Screen Free Activities for 2 Year Olds
The best screen free activities for 2 year olds are simple games and activities that you can do anywhere. You will be surprised just how long the attention span of a 2 year old can be without screens!
Popular screen free activities
Painting
Duplo
Colouring
Sticker books
Gardening
Baking
Going to the park to play or see the ducks
Beach day
Housework - helping you with chores
Reading books
Playing with toys but importantly . . . with YOU joining in
It’s the engagement that children are looking for, not a specific game or activity. Basically anything is fun when mum or dad joins in. Sure, there are somethings that your toddler will prefer more than others but you really can keep it simple.
There’s no need to overload your child with too many options.
Free play as one of the most beneficial things we can offer our children in order to develop their brains.
Screen free activities for 2 year olds depending on the child
Sticker books - My daughter loved sticker books from the age of 18 months
Duplo - My second daughter played with duplo from as young as 6 months (she would lay on the carpet and hold the duplo and watch her sister build)
Musical instruments might be funner for your child if they like to make noise
Or cutting fruit and vegetable (wooden of course!) if they are very physical
Every toddler likes different things but I’m willing to bet … you won’t have to put in as much thought to screen free activities for 2 year olds as you think.
Essentially, your child only wants a few things from an activity.
What does your 2 year old want?
Engagement and praise from you
An activity that challenges them like stickers or duplo - both excellent for dexterity which can help with handwriting and drawing as they get older
Copying you or Dad - kitchen, cleaning, a specific job that you may do
Books are always amazing because they tell a story (which is kind of obvious I know but it’s the surprises of the twists and turns) and they have beautiful pictures that prove to be super entertaining always
If your toddler is way more high maintenance than a simple sticker book and you are thinking WHAT?! There’s no way they’ll be happy then there’s only one answer for it. You need to be getting to the park every day. Your child needs a long walk and lots of outdoor time and running about.
It’s an adult myth that a child needs to be busy.
For a 2 year old, the world is their busy!
A child is happy to explore and observe everything that is going on. Remember the less time spent in structured classes or activities, the better. It can be nice to take your child to a swimming class or gymborree but try to limit classes like this to once a week at the age of two years old.
And the same with activities at home.
Sure, try out that pinterest amazing activity idea but be relaxed with it and understand that your toddler may wander off and that’s OK. The best time spent at this age is playing with your child and reading to them.
They need as much free time as possible.
It has been proven that the more imaginative play a child enjoys and the less structured activities they experience the better their self directed executive functioning.
What is executive functioning?
Executive functions (EFs) are the control processes from our own brains that regulate thought and action. EFs support the ability to plan and make decisions, manipulate and use information in their memory, stop unwanted thoughts, feelings, and actions, and shift from one task to another.
Basically, your child needs plenty of time to develop this skills and they do not need any screen time.
So, why are screens so bad for 2 year olds?
Studies have shown that the more screen time a child gets the worse they perform academically later in life
Language development
Obesity
Sleep disorders
Mental health conditions including depression and anxiety
Obstruct the ability to interpret emotions, fuelling aggressive conduct
Why are screens so addictive?
Screens offer continuous stimulation
They give your child a dopamine fix which is as addictive as cocaine!!!
Your two year old will get a dopamine fix from screens because they’ll get rewarded when something goes right in their game or on their video.
So, can you create a natural dopamine fix instead for your child?
The short answer is, yes you can! Certain foods will release dopamine and relaxing activities which make your child feel happy like reading with you, playing, laughing, recieiving praise and direct eye contact will also release dopamine.
You do not need to be a professional children’s entertainer. You just need to be you.
Screens are becoming an ever increasing part of all of our lives. It’s happened so quickly over the last few years that few of us are stopping to question it.
However, when my daughter was born I knew phones were bad.
At the time, I couldn’t explain why.
If I used FaceTime, I felt bad and texting on my phone while my daughter was breastfeeding felt wrong too.
The truth is, on top of all the terrible social and mental dangers, your phone is emitting EMFs.
EMFs are electro magnetic fields and they have been directly linked with cancer.
The closer a phone is to your head, the bigger the danger.
So, the last thing a newborn pure baby wants is a phone practically on their head during breastfeeding.
