Mornings with kids can be chaotic, especially when they wake early and there’s 465 hours until you can drop them at school. If you’re looking for ways to keep them entertained and (relatively) quiet, here are five tried-and-tested screen-free morning activities for kids that work in our home.
Workbooks
Alfie and Charlie both enjoy doing these, though Charlie obviously needs a lot more parental help with reading and understanding the questions. Some of our favourites are:
- Reading Eggs and Mathseeds
- Scholastic Learning Express (get these for a steal from Aldi at the beginning of the year)
- Sudoku for kids
- Activity books with dot-to-dots, stickers, mazes etc.
Magnetic Tiles
These have been a winner in our house since Alfie was 18 months old. In the beginning it was all about colour and shape sorting (they still love to do this sometimes), and now they build complicated structures with ball runs and all sorts of things. I’ve found that they’re a great tool for self-directed play, but if you’ve got a kid who needs a little bit of help figuring out what to build or do, you can easily suggest any number of things!
Duplo
Surprisingly, Duplo still gets a good run in our house. I guess it’s big and easy to build with? Whatever the reason, I’m an advocate; mainly because it’s much easier to clean up than Lego (especially given we have a slightly over-the-top Lego storage system in place). The boys will often create their own games and run around the house like little madmen. I usually have no idea what they’re shouting about, but it appears to be fun and is quick to clean up.
Simple crafting/cutting
We have a drawer in our house dedicated to the non-messy craft activities. Each of the boys has a tub for things that are ‘theirs’ and the rest of the drawer is for shared items. We keep pencil cases, stickers, post-it notes, colouring in pages, Woolworths/Coles magazines, scissors and glue inside. Not too much of anything – it has to be easy enough for the boys to pack away in a hurry and minimalist enough for me to avoid anxiety when I open the drawer.
Jigsaw puzzles – screen-free problem solving, learning and fun
I love a jigsaw puzzle that’s also an educational tool. One of my all-time favourites is this 36-piece 1-2-3 floor puzzle. It’s been great for learning numbers, animals and developing fine motor skills. Charlie enjoyed it for years, first with a parent and then by himself, racing to see how quickly he could do it. It’s still in great condition and has been passed on to a friend. We also have an awesome map of the world puzzle that has resulted in Alfie having a better grasp of geography than I do.
As the boys get older, we’ve realised that when it comes to morning play, less is definitely more. Fewer toys mean less mess, having fewer choices reduces decision fatigue, and focused activities lead to deeper engagement. If you’re struggling with long mornings, try introducing one or two of these screen-free activities and see what works for your family; sometimes, the simplest solutions make the biggest difference.
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