7 Screen-Free Family Activities to Welcome The Holiday Season
Embrace the warmth of the summer season with our thoughtfully curated collection of 7 delightful activities, designed to foster connection and create lasting memories.
As the pace of life quickens during this vibrant season, take a moment to step away from screens and immerse yourself in the joy of shared experiences with your little ones. From indoor tranquility to outdoor exploration, here's your guide to a screen-free summer full of fun:
Sunny Hideaway: Create a cool retreat indoors with makeshift forts using chairs, blankets, and pillows. To make your space festive include fairy lights and cushions to make it the perfect space to and share stories of the holiday season and summer adventures.
Why we love it: Building a fort requires problem-solving and spatial awareness as children strategize on the construction and layout of their fort. Collaborating with friends or siblings encourages teamwork and communication and fosters a deeper emotional bond with others.
Puzzles: Dive into the timeless charm of puzzles. What’s more classic than playing with puzzles when you’re having some quite time inside? Puzzles are a timeless, screen-free activity for all ages. While any puzzle will do for creating festive family memories, we’re especially fond of our circular Four Seasons Puzzle, which tells the story of the four seasons in an exciting, engaging way.
Why we love it: As children fit the pieces together, they’re using spatial reasoning, enhancing memory, and fostering patience, and the act of identifying the right piece and its placement sharpens hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. This process instils a sense of accomplishment, boosting a child’s self-esteem with each completed puzzle.
Holiday Crafts: Crafting is a delightful way to keep children engaged during the holiday season. One of our favourite craft activities only takes two household materials: Paper Snowflakes! Children fold and snip the paper to create something that’s uniquely their own, all while exploring different shapes and patterns. Alternatively, change up the holiday theme to a beach theme and create vibrant sun catches.
Why we love it: Making decisions about designs, colours, and patterns bolsters their creativity and problem-solving abilities. Different textures, materials and colours create sensory tactile experiences, and these projects also serve as cherished keepsakes, capturing the spirit of the season.
Dance Party: If you’re stuck for something to do inside or out, why not turn the living room, garage, or backyard into a dance club? Create a playlist of your family’s favourite songs and have a dance-off at home. Consider adding props like scarves, hats or glasses to amp up the fun. If you’re feeling competitive, you can even organise a mini dance-off, with family members showcasing their best moves and perhaps awarding a fun, homemade trophy to the best dancer.
Why we love it: Dancing is an excellent way for children to express themselves freely, all while boosting their mood and promoting physical fitness to fight holiday lethargy. It’s also a great way for the family to bond and create memories together.
Screen-Free Fun with Hape: If you’re looking for something that will keep the kids out of the sun for a few hours this summer then our Quadrilla and Railway toys are just the ticket for engaging, hands-on activities. Our Railway sets, children lay tracks, connect carriages, and navigate their miniature world, engaging in deep imaginative play. While our Quadrilla Marble Runs transform living spaces into dynamic marble races and challenge children to design and assemble tracks for their marbles to glide, twist and turn.
Why we love it: Whether they’re setting up train or marble tracks, both activities champion problem-solving, spatial awareness, and hand-eye coordination. They also create a space for engaging in collaborative play.
Summer Walks: As you take the time to Wander through your neighborhood, a local park, or nature trails, help your little one immerse themselves in the summer landscape. Together, listen to the sound of the insects, observe how trees and plants change, and maybe even spot wildlife. Don’t forget to bring along a snack and a drink bottle so you can take a moment to sit down and enjoy your surroundings!
Why we love it: Outdoor walks are a sensory delight, allowing children to experience the sights, sounds, and textures of the season. They promote physical activity, helping to combat lethargy, and encourage observational skills as they notice the seasonal changes in nature.
Nature's Treasure Hunt: Draw up a themed list of items for children to find outside, such as colorful flowers, unique rocks, fluttering butterflies, animal tracks, or different types of leaves. Take a basket or bag and set them off on a collecting adventure. Once found, each item can be used for a crafting masterpiece to add to the season festivities.
Why we love it: This activity encourages observational skills and gets children attuned to nature’s subtle changes during the year. It also promotes physical activity and explorative learning, teaching children to appreciate the smaller details in the world around them.
This summer, let each day be a tapestry woven with threads of indoor comfort and outdoor exploration, creating a mosaic of memories that will be treasured and recounted with fondness in the years that follow. In the balance between the familiar and the undiscovered, find the magic that transforms ordinary days into extraordinary adventures, fostering a sense of unity and joy that will forever define the essence of this sun-kissed season.