One of the best ways to reduce screen time for kids is to replace their tech time with great books and imaginative play, but for kids who are used to a lot of time on devices, free play can be a struggle.
As a mom of four, I have found that my children are a lot more willing to play independently after they have been inspired by a great story. Below I will share a list of some of the best picture books for children, along with simple screen free activities to go with these must reads. Many of these are kindergarten picture books, but kids younger and older will appreciate these lovely stories.
I am a grown up and I still do!
Book List & Activity Ideas
(These are stories that have ignited my own kids’ imaginations and inspired them to entertain themselves for hours without screens.)
Must Read: Christina Katerina & The Box by Patricia Lee Gauch
This kindergarten picture book is a hoot. Christina and her friend, Fats Watson, will leave your children inspired to play for hours on end in the front yard.
Screen Free Activity Ideas:
Have your children ever been more excited to play with the box a gift came in than the gift itself? Mine sure have. That is the spirit of this hilarious story. Children don’t need much to entertain themselves.
Provide your kids with empty boxes, markers, and plenty of time to create! Watch from a distance as your children make a ship, palace, or race car just like Christina did. Make the story come alive by encouraging your kids to play with their boxes underneath a tree in your yard just like the characters in this picture book did.
Must Read: Alfie’s Feet by Shirley Hughes
Oh how I love all of the Alfie stories. Anything by Shirley Hughes delights my children. Her stories are warm and cozy. Also, her stories are longer than your typical kindergarten picture book. Shirley Hughes does not dumb down her language for children. Instead, she treats them as the smart, capable humans they are through her exquisite writing. This author has an absolute gift for turning ordinary life circumstances into page turners for children.
Super Simple Free Play Ideas:
Zip your children into ponchos and squeaky boots. Provide umbrellas, watering cans, and a plastic toy boat. Let them sail their boat and splash around in puddles on a rainy day.
Must Read: Little Nino’s Pizzeria by Karen Barbour
This is a lovely little preschool picture book about a family that learns the grass is not always greener on the other side. The father in this story teaches us a valuable lesson through his actions: the simple things in life can bring more joy than great riches.
Screen Time Alternatives For Kids:
Let your children make a play dough pizza with all the colored toppings! I like to set my kids up on our front porch for play dough time. This way, they enjoy the fresh breeze and birds chirping while I enjoy a mess-free dining room table and a short mom break.
If you are prepared to do a more mom intensive, hands-on screen free activity, make a real pizza from scratch with your children for supper. Or, better yet, grab a pre-made crust and have a Make-Your-Own pizza bar with various toppings lined up on the kitchen counter.
Need help reducing screen time for your kids so they can enjoy reading again? Start here:
Must Read: The Three Bears by Paul Galdone
The Three Bears is a classic story that has been retold many ways by many different authors, but none do it justice quite like Paul Galdone. His illustrations are a bit zany and his pace is just right.
Alternatives To Screen Time For Kids:
Purchase magnetic dress up bears online and watch your child entertain themselves while you read aloud this beloved classic. Magnetic dress up characters are a great independent play activity for kids. Just make sure your children are at the appropriate age and maturity level to not put any of the small parts in their mouth.
Another idea you could try after reading The Three Bears is to host a Teddy Bear Tea Party for lunch. Feed your kids porridge (oatmeal) and gather ‘round their favorite bears and stuffies. You can do this as a bonding activity with you and your children alone or you can invite friends to bring over their very own stuffed animals for a playdate.
Must Read: The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone
This charming children’s book is another Paul Galdone favorite in our household. You are left on the edge of your seat, weary of the big wolf as you root for little pig. This story is a must have for any elementary bookshelf.
Screen Free Activity for Kids:
At one point in this story, little pig goes apple picking. Grab a bag of apples from the market and hide them all around your house. Give your kids a basket, set a timer, and have them find as many as they can in a short period of time.
Bonus mom points if you blindfold your children and lead them on an outdoor apple scavenger hunt in your backyard.
If you are up for a day on the town and this fruit is in season where you live, take your little people apple pickin’ at a real farm, just like little pig in this lovely picture book.
Must Read: Amber on the Mountain by Tony Johnston
What child doesn’t love a nostalgic story about the good old days? This lovely story is a peak into the olden days where the pace of life was slow and simple things were entertainment enough for both children and adults.
The young girls in this book play freely outdoors, read fairytales, and write letters by hand. With the hurried pace of life many of us are living today, I love the simplicity displayed in Amber’s story. This book is an invitation to cuddle your kindergartner close and reflect on what truly matters in life: relationships with those you love.
Simple Activities for Kids:
Give your older child a pencil and some stationary. Let them spend the afternoon penning handwritten letters to friends and family. Allow them to seal their envelope with a sticker and a stamp and place it in the mailbox themselves.
