Screen-Free Activities to Do with your Kids in the Quinte Area
Crafts and Indoor Activities for Kids Without the Use of a Computer or Tablet
Now that the holiday festivities are behind us, we find ourselves in the dead of winter. A looming question for most parents these days is “what can we do to keep our children busy and engaged without the presence of a screen?”
One of the many benefits of living in the Quinte area is the abundance of outdoor activities to do as a family. However, with ski-hills closed due to the Ontario-wide shutdown and inconsistent availability of outdoor skating rinks due to weather, our options to encourage screen-free time is trying.
At Living with Kids, we have put together some resources that can provide offline activity ideas for your children. Spend some quality time printing, cutting, gluing and laughing and the winter blues will make way for the spring flowers sooner than you know it!
Arts & Crafts with McMichael’s ArtVenture Online series
Creating art is always a good way to bond with your children. Head over to McMichael Canadian Art Collection website for their ArtVenture Online series. You’ll find downloadable step-by-step art ideas and instructions with a materials list required for each activity. Select from different age categories that best suits your children’s level. To download the step-by-step instructions, go to https://mcmichael.com/artventure-online/.
Reading Log at Quinte West Public Library
Participate in the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program! Register at Quinte West Public Library and receive your keepsake reading log. Track your reading each time you read a book to your child. Receive a sticker and collect prizes when you hit the reading milestones! Contactless pickup of books available by appointment. For more information, visit: https://www.library.quintewest.ca/en/kids-teens/kids-online-programming.asp
Take Home Activity Kits at Belleville Library
Between now to February 27, stop by Belleville Library and curbside pick up your weekly activity kits. Registration is not required, and each kit includes a craft, an outdoor activity, colouring pages and for older kids, a STEAM activity too! For a list of weekly themes, visit: https://bellevillelibrary.ca/fall-take-home-kits.php
County of Prince Edward Public Library offers 9 different discovery kids for children to learn new skills and learn STEAM along the way. Head over to https://www.peclibrary.org/discovery-kits/ and click on a kit to place your hold.
Explore Science at Home
It is never too early to teach children science. Nurture a budding scientist through experiments and DIY activities. Learn about gravity, outer space, chemistry and much more with 26 carefully curated activities appropriate for most ages at https://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/science-at-home/diy-science-fun
You can also check out this list of science experiments for kids, such as creating animated stick figures with dry erase at https://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/
Most children are picky eaters. Fruits and veggies may not be their preferred choice of food but as parents, we need to coax them to eat it one way or another. Why not make it into an activity and create masterpieces with your little ones using these unwelcomed ingredients? The outcome maybe too cute not to eat! Check out food art ideas at
https://supersimple.com/article/make-food-fun-for-kids-with-food-art/
First Palette provides printable templates and instructions for winter-themed crafts like 3-D Paper Snowflake, Frozen Princess Crown, Snowflake Window Clings and other fun projects for kids. Go to https://www.firstpalette.com/craft-theme/winter.html to get instructions or download templates.
Going Outside for Walks and Hikes
Regular exercise and fresh air are important for the wellbeing of both children and parents. Schedule daily walks around your neighborhood or find some hiking trails in your area to keep you and your child active. For a list of hiking places in the Quinte area, check out https://bayofquinte.ca/tourism/take-a-hike-bay-of-quinte/
After spending time offline, a return to the computer screen is inevitable. Feel free to check out a previous article where we outlined some online classes and activities available to children in the Quinte area.
