Screen-Free Summer Activities for Kids UK 2026 | Jaques of L

The six-week holiday arrives with a strange mix of relief and dread. School is out, the house fills up, and by the second week the question repeats itself hourly: what shall we do now?

For generations the answer sat in a cupboard or a shed. A skipping rope, a set of jacks, a board and a pair of dice. We have been making games at Jaques since 1795, and much of what we build today is still cut from FSC-certified timber and tested to UKCA and CE safety standards, so it can be handed down rather than thrown away.

This is a plan for a screen free summer that keeps a five-year-old and a twelve-year-old in the same game, laughing, without a parent refereeing every minute. It starts with understanding what screen-free play really means.

What Is Screen-Free Play and Why Are Parents Talking About It This Summer

Screen-free play is simply play that does not depend on a phone, tablet or television to work. The child supplies the imagination; the game supplies the structure. A board, a bat, a ball, a set of counters.

Parents are talking about it this summer partly because the contrast is so stark. During term time, screens creep into homework, into travel, into the gaps between activities. Six unstructured weeks make that habit visible in a way that busier months hide.

The appeal is not really about banning anything. It is about noticing what fills the day instead. When a child plays a game of draughts or flies a kite, the attention is directed outward, at another person or at the wind, rather than inward at a glowing rectangle.

There is nothing new in this. Children have played the same core games for centuries, and the reasons those games survived are the same reasons they still work. A good game holds attention because it asks something of the player, not because it flashes and rewards.

We have written more fully about the thinking behind this in our piece on 230 years of screen-free play, which traces how little the essentials have changed.

The practical point for the summer is this: screen-free play does not need to be a lecture or a sacrifice. It can simply be the most interesting thing on offer in the room. Set out a game and children tend to gravitate towards it, especially when boredom has done its softening work first.

Why Six Weeks Without Screens Actually Benefits Children of All Ages

Boredom is not the enemy of a good holiday. It is often the beginning of one. A child who runs out of easy entertainment starts inventing, negotiating and building, which is where the real value lies.

For younger children, six weeks of hands-on play supports fine motor control and early counting in a way no swipe screen can. Stacking, threading, rolling dice, moving counters one square at a time; these small physical acts do quiet work.

Older children gain something different. Strategy games ask them to plan ahead, lose gracefully and read another person's intentions. Outdoor games test their bodies and their judgement about risk, which matters more than it sounds.

We explore that last idea in our article on why risk play matters. Climbing a little higher, running a little faster, deciding when to stop; these are lessons a screen cannot teach.

Sleep tends to improve too. Physical days and screen-light evenings settle children more easily than a wound-up scroll before bed. The change is often noticeable within the first fortnight.

Perhaps the largest benefit is shared. When a family plays a board game together, the age gaps that usually divide the household collapse. A grandparent, a parent and a small child can all sit at the same set of our board games and meet as equals for an hour.

None of this requires a rigid regime. It simply requires that the good options are within reach and the easy ones are not. Six weeks is long enough for the habit to take, and long enough for children to remember, later, that the summer they played was a good one.

How to Keep Kids of Different Ages Happily Playing Together All Holiday

Mixing ages is the real puzzle of the summer holiday, and it is easier to solve than most parents fear. The trick is choosing games that flex.

Some games handle age gaps by design. In Snakes and Ladders, a four-year-old and a ten-year-old have exactly the same odds, because the game runs on dice rather than skill. The younger child wins often enough to stay keen.

Other games flex through handicaps. Give the smaller player a head start in a race, a shorter distance in a throwing game, or an extra life in a garden chase. Older children usually accept this readily once you frame it as fairness.

Team games dissolve the problem entirely. Pair a strong reader with a fast runner, or a careful thinker with an eager helper, and the group succeeds together. Rounders, relay races and treasure hunts all work this way.

Let the older ones lead where you can. A twelve-year-old who teaches Nine Men's Morris to a younger sibling learns patience and gains status, and the little one learns from a teacher closer to their own world than any adult.

