According to data from the CDC and the 2025 Common Sense Census, kids between 5 and 10 years old spend, on average, 3 to 6 hours a day in front of a screen. Whether they’re playing games on a tablet or phone, watching movies, or simply learning, a modern device is usually the tool that delivers the information.
Research shows that too much time in front of fast-paced media (short-form video, rapid-action games, etc.) overstimulates the nervous system. This can lead to emotional dysregulation, irritability, or severe meltdowns. Additionally, the blue light from screens affects a child’s sleep quality.
As parents and guardians, it is our job to help children live as screen-free as possible, while also enjoying play and discovery in the real world. The best way to do that is to create setups that tickle kids’ curiosity and sense of exploration. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas:
1. A Dedicated Fort Build Area
Building a fort out of pillows, sheets, furniture, and covers is an experience that children and adults can enjoy together. It’s also great stimulation for a kid’s sense of spatial awareness and design, so why not create a dedicated area just for that?
Ideally, it should be a safe, low-traffic nook near a supportive piece of furniture like a couch, sturdy table, or heavy chairs. You’ll also need breathable bedsheets or thin covers, a few pillows and a fluffy rug. If you’re new to this, learning how to build a fort is easy and lots of fun.
2. The Movement Zone
Children don’t know how to self-regulate using breathing techniques or meditation. But they can burn all that extra energy through physical movement. They run, tumble, play with their siblings and parents, and jump around until they fall asleep.
To make sure they can move to their heart’s content without causing any trouble (for the furniture or for themselves), parents can set up a dedicated movement zone with soft, bouncy surfaces.
Modular kids play couches for home use can also take different shapes depending on how the kids want to play on different occasions. These are durable and easy to store away after a session of games and roughhousing.
3. Create a Calm-Down Cave
Sometimes, despite your best efforts and all the digital safety methods, your kids do spend too much time on screens and get overwhelmed. When that happens, they may need a quiet, enclosed place to retreat to for a while.
This so-called calm-down cave can be anything: a small pop-up tent, closet nook, or draped table. You can also add a few self-regulation tools like noise-canceling headphones, tactile fidgets, a weighted lap pad, feelings charts, or slow-breathing visual cards.
Keep the space clutter-free and line the floor with cushions, a weighted blanket, or heavy pillows for deep pressure input.
4. The Creative Tinkering Mat
This is a designated, low-mess space designed to encourage kids to engage in open-ended engineering, fine-motor experimentation, and spatial reasoning through play. The mat can be anything from a large silicone baking mat to an old yoga mat. Its role is to define the play surface and prevent items from rolling away.
Next to the mat, place a box with all sorts of items like Lego bricks, connectors, rubber bands, wooden blocks, playdough, etc. For older kids (ages 5 and up), you can add small plastic gears, nuts and bolts, wooden spools, metal washers, string, or horseshoe magnets.
Less Screens, More Play
Our kids’ neurological, sensory, and social development depends on physical interactions that 2D media cannot replicate. They need to interact with the real world and other kids to develop the skills and mechanisms needed for day-to-day life. So, let’s find more creative ways to invite them to play without screens!