Eliminate all phones during the first year of your baby’s life.
Get in the habit of going on your phone when your baby is safely asleep in their cot.
If you’re feeling terrible right now, because somehow phones snuck their way into your life, don’t worry!
We’ve all been there.
We were screen free for the first 30 months (2.5 years) of our daughter’s life and suddenly at three and one years old they were watching 15 – 20 minutes of TV every morning, at least one facetime call, maybe photo browsing on the phone with me and watching Youtube for 10 – 20 minutes on a long car journey or plane.
That may sound minimal but for someone who was supposed to be screen free that isn’t great!
Once you let a few minutes of screens into your life, it’s a slippery slope.
The screen time will keep increasing until 10 minutes has become an hour.
Think about it.
Did you have screens when you were younger?
No. None of us did. And while we can speculate how terrible the consequences will be for a child who has NEVER NOT had screens, ultimately we won’t know the full extent until it is too late.
And, why would screens be good anyway?
Any mention of screens being educational or a learning aid are cancelled out by the negative impact screens have on children learning to talk, harnessing their emotions and performing academically later in life.
I would go as far to say that there are no benefits of screen time for your child.
Screens hurt your eyes
Have been connected to various cancers
Are addictive, particularly for children
And by giving your child a screen, you are creating boredom.
You are saying when you have nothing to do, don’t rely on yourself to dream up something fun.
Don’t ever think that YOU could solve this by coming up with an amazing game out of your imagination. Instead, here’s a screen!
A screen which promotes depression and isolation is not the answer to anything.
The good news is, if you’re reading this blog post your child will only be two years old. This is IDEAL!
Put aside any guilt you have about bad screen habits or mistakes you may have made and read the below steps.
You didn’t know how bad screen time was for your 2 year old until now. And the most perfect thing is, you can make instant changes which will benefit your child for ever.
How do you get rid of screens completely?
Sure, your child can talk and potentially even negotiate already.
If you get rid of screens right now, your toddler will probably have a tantrum about not having screens, especially if screens are currently a big part of their life.
BUT, the tantrums will only last a few days and then they’ll forget and move on. And you will have avoided all the terrible health risks and detrimental effects of screens which will come later in life and right now.
Amazing Tips for a Successful Screen Free Transition
1. Expect the best – sure I mentioned that there may be tantrums but don’t anticipate that. Imagine it’s going to go really well. You don’t need to introduce being screen free as a bad thing or even introduce it at all. Just wake up in the morning and do it
2. Switch breakfast to a different room. Do a puppet show instead of TV (go on! just once!)
3. After breakfast - play. Make an effort to join in with your child’s games and have fun together. Great alternatives to screens are: duplo, puzzles and books and painting. Remember the more you join in, the more engaged your child will be
4. If your two year old brings up the idea of screens you can say oh yeah that’s fun isn’t it? I love doing this too, though. Look, this is my favourite book. And then read it to them – so, you are keeping the conversation light and fun while distracting them with something else they love to do. Avoid saying NO or telling them off as this is when it becomes not fun and they will get upset
5. Make sure all screens are out of sight. Have a clear reason why this is not happening if you keep getting asked you can say: We’re not switching screens on today. Let’s do this instead
6. Keep having fun and doing nice things – after a week your child will be onto more activities and have lost interest in screens. It happens much more quickly than you will expect. Remember, YOU introduced screens, so you can eliminate them.
7. You will probably find that a screen free child needs you more, but . . . so what? We didn’t begin parenting to have an easy ride. Parenting can be super fun and rewarding but it’s not always easy and that’s OK. Just because your child is not bothering you and is being quiet while on a screen, doesn’t mean that’s a good thing. It’s a bad thing. Every time your child asks you for something or needs you, your bond strengthens.
They are relying on you and themselves for fun instead of a screen.
It’s a far less lonely life.
What would you prefer?
An hour of peace now or a lifetime of bad mental health and lack of imagination and self-confidence for your child?
The best thing about your toddler being two years old is, as much as you think routines with screens are ingrained in their life, you can genuinely make the change so quickly.
When is a good time to get rid of screens?
