Did you know April 29 – May 5, 2019 is Screen-Free Week? Sometimes telling kids it’s time to unplug just for a few hours will elicit groans and complaints of “I’m bored” or “There’s nothing to do!” Imagine trying it as a family for a whole week! If you’re up for the challenge or need inspiration all year long, this list of screen-free activities can help your family power through.
1. Bring out the board games. A few family-friendly favorites are: Codenames, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Pictionary, and Scrabble. Invite friends over for a board game night or afternoon.
2. Work on a puzzle. Set out a puzzle and the family will naturally congregate around it to work on it. Local toy stores have great puzzles, and you can swap with other families when you’re done!
3. Read a book as a family. Have your kids take turns reading aloud. Ask your child to tell you their favorite part or something they learned. Watch the movie afterward (after screen-free week of course!) and discuss the difference.
4. Design an obstacle course. Get creative and set up a challenging course in the backyard or in the basement. Then everyone gets to take a turn trying it out!
5. Family Fitness Fun. Set up a circuit training workout with a few stations and get healthy together.
6. Wash and clean the family vehicles. Put everyone to work cleaning under the seats, vacuuming the mats, washing the windows, and even cleaning the vents and crevices with a toothbrush and cotton swabs. Use all the loose change you’ll find to buy some ice cream to celebrate a job well done! Break out the sidewalk chalk. Draw a hopscotch or foursquare on the driveway with chalk and have some fun. For the littles, draw out a race track for toy cars.
7. Wide Word of Sports. Grab a basketball and shoot hoops or kick a soccer ball around. Set a goal of 10 free throws in a row, or dribbling a certain distance in 30 seconds. Have relay races. Play tee ball or kickball.
8. Perfect your frisbee toss or try frisbee golf. Milwaukee County has several Disc Golf courses. You can find courses in New Berlin and Sussex, too.
9. Get organized. Organize a drawer or cabinet each day. Teach your kids to fold like Mari Kondo and let them loose! Sort through your toys, books or clothes and find 5 items each family member could donate or sell.
10. Do a family walk or bike ride. Cruise through your neighborhood or on a local trail. You could pray for the people in the homes you pass, pick up litter, or play a game of “I Spy.”
11. Break out the sidewalk chalk. Draw a hopscotch or foursquare on the driveway with chalk and have some fun. For the littles, draw out a race track for toy cars.
12. Make a recipe or meal together. Check out the BCS Cookbook for lots of ideas! (On sale in the BCS office for $3 each!) Get adventurous and explore the cuisine of a different culture. Bake some cookies and share them with a neighbor.
13. Support your local team. Find a local sporting event like high school or college baseball, softball or soccer and go cheer on the local team.
14. Build an epic fort. Get over the mess, and go all out! You can encourage the kids to read in the fort with flashlights, have a picnic in it, and even have a family sleepover in it!
15. Clean up the yard. Head outside to your yard or help a neighbor. Pick up sticks, pull weeds, or plant some flowers or herbs if it’s warm enough.
16. Visit a different park or playground every day. Have your kids rate their favorites.
17. Be a food critic. Sample the different frozen custard stands in our area and vote on your family’s favorites.
18. Learn a new skill. Learn to crochet, make a friendship bracelet, or try your hand at painting or drawing.
19. Write it down. Decorate cards and write notes of encouragement to friends and family. Take it a step further and find out if you could correspond with missionaries from your church, or send cards to a local long term care facility.
20. Make a summer bucket list. Have everyone brainstorm activities to do and places to visit and have the kids write them down. Hang the list on the fridge and have fun checking things off the list together all summer long.
21. Go bird watching. Check out a book on local birds and study up. Set up some feeders in your yard or find a spot with lots of activity and record the birds you see. See if you can identify different bird calls and songs.
22. Have a dance party. Put on some family-friendly music and let loose together! Show them your best embarrassing parent dance moves or attempt to “floss.” That will get you some eye rolls, for sure.
23. Commit a random act of kindness each day. Plan out what you’re going to do and then execute it together as a family. Reflect on how it made you feel and talk about why why kindness is cool.
24. Let your voice be heard. Have your kids research an issue they’re passionate about and help them write a letter to their local representative or a company you’d like to see make a change.
25. Build something. Make a planter for your patio or a window box for an herb garden. Find a fun project, plan it, shop for the materials, and complete it together.
If you’d like to learn more about Brookfield Christian School, contact us. We’d love to meet you and learn more about you! Campus visits are available by appointment.