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Screen free play ideas
Real, hands on things to do with what you already have in the house. Every idea is screen free, tied to one of our weekly themes, and written for children aged 4 to 11. Pick an age and the weather outside your window.
17 ideas for age 10 to 11, outdoor
Pond dipping with a washing up bowl
Scoop a little pond life into a shallow bowl, watch it closely, then put every creature back exactly where it came from.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Puddle depth survey
Measure the puddles on your street with a stick and a ruler, then predict which will vanish first.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorRainy day
Make a rain gauge
Turn a plastic bottle into a rain gauge, then keep a week of readings on the kitchen wall.
7 to 910 to 11Rainy dayOutdoor
Stick and stone sundial
Plant a stick, mark the shadow every hour with a stone, and tell the time without a clock.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Garden sound map
Sit still for five minutes, mark every sound on a map and discover how loud quiet really is.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Stone skimming and angles
Skim stones, count the bounces, then work out which angle and which stone wins.
10 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Map your walk from memory
Walk a familiar route, come home, and draw it from memory before checking against a real map.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorIndoor
Measure a tree with a hug
Use arms, string and steps to work out which tree in your street is the oldest.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11Outdoor
Moon diary for a month
Draw the moon at the same time each evening and watch a pattern appear over four weeks.
7 to 910 to 11Outdoor
Frozen bubble hunt
On a freezing morning, blow bubbles outside and watch crystals grow across them before they pop.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11Outdoor
Patterns in the fruit bowl
Count petals, seed spirals and pine cone rows and find the same number pattern over and over.
10 to 11IndoorOutdoor
Timetable treasure trip
Plan a bus or train trip together using a real timetable, then follow the plan for the afternoon.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorRainy day
Bee cafe and pollinator count
Plant or place a few flowering pots, then sit still for ten minutes and count every visitor.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Bottle siphon water play
Use two bottles and a length of tube to move water uphill, then work out how it happens.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Stick race and river map
Race sticks under a bridge, then draw a map of the stream showing where the water runs fastest.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11Outdoor
Tide line survey
Walk the strand line with two bags and sort what the sea brought in from what people left behind.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Blackberry ink and picking rules
Pick late summer blackberries, squash them into ink and write with a feather or a stick.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Want the whole week planned?
Homeschool Club builds your weekly plan around ideas like these, keeps your records for you, and leaves room every day for the Wonder Hour.
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