Parenting littles: 5 Screen-free ideas to get a few quiet minutes

Need to pay a bill over the phone in relative peace and quiet? Are you making dinner and want 15 minutes to pay attention to a recipe or just to chop and measure things? Is someone napping or on a call for work and you need an hour of calm and respite? One effective answer could be, “put the kids in front of a screen.”

This has been my go-to solution as we have navigated work-from-home meetings and the general chaos of several little children. As screens dominate the world, though, it is nice to have other ideas that do not involve a television show or electronic game as a babysitter.

I polled friends for screen-free ideas that work for them, and compiled the following list from parents of younger children, especially children under 10 years old. 

Some toys that you regularly store out of sight. This way, when you need to, you can bring them out and it is like having a brand new toy to explore. Toys like Duplos, train tracks, and magnet tiles (toys that require building and problem solving) are especially helpful if you need to accomplish something without small helpers participating.

Another practice is to accustom your child or children to having a period of quiet alone time each day. Once your kids stop napping, continue to expect them to stay in their room for about an hour in the early afternoon with books and toys. This gives both you and your child a chance to recharge. And then if you need to accomplish something, that period of quiet time is there for you. 

For children who have the interest and fine motor skills, puzzles or lego sets are good options. My older three-year-old enjoyed puzzles and my children four years old and older can put Lego sets together happily for a while. Also play dough, stringing beads onto shoelaces (put this activity on a cookie sheet to help contain the mess), coloring books, and scissoring (cutting pictures out of magazines or shapes out of paper) are some crafting activities that can keep kids busy.  

For smaller children without the fine motor skills or attention span, setting them up with a few toys in a room that is safe for them, or giving them toys that interest them while they are securely strapped in a high chair works well. 

If you have an older child, you ask him or her to read a stack of books aloud to smaller children. Or you can turn on an audiobook for entertainment.

If the weather cooperates, and you have a fenced place to be outside, having mandatory outside time is another great option.

A final suggestion that could work is inviting another child over. If your child gets along well with someone, then the two of them can entertain each other happily while you busy yourself with other things. 

I’ve also discovered that a big part of choosing a good activity for your children involves knowing that child. Give my oldest the right arts and craft project, and he will be engaged for a long time. Give him a puzzle, and he will not stay interested for long. My second oldest will spend two seconds on a craft, but will stay very focused on a puzzle. My third just needs a dinosaur figurine and some blocks in a room by himself, and he is set for a while.

It might take some trial and error to find what works for your child, but where there’s a will there’s a way. Happy screen-free time!