Are you looking for screen-free activities for your kids? Here are 9 awesome screen-free activities you can do at home. Bonus? They are STEM-related and we all know how important that is!
We know now important STEM activities are for our children, but have you noticed how many of them are centered around the computer, or a screen of some type? There’s no harm in this for limited periods of time, but if you’re trying to get your kids away from the screens, you need activities that steer them away from this.
First, for those who may not know, what is STEM? Basically, it is an approach to study that includes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM activities use these subjects together to help solve real-world problems. Depending on the age of your child, there are different types of activities that can be explored using STEM. Many of the ones you hear about today involve a computer, tablet, or other screen device. While these can be nice, we also know that too much time on a screen is not good for your child, so we’re going to look at some you can do with screens.
Here are some screen-free STEM activities you can do at home:
- Scientific Nature Walk -This one also gets you exercise so it’s a win-win. You can pick any spot near you to walk. If you live in the city, consider going to a park where there will be more nature to experience. Bring a magnifying glass, some digging tools, a bug catcher, and some plastic containers for collecting specimens. You should also bring a camera if you can (cell phones with cameras will work if they’re not using the screen for anything else).
- Mystery Jar – Place several different items in different clear jars (we like Mason jars) and then have the children guess how many items are in the jar. For this one, we put 1 item in the first jar, around 10-15 items in the second jar (depending on their size), and an unknown amount of items in the third jar. This third jar is your “mystery jar” and children will need to use their reasoning skills to make guesses about how many items are in there. After guessing, count them out together.
- Will it float? This is good for younger kids. Fill containers of water and then try dropping different water-safe options in after guessing whether they will float or sink.
- Pour a rainbow in a jar. Follow the link for instructions on how to do this one. It’s so much fun!
- Make a Magnifying Glass Out of Ice– Your kids will need a little help with this one but they can do most of it themselves. You might want to make more than one in case it starts to melt while they are experimenting with it. Have them try looking at different objects and items, such as the details in a leaf.
- Build things from cardboard – This is an easy and fun one when you have old cardboard boxes lying around. What you build can be decided by the child’s age and abilities. Older children can build models of historical places or World Wonders. Younger children can try building common objects or houses and cars.
- Static Electricity Experiment– Static electricity is everywhere, especially in the winter. Now your little scientists can figure out how it works.
- Build a giant sand volcano– What kid wouldn’t love this? You can do it at the beach, or in your own sandbox at home.
- Seed Sprouting Science Experiment– This is a classic experiment that is lots of fun to do and will help your child learn about plant life, as well as about conducting a long-term experiment.
With these ideas, you’ll be ready to start planning some screen-free educational time with your children. If your children are old enough, they can do many of these on their own, with you nearby to supervise or help if needed. Younger children may need a little more help from you and this can be something you can do together.
These activities are a wonderful way to add to your life-skills experience.
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