A good time to remove all screens is when your child’s routine is changing.
Perhaps, you are going on holiday. Use this opportunity to eliminate all screens. It’s easy on holiday to get rid of screens because your routine is different anyway. You can say the TV doesn’t work and obviously make sure you don’t bring a tablet or anything like that. Leave al[l devices at home.
Here are some simple rules to ensure going screen free goes to plan
You do it too. Don’t go on any screens, even your phone. Challenge yourself to only go on your phone when your babies are asleep. It’s relatively easy not to watch the TV when your child is awake but phones are more addictive. In order to get through this, buy a watch so you don’t need your phone for the time and you could even buy a camera so you’re not taking photos with your phone
NOTE: If you absolutely have to use your phone, don’t interrupt what you and your child are doing. When there’s a natural lull - say: I’m going on my phone to do some work for ten minutes now and then I will be finished for the day. Or: I just need to message Daddy about the shopping and then I will put my phone away. Be very clear about what you are doing. Phones can be useful but they should never take priority over a person who is in front of you.
Stick to it. You can’t go back. The reason why tantrums happen is because you have said no screens and then perhaps you are on a plane or trying to have a meal and you’ve brought out the ipad or phone again to distract your kids. That’s confusing. It has to be one rule and that’s it. Otherwise your child will understand that there is a possibility of screens and perhaps if they protest enough they will get one.
Discuss with your partner and yourself before you begin. What do you really want? If you only want to reduce screen time then decide how many minutes you will allow your children a day and stick to it. If you want to eliminate all screen time then make the decision and don’t ever go back on your word.
Be prepared to be bothered. Ipads and phones can often be a simple way out for parents. It gives us time to relax and means your child is quiet. However, long-term that isn’t good. So, every time you think WOW I am so tired I could really do with some help from a screen right now . . . STOP. It is worth it. I promise. When your children are 6 and 8 everything will get easier and they will become so self- contained and happy.
Even now my children are 4 and 6 and everything is easier. They play together for hours and all I am needed for is as a kind of referee to sort out arguments. I also read a lot and we do a lot of drawing (I have my own notebook) I find this encourages the girls to do the same.
Perhaps it is more challenging to have boys who are screen free but I know many parents who would beg to differ - it’s not about gender, it’s about each individual child’s temperament.
Children do not need to be entertained - they just want to be with you.
When you engage properly and chat to them like your little friend, they are happy. It’s when children are being ignored that they get naughty or seem antsy.
They don’t need an endless list of activities or a timetable - they just want to be loved and to explore the world with you.
• A walk in the park - point out the ducks, hell point out a packet of crisps on the floor - they just love having a look about with you
• Housework or daily chores - your child can help. They’ll love the responsibility
• Read a book - there are so many amazing books out there
• Drawing and painting - nothing special. Just get some pencils and paper but the most important thing is do it with them. Everything is interesting when someone you love is doing it with you
• Sticker books - stickers are another level of fun
• Beach day - if you are lucky to live near the beach there is endless fun available - sandcastles, paddling, hole digging, etc
• Duplo (read my non toxic blog post if you’re worried about this specific toy.) While duplo has now been banned from our house because of the chemicals we absolutely loved this toy before we realised. Amazing for building and creates such a big scope for fun. Build with your child!
Most activities involve YOU.
And there’s the truth right there. You don’t need a complicated activity or expensive equipment or toys, you just need engagement from you. When you show interest and take the time to be with your child and truly engage, they’re happy, they’ll have a far longer attention span and you’ll find, long-term the experience of playing is more peaceful and definitely more concentrated.
If you’re not interested or wander off, they’ll simply follow you.
Another ideas is to keep the play to one room as this means it is far easier for you to look after your toddler, you avoid dangerous rooms like the kitchen and you encourage your child to remain focused for longer.
Often, the more toys and activities, the more distraction and the shorter your child’s attention span.
An action plan for screen free activities for 2 year olds
Get all screens out of sight
Use it as a digital detox for yourself too
Be bothered - join in with games
Engage and spend a fun day with your child doing normal everyday things
Take your child to the park
Do lots of reading and drawing
Happy playing and good luck being screen free! It’s the best decision you have ever made.