Letter writing is an art that our generation should work hard to prevent from dying out. With the ability to text, call, and video chat at the push of a button, communication is losing the specialness it once had. Let’s teach our children the art of letter writing where we can read between the lines and savor the words of another, as well as the art of having people into our homes for face to face communication where we can decipher things like body language and tone that don’t transfer well over a social media comment or text message.
If you have a younger child who is not quite ready for writing yet, work on teaching them phonetic sounds and easy CVC words just like Anna did for Amber in the story. What a special friend Anna was. She took the time to teach Amber to read. Amber worked diligently on this new skill, practiced, and in time, things clicked. Encourage your young reader through short and gentle lessons like Anna did.
There are also a lot of farm animals in this book. Provide some barnyard puzzles for your children to work on after you read this story together. Choose a puzzle that matches your unique child’s ability but still challenges them. For preschoolers, provide farm stickers and construction paper or a farm animal themed coloring book after reading this delightful story.
Need help making reading fun for your child? Read this post:
Must Read: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
This medium to long elementary picture book is a hilarious tale that will bring a smile and sense of wonder to your child’s face. My children have all gotten a kick out of this fantastical story.
Screen Free Activities For Children:
Get out the play dough noodle maker and let your kids make pretend spaghetti and meatballs.
Provide a watering can for your child’s outdoor mud kitchen and let them make “meatballs” out of wet dirt.
Make some space in your evening for a little Screen Free Hospitality. Invite another family over for meatballs and bored games. Include your child in preparing the meal. Fresh or frozen. It doesn’t matter.
What matters is that your kiddos are unplugged from the virtual world and plugged in to what truly matters.
Your kids will be making special connections between this book and the memories they made with you for years to come.
Must Read: Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty
I love this fast paced story about an imaginative boy and his lion. If you have a reluctant reader, this is a great book to get your son excited about read aloud time. He will admire the character and appreciate the fast moving storyline.
Screen Time Alternatives For Kids:
Provide your kids with toy animals and let them create their own jungle in the grass. Dollar Tree and Walmart both have nice selections of these types of toys for cheap. Be sure to provide a lion so that their imaginations can run wild, just like Andy’s did in the book.
If you are up for an outing, take your child on a trip to library to pick out a stack of great animal books.
Print a coloring page of a lion and allow your child to paint it with water colors beneath the shade of a nice tree.
Must Read: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
Boys and girls alike will enjoy this clever elementary picture book. Though there aren’t a lot of words on each page, you will move through this book slowly as you savor the marvelous illustrations and take in the quirky characters.
Fine Motor Activities for Kids:
If you know how to knit, grab your gear and give your children a knitting lesson. If not, find someone in your life who would be willing to spend an afternoon teaching your kids the basics.
For me, this was my husband’s grandmother. She taught our oldest daughter to knit when she was around 6 years old. We built on top of the lessons that “Mom Mom” provided by taking our daughter to a specialty yarn shop and purchasing a few extra knitting lessons there. Now, our 8 year old can knit pretty well. She practices on an almost daily basis while listening to delightful stories read aloud.
Knitting has become a relaxing screen free activity for her.
The more that kids are scrolling on tech today, the less they are working with their hands and exercising the fine motor skills that are crucial to child development. To combat this problem, consider reducing screen time for your kids and requiring hands-on activities instead.
Here are some unique ideas to get kids off screens and strengthen their fine motor skills…
- Stringing beads to make bracelets and necklaces
- Kneading dough and learning to make bread
- Working with dough to bake homemade cookies
- Lacing a shoe lace through preschool lacing cards
- Using tweezers to sort colorful shapes
- Practicing cursive or calligraphy
- Writing and drawing
- Squeezing stress balls
- Playdough molding
- Working with clay
- Braiding doll’s hair
- Knitting
- Sewing
- Crocheting
- Cross Stitching
Must Read: If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
My son loves this kindergarten picture book! Get your little guy’s wheels turning (pun intended) as the main character dreams up the most epic automobile he can.
Simple Activities for Kids:
Let your little people get out all of their toy trucks and cars and have a race down the sidewalk after reading this delightful picture book.
Provide your kids with some sketch paper and a few markers. Encourage them to design their own automobile.
Challenge them to bring their design to life.
Give them crafting supplies and allow them to cut up scraps of old fabric and cardboard boxes.
See what they come up with for an imaginative car of their own, just like in the picture book.
As a homeschooling mom of four, I consider it my job to provide my children with delightful reads on a daily basis. Reading together has been some one of the best uses of our time. I have watched my little ones flourish and develop a love of reading as we have turned the pages of beautiful picture books together on our couch day after day, year after year.
I absolutely love reading to my children! But, as a low-tech mom who also needs a break sometimes, I choose books carefully that will spur my children on to independent play. The books on this list have done just that. All the stories listed above have been win-wins for me as a mom. I’ve gotten to snuggle up and enjoy quality time with my children over them but then I’ve also been able to cut my kids loose to enjoy simple screen free activities after we were finished reading.
Leave a comment below and share your favorite book to read to your children.
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