Rotate between calm and active. A morning outdoors with our outdoor games earns a quieter afternoon over a wooden puzzle, and the rhythm keeps everyone from tipping into overtired squabbles.

Have a few open-ended things too. Our wooden toys and building sets let each child play at their own level in the same room, the older ones constructing something ambitious while the younger ones stack and topple happily beside them.

For a day-by-day framework, our guide on setting up a screen-free summer play routine lays out a practical shape without turning the holiday into a timetable.

25 Traditional Games and Activities Worth Getting Out This Summer

Here are twenty-five games and activities that hold up across a long summer, arranged loosely from garden to table.

Outdoors, start with the classics: rounders, French cricket, skittles, hopscotch chalked onto the patio, and a proper game of tag. Add a skipping rope, a game of catch, and a boules or croquet set for the whole family. Many of these live in our outdoor games.

Then the wind games. Flying our colourful kids kite teaches patience and reading the weather, and a breezy afternoon can vanish happily into it. Bubble-chasing suits the smallest ones alongside.

Conkers belongs on any British list. It has been played here since at least the 1850s, with the first recorded championship held in 1965 at Ashton in Northamptonshire, according to the World Conker Championships. September conkers can be gathered and threaded in late summer.

Set some hunts and races going: a scavenger hunt around the garden, an obstacle course, a wheelbarrow race, and a den-building afternoon with blankets and pegs. More garden ideas sit in our roundup of the best outdoor toys for garden play.

Indoors, reach for the table games. Snakes and Ladders came to Britain from ancient India, where it began as a moral game called Moksha Patam, brought over by the Victorians in the late nineteenth century, per the Victoria and Albert Museum. Add draughts, dominoes, Ludo, Nine Men's Morris, tiddlywinks, jacks, marbles, card games and a jigsaw. Browse our board games and our children's toys for the full set. That is more than enough to see six weeks through without a single screen.

What to Buy, Borrow or Make Before the Six-Week Holiday Starts

Before the holiday starts, take a short inventory. Most homes already own more than they think, buried at the back of a cupboard or under a bed.

Borrow first. Grandparents often have a draughts board, a pack of cards or a jigsaw waiting to be rediscovered. A borrowed game carries a story with it, which children enjoy as much as the game itself.

Make what you can. Chalk hopscotch grids cost nothing. A treasure hunt needs only paper and a little cunning. Skittles can be improvised from bottles, though a proper wooden set lasts far longer and throws truer.

Buy the few things that earn their keep across all ages. A dice game like Snakes and Ladders, a strategy game for the older ones, and something for the garden will cover most days. Our colourful kids kite at a modest price is a reliable all-rounder for a windy afternoon.

Choose things built to survive. Games made from FSC-certified timber and tested to UKCA and CE standards take the knocks of a busy family and pass down to the next child rather than the bin. That is the thinking behind our wooden toys.

If you want a shortlist rather than a whole collection, our guide to the best wooden toys for a screen-free summer narrows it down to the pieces that see the most play.

Set it all somewhere visible and within reach. A basket by the back door, a shelf at child height. The easier the good options are to grab, the sooner the holiday finds its own rhythm.

Frequently Asked Questions About Screen Free Play

What is screen-free play for children?

Screen-free play for children is any recreational activity that does not involve televisions, tablets, smartphones, or computers. It encompasses board games, outdoor pursuits, arts and crafts, imaginative play, and traditional games passed down through generations. Screen-free play encourages children to engage their senses, communicate with others, and develop problem-solving skills without digital mediation. Jaques of London, one of Britain's oldest games manufacturers, has championed this style of play since 1795, offering classic games designed to bring families together away from screens.

What are the benefits of screen-free play for kids?

Screen-free play supports children's physical, social, and cognitive development in ways that passive screen use cannot replicate. It builds concentration, creativity, turn-taking, and resilience. Outdoor and hands-on play develops gross and fine motor skills, whilst board games and card games strengthen numeracy, literacy, and strategic thinking. Playing with others — siblings, cousins, or friends of different ages — builds empathy and communication. Reducing screen time also supports healthier sleep patterns, particularly during the long summer holiday when routines naturally relax.

