Screen-free Fun

Fight back against boredom and keep your kids busy and entertained—without staring at a screen—with this handy collection of family activities ranging from DIY projects to outdoor adventures to easy daytrips.

While technology often offers a quick and easy parenting solution to keep children entertained, too much screen time can negatively affect developmental and social skills, and even lead back to the original problem—boredom.

Screen-Free Fun offers over 400 ideas to disconnect from tech devices and reconnect with our families in a healthier way. You and your child can pick from DIY activities to games to weekend outings. Since many of the activities work well for kids at various ages, your family will be able to grow along with the different projects and make plans for both younger and older siblings alike. You can try indoor projects like homemade slime, outdoor activities like building a fort, or learn more about your favorite destinations with activities like a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood or an i-spy game at the zoo. There is also space for your family to add your own favorite activities so you never forget a great idea or memory! From summer vacation to holiday breaks and every rainy day in between, with this book you and your family will always have something fun to do together—without ever having to resort to a tablet, phone, or computer.

Shannon Philpott-Sanders has written extensively about the joys of parenting for local and national newspapers and magazines throughout her fifteen-year career as a freelance journalist. A mother of two, she has dedicated herself to becoming a lifelong learner when it comes to parenting her son and daughter who are now in their late teens.

A graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Philpott-Sanders holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in English. When she is not writing and offering tips for fun-filled experiences with children, she serves as an associate professor of English at St. Louis Community College – Meramec and advises the student-run newspaper. She also writes on her website, ShannonPhilpott.com.