Unplugged Play: 10 Toys To Reduce Kids Screen Time

It’s no secret that kids are spending more time in front of screens than ever before, and, as parents, it’s good to know what this means for our youngsters. We’ve all heard that too much screen time can have negative effects on children’s development, but how? We answer your screen time FAQs and reveal 10 toys that’ll encourage your littlen to switch off for some unplugged play. 

How To Reduce Screen Time

Learn how to spot the symptoms of excessive screen use and explore how much screen time is healthy to get a clearer idea of how you want to set up screen time limits in your home. 

Why should kids not have screen time?

Studies show that too much screen time for kids can harm their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, and negatively impact their brain development. It has been linked to disrupted sleep patterns, decreased physical activity, concentration difficulties, and impaired social skills due to reduced face-to-face interactions.

What are the symptoms of too much screen time?

Too much screen time symptoms: look for signs indicating irritability, mood swings, fatigue, headaches, eye strain, light sensitivity, poor posture, difficulty concentrating, and social anxiety. Recognising these symptoms early on can help parents intervene and encourage more balanced screen habits going forward. 

What are the screen time recommendations by age?

According to the World Health Organisation’s guidelines, no screen time is recommended for babies and toddlers aged 0-2 years old, up to 1 hour a day for children aged 2-5 years, and no more than 2 hours a day for 5+ year olds. For more information on this, check out our screen time recommendations by age chart.

Recommended Screen Time By Age:

How do I reduce screen time with my child?

Here are some quick and easy tips for reducing your child’s screen time: 

• Establish screen free zones & times (such as the dinner table at mealtimes)
• Put your phone down and lead by example by practising healthy screen habits 
• Schedule time for active play 
• Set up a screen free routine, so your kids know when they’ll be expected to switch off
• Plan unplugged play alternatives such as arts & crafts or outdoor games
• Turn off background TV
• Listen to an audiobook together instead
• Set up a Wifi schedule and shut off your connection at an agreed time each night
• Co-view (when you can) to turn the experience into a family bonding activity 

What is parental co-viewing? 

Parental co-viewing refers to the practice of parents watching programmes with their children, rather than kids watching these alone. This is a healthier approach to screen time as it allows parents to open up meaningful conversations around the themes, characters, and messages portrayed in the children’s programmes they’re viewing. Promoting responsible screen use, co-viewing also provides an opportunity for parents to monitor their child’s screen time and the content they’re exposed to. 

10 Screen Free Toys For Kids

Restricting screen time is much easier when you have a collection of attention-grabbing toys, games, puzzles, and crafts to tempt youngsters away from their screens to enjoy some present-moment play.

1. Floor Puzzles

Floor puzzles are an interactive, immersive, and hands-on activity, making them an excellent alternative to screen time. We have a fabulous range of wooden floor puzzles for every interest, including space, safari, dinosaur, fantasy, and farmyard. 

2. Ride On Toys

As well as motivating physical exercise, ride on toys fuel ideas for imaginative play as kids embark on adventures around the house or garden. Browse our eclectic collection of ride on cars, ride on animals, toddler trikes, and balance bikes to find the right set of wheels for your little learner driver. 

3. Creative Crafts 

Arts and crafts are the ultimate mindfulness activity, inviting kiddies to unleash their creativity and focus on the present moment. Our collection of kids crafts includes Tiger Tribe’s all-in-one craft sets, teaching arty youngsters how to draw, colour, paint, make jewellery, and more, alongside MakeDo’s inventive cardboard construction kits. 

4. Wooden Train Sets

Keep screen time at bay with a traditional wooden train set! There’s something about train sets that have captivated kids for generations, and we have an impressive range of themed railway toys for every train enthusiast - including our brand new Wild West and Fun Fair train sets! 

5. Kids Garden Toys

Contrary to screen time, garden toys can improve children’s mood, physical fitness, and sensory development. Inspiring curiosity and discovery of the natural world, our gardening toys feature sustainable silicone buckets, watering cans, and sand moulds, alongside kids garden tools and bug explorer sets.

6. Pretend Play Sets

Step away from the screen and into new imaginative worlds with our pretend play toys. Kiddos can cook up a feast in our Simply Scandi Kitchen, nurse teddies back to health in our Doctor Dress Up Set, or dig into some DIY with our Kids Tool Bench - sized for tiny tradespeople! 

7. Outdoor Games

Gather the troops for some friendly family competitions and playground games! Try for a hole-in-one with our mini Crazy Golf Set or challenge each other to a game of Garden Croquet. Outdoor games promote active play and social interaction, which are essential for children’s physical, cognitive, and holistic development. 

8. Animal Figures

Animal toys and figures set the scene for storytelling, engrossing young safari rangers in imaginative screen free play. From pets to prehistoric mammals, we have a collection of 700+ realistic animal and dinosaur figurines crafted by CollectA, the world’s biggest manufacturer of toy animal figures. 

9. Brain-Teasers

Get little minds racing with a classic game of Codebreaker, Solitaire, or Ludo! Brain-boosting puzzles and educational games promise hours of screen free fun and teach kids about problem-solving, logical reasoning, strategic thinking, and decision-making. 

10. Fidget Toys

Sometimes the best way to limit screen time is to give your littlen something else to keep their hands busy. Fidget toys are perfect for this, calming kids’ restless energy and relieving boredom. Try some of NeeDoh’s TikTok-trending fidget toys for the ultimate sensory squish! 

Share Your Hints & Tips

Have you got any unplugged play ideas or helpful screen free hacks? Let us know! Share your ideas with us over on Instagram, tagging @bigjigstoys.