How do I keep children entertained without screens for six weeks?

Rotating a varied programme of activities prevents boredom across the six-week summer holiday. Alternate outdoor games, creative projects, and board games to suit the weather and energy levels of the day. Build in weekly traditions — a family games evening, a garden tournament, or a craft afternoon — to give children something to anticipate. Stock a games cupboard with options for different group sizes and ages. Traditional games such as Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, and draughts require no preparation and suit spontaneous play whenever children need settling or engaging.

What traditional games can mixed-age groups play together?

Mixed-age groups thrive with games that balance luck and skill, so younger children can compete fairly alongside older ones. Snakes and Ladders — which originated in ancient India as the moral instruction game Moksha Patam before being introduced to Britain by the Victorians in the late 19th century — is ideal, as success depends largely on the dice rather than experience. Ludo, dominoes, and simple card games such as Snap or Go Fish also level the playing field. Outdoors, rounders, French cricket, and skittles allow adults and children to participate together with minimal equipment.

What games are suitable for children aged 3 to 12 playing together?

Games that rely on chance, physical activity, or simple rules work best when children aged 3 to 12 play together. Snakes and Ladders, originally the Indian game Moksha Patam brought to Britain by the Victorians, requires no reading ability and suits very young players alongside older ones. Dominoes develops number recognition for younger children while remaining engaging for older players. Outdoors, duck duck goose, skittles, and hoopla are accessible to all ages. The key is choosing games where older children are not so advantaged that younger ones feel excluded.

How do I get my child off screens during the summer holidays?

A gradual and positive approach works better than abrupt removal. Introduce a daily screen window with clear start and end times, and fill the surrounding hours with appealing alternatives prepared in advance. Let children help choose games and activities from a shortlist so they feel ownership of the plan. Having a well-stocked games cupboard means an engaging alternative is always ready. Joining in yourself makes a significant difference — children are far more likely to engage with a board game or outdoor activity when an adult participates enthusiastically rather than simply supervising.

What outdoor games can families play in a small garden?

A small garden is more than sufficient for a wide range of traditional outdoor games. Skittles, croquet, and hoopla require only a modest footprint. Bat-and-ball games such as French cricket can be adapted to tight spaces. Conkers is another classic British garden activity — the game has been played in Britain since at least the 1850s, with the first recorded championship held in 1965 in Ashton, Northamptonshire. Quoits, boules, and garden dominoes also work well in limited space. Many traditional lawn games from Jaques of London are designed with compact British gardens in mind.

What are good rainy day games for kids without screens?

Rainy days are perfect for board games, card games, and tabletop activities that the whole family can enjoy indoors. Classic board games such as Snakes and Ladders — brought to Britain by the Victorians from the ancient Indian game Moksha Patam — Ludo, draughts, and chess suit a range of ages and require no electricity. Card games including Snap, Happy Families, and Pairs develop memory and quick thinking. Dominoes, jigsaw puzzles, and tiddlywinks are equally effective at keeping children engaged for extended periods without a screen in sight.

Why is unstructured play important for child development?

Unstructured play — time in which children choose their own activities without adult-directed outcomes — is essential for developing imagination, independence, and emotional regulation. When children invent their own rules, negotiate with playmates, and navigate boredom, they build skills that structured lessons cannot easily replicate. Traditional games, once introduced, often lead to unstructured offshoots as children adapt rules and invent variations. The six-week summer holiday presents a natural opportunity to allow longer, more open-ended play sessions that the pressures of term time rarely permit.

How much screen time should children have in the school holidays?

There is no single universal guideline, though the NHS advises that screen time for children under two should be very limited, and that all children benefit from regular screen-free periods. During the school holidays, many families find success with a defined daily window — perhaps one to two hours — rather than an all-day restriction, which can feel punitive. The quality and context of screen use matters alongside quantity. Replacing screen time with active outdoor play, traditional board games, and social activities ensures children remain stimulated and engaged throughout the six-week break.