Top 5 Screen-Free Toys For Toddlers

Are you sick of the meltdowns from your toddler when you take away their screens? Whether it's watching a movie or playing a game on an Ipad, the meltdown is always the same. The pure toddler rage when you take it away, even though we have warned them SEVERAL times that it was coming.

Now I fully admit that I am guilty of letting my toddler watch a movie sometimes when I need to get some stuff done or it's been a busy day and we just need some chill time before bed. But, we try not to do a ton of screen time, especially through out the day. That means that we have to have plenty of toys on hand to keep him occupied.

Here are a few of our favorite, most used screen free toddler activities to keep them entertained so you can cook dinner or god forbid, drink your coffee in peace!

*This post does contain affiliate links. That means that I may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you*

Screen Free Toddler Activities

LeapFrog Tablet

This thing is *Chefs Kiss* It comes with over 20 pages of different things for your little one to explore. Anything from musical instraments, numbers,alphabet, weather, emotions, animals and so much more. And there are different learning modes for them to experiment with. They can just touch the picture and the tablet with tell them about that item/word or there is a quiz mode to take your childs learning one step further. My little guys has actually learned so much from this. He can play on his 'tablet' and I don't have to worry about anything. I know that he is learning and staying entertained at the same time. Estimated entertainment time: 15-40minutes

MagnaTiles

A crowd favorite: Magnatiles

I never initially understood the hype. I thought, "How different could they be from building blocks?" Girl, I will be the first to admit how wrong I was! These are MAGICAL. These little things can keep my child entertained for sooo long. The possibilities are endless on what they can create. It's so cool to watch their little brains get creative and see what they come up with to build. Our only problem is that we always run out before we finish building. *adds more to Amazon cart* Honestly, these are not just great for the kids. They're so fun fun for adults too. Estimated entertainment time: 30ish minutes alone - can extend to an hour or more if we play with them together.

I Can Find It Book

These books are so cute! They are kind of like an 'I SPY' book but a toddler friendly version. It took my kiddo a little bit to get used to understanding what he was supposed to do, but after that he can do the whole book by himself! It's great for working on counting and problem-solving. I know the point of this post is for activities for our toddlers to do on their own, but this is also a great one to do together. You can create all kinds of little games to keep them engaged and entertained while keeping them away from a screen. Estimated entertainment time: 20ish minutes

Magnetic Construction Transformer

Ya'll let me turn you on to your new favorite toy. This brings our little boys favorite things together, construction cars and transformers!

It is made up of 7 different little cars that can be taken apart and rebuilt into a bigger transformer robot! The possibilities are endless on the different kinds of robot that you can create. Or you can turn them back into their original cars (or get creative and mix and match) and play with the cars themselves. We randomly found this toy on Amazon a year or so ago and have ZERO regrets buying it. I can not even describe accurately how cool this thing is, you'll just have to check it out for yourself. Estimated entertainment time: 30/40 minutes

Yoto Player

Last and certainly not least is the Yoto box. This little box of voodoo magic as saved my sanity as a toddler mom. There are soooo many cards that you can purchase for your Yoto player that your kiddo with never get bored. There are stories, music, educational lessons.. you name it. My little man will ask to listen to this and just go in his room all by himself. I will periodically go in and check on him and that's about it. This gives me enough time to do anything that I need to get done whether it's chores or just taking a moment to myself. They do have different versions too depending on your preference. This one is great for on the go! Estimated entertainment time: 1 hour +

Conclusion

There are so many other activities to keep your toddlers entertained, screen-free. These just happen to be our top tried and true methods, and this doesn't include coloring or any sort of toddler journal or activity books. If you are interesed in a post like that, let me know in the comments!

I get it mama, it's so much easier to pop on a movie when you need to keep your toddler busy but trust me. It is so much more rewarding to be able to keep them engaged with an activity that is not only fun but also educational. Bonus points for it not ending in a meldown..

What are your favorite screen-free toys to keep your kiddos entertained?