up with the best games with the bubble gun or other water toys. And if water isn’t in the cards, your kids can always grab a book for a shady corner of the yard or our favorite bug tools to hunt for bugs too.
You can also setup backyard zones where you have room for painting with the inflatable art easel, creating a chalk zone, and maybe even a water obstacle course with sprinklers, slides, and pool noodles. You could create a nature zone and have missions your kids can go on to catch bugs, bird watch, or collect different leaves. We included some of our favorite books below too that help you come with ideas.
Activities That Feel Like Screens But Aren’t
Some of the most fun our kids have are using the bug catchers and magnifiers. They really do love going on their own adventure. We also keep a lot of craft paper kits on hand with the step-by-step books to foster some creativity. Literally, any of the STEM kits we’ve found feel very techy, but are really just helping them build something super cool without the actual screen.
Screen Free Activities and Ideas to Keep You Sane
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here. As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Whatever you decide, there are so many great ideas to foster your kids creativity and beat the I’m bored-ness. These are some of our favorites that we know your kids will love too.
- Foil Arts and Crafts for Kids Ages 4–8 – A super easy and mess-free activity that’s perfect for solo play or quiet mornings. The foil designs are colorful, sparkly, and satisfying for kids to peel and stick.
- Aqua Fairy Water Gel Kit – Like a tiny science experiment meets imaginative play. Kids mix the gel, mold fairies and shapes, and create scenes that dry into magical worlds.
- Splash Pad Sprinkler – This is a staple in our summer backyard. The water stays shallow, the setup is easy, and it cools everyone off fast without needing a pool.
- Automatic Bubble Gun with Bubble Refill Solution – Endless bubbles with zero effort. The kids love running through them and pretending they’re in a bubble storm — plus the extra refill means fewer interruptions.
- Air Power Kids Soccer Ball with LED Light – This one works great indoors too. The LED hover ball glides over hardwood or carpet and helps burn off energy even when it’s raining outside.
- Toddler Size Cleaning Mop That Really Works – Don’t knock it till you try it. Little ones actually ask to clean when they have tools just their size. We keep this out all summer.
- 50 Great Things to Do Outside – We keep this book in a basket by the back door. The kids flip through it and pick a new adventure each time — from leaf rubbings to obstacle courses.
- Screen-Free Family Activities Book – This one is great for family nights when you want to connect without pulling out a movie. It includes simple, doable ideas that don’t feel like extra work.
- 22.5ft Water Slides and 2 Bodyboards – An upgrade from your average slip-n-slide. It’s wide enough for multiple kids, comes with boards, and stays fun even for older kids.
- Double-Sided Inflatable Kids Art Easel – Set this up with washable paint and let them go to town. It keeps mess outside and gives them a creative outlet that feels big and bold.
- 308PCS Kids Craft Paper Kit with Instructional Book – One kit, tons of projects. This is our rainy-day hero and includes everything from paper animals to 3D shapes.
- STEM Kits for Kids – There are so many versions, but we like the ones that involve hands-on building. They help keep little minds engaged while giving parents a quiet moment.
- 5x Magnifier Quick-Release Bug Catching Tool – If your kids are like ours, bug hunting never gets old. This tool makes it easy (and safe) to catch and release while learning about nature.
Bonus Resources We Love:
- All Our Favorite Bug Catchers on Amazon
- Our Favorite Kid Books Idea List
- All Our Screen-Free Summer Ideas
- More Screen-Free Summer Fun
Enacting screen-free days can feel daunting sometimes, but there really is something pretty special about watching kids completely absorbed in an activity that doesn’t involve a screen. It gives us a break, it gives them a creative outlet, and it makes summer feel like summer. Hopefully these ideas helped you take the stress out of screen-free days and continue to enjoy your summer. What are your favorite screen-free summer wins? We’d love to hear what works for your kids in the comments.
More Kid-Approved Activities
If you enjoyed these ideas, make sure to pin the image below to reference later!
