Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Mom Said Get Off the Screen
19
items Because apparently “go find something to do” is not specific enough. 😂 These are the toys, games, activities and outdoor finds that actually give kids something fun to do WITHOUT a tablet, TV or video game. From rainy-day boredom busters to backyard...
Sections
6
Go Outside & Burn Some Energy
Games the Whole Family Can Play
Build It, Make It, Create It
Rainy Day Screen-Free Saves
“I’m Bored!” Emergency Supplies
Little Kids Need Off the Screen Too
Go Outside & Burn Some Energy
For when they have enough energy to power the entire house and I need them to take it OUTSIDE. 😂 These are the backyard toys, active games and outdoor finds that get kids moving, playing and burning off some of that endless energy.
Sometimes the simplest toys are the ones kids will actually play with. 😂 Strap these on, grab the ball and send them outside to play catch. The ball sticks to the paddles, which makes catching a little easier for younger kids while still getting the...
Franklin Sports Throw ’N Stick Catch Game
THREE outdoor games for $12?! This is exactly the kind of thing I want when I tell the kids to put the screens down and GO OUTSIDE. 😂 They can play volleyball, pickleball/racket games or use the swing ball when nobody else wants to play. It gives th...
Play Day 3-in-1 Outdoor Game Set
Backyard baseball, but WAY more fun. 😂 These lightweight balls are made to curve, dip and move through the air, so kids can try throwing ridiculous pitches and then see if somebody can actually hit them. You get the bat plus two Blitzballs, and for ...
Blitzball Bat + 2 Ball Set
One setup, TWO backyard games—and something the whole family can actually play together. 🙌 Set the net up for volleyball or lower it for badminton, and it already comes with the rackets, volleyball and pump you need to get started. I love outdoor to...
EastPoint 2-in-1 Volleyball & Badminton Set
Games the Whole Family Can Play
Screen-free things everybody can actually do together without somebody staring at a phone the whole time. 😂 Family games, silly challenges and activities that are fun for kids AND adults—or at least entertaining enough that the adults don’t hate pla...
This is the kind of family game I like—easy enough that you don’t need a 20-minute explanation before anybody can actually PLAY. 😂 You keep flipping cards and deciding whether to play it safe or risk another one, but get the same number twice and yo...
FLIP 7 Card Game
Like Scrabble without the board—or waiting forever for somebody to take their turn. 😂 Everybody plays at the same time, racing to use their letter tiles to build their own word grid. It’s easy to learn, gets surprisingly competitive and sneaks in sp...
Bananagrams Classic Word Game
There’s a reason this game has been around forever. 😂 Pull out a block, stack it on top and try REALLY hard not to be the person who sends the whole tower crashing down. It’s ridiculously simple, kids and adults can play together, and somehow everyb...
Classic Jenga Game
Build It, Make It, Create It
Give them something to build, paint, design or figure out and suddenly they forgot the tablet existed. 😂 These are the building sets, crafts and hands-on activities that let kids use their imagination and actually CREATE something.
Color them, wash them off and then do it all over again. 😂 Kids get little pets they can decorate with the washable markers, then give them a bath and start over with completely new designs. I LOVE activities that can be reused instead of being fini...
Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets Glam Tub
No instructions telling them exactly what the finished toy has to be—just a giant box of LEGO bricks and their imagination. 🙌 Kids can build houses, cars, animals or whatever random creation they come up with, tear it apart and build something compl...
LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box
Because apparently couch cushions weren’t enough. 😂 Kids can build their own forts, tunnels and hideouts, tear them down, and start all over again. I love anything that keeps their hands AND their brains busy without a screen.
Fisher-Price Create-Your-Way Fort Builder
Rainy Day Screen-Free Saves
Because “go play outside” doesn’t work when it’s pouring rain. 😂 These are the indoor activities, games and toys I’d pull out when everybody is stuck inside and starting to climb the walls.
All the fun of kids jumping from couch cushion to couch cushion without them actually destroying your couch. 😂 Toss the colored pieces around the floor and suddenly the living room becomes an obstacle course because THE FLOOR IS LAVA! I love this on...
The Original Floor Is Lava Game
Rainy day + bored kids + Play-Doh = at least a little bit of peace. 😂 This set comes with Play-Doh plus tools for cutting, rolling, stamping and making whatever random creation they come up with. I like that it gives them something completely open-e...
Play-Doh Starter Set
Coloring without discovering five minutes later that somebody also colored the TABLE. 😂 Color Wonder markers only show up on the special paper, and this little case gives kids a place to color AND store everything when they’re done. Perfect for rain...
Crayola Color Wonder Stow & Go Studio
“I’m Bored!” Emergency Supplies
For approximately 11 minutes after they told you there was “nothing to do.” 😂 These are the easy-to-grab activities and boredom busters to keep around for those moments when kids swear every toy they own has suddenly stopped existing.
This is exactly the kind of thing I want tucked away for the inevitable “I’M BORED!” 😂 Kids use the little dinosaur stamper to stamp stickers onto the activity pages, and it comes with 300 stickers to keep them busy. It’s small, inexpensive and does...
Melissa & Doug Sticker WOW! Dinosaur
Pull THIS out the next time somebody announces there is absolutely nothing to do despite owning approximately 9 million toys. 😂 It has more than 165 reusable stickers and different scenes where kids can move everything around and make up their own l...
Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pad
Just add WATER. 🙌 Kids “paint” the pages with the refillable water pen and the colors magically appear, then disappear again when the pages dry so they can do it all over again. No markers to lose, no paint to clean up and no screen required. This i...
Melissa & Doug Water WOW! Vehicles
Little Kids Need Off the Screen Too
Screen-free fun for the littlest ones who still need something to keep those busy hands occupied. Toddler-friendly toys, activities and simple play ideas that encourage exploring, moving, building and pretending without needing a screen.
We have this and it’s such a good little outdoor toy for toddlers! ⚾ The tee adjusts as they grow, and the oversized bat and balls make it much easier for little kids to actually hit the ball instead of getting frustrated. It’s simple, gets them outs...
Little Tikes T-Ball Set
Sometimes toddlers don’t need another fancy toy—they just need something they can climb up and slide down approximately 87 times in a row. 😂 This little slide can be used indoors or outside, folds up for storage and gives little kids a way to MOVE i...
Little Tikes First Slide
For little kids who need something to DO with those busy hands. 😂 This set has a bunch of tools for rolling, cutting, stamping and creating things from land, air and sea, so there isn’t just one “right” way to play with it. They can squish it all up...
Play-Doh Land, Air & Sea 39-Piece Set