Play and Grow
Let’s create a local environment in which our kids grow their independence muscles, enjoy IRL free play and fun, and develop meaningful connections in their local community.
3 ways to encourage IRL independence and confidence in your child!
Boost independence at home with our Kids IRL Bingo card! Challenge your child to complete all 24 IRL activities to grow their independence muscles. Download it here.
Find more ways to develop independence at home! Sign up with our friends at Let Grow to get a free copy of their at-home independence kit.
Bring independence-building homework experiences to your school! Preview Let Grow’s free independence-building program for K-8th grades or their independence audit for 8th-12th grades, and if you like the gist, request the complete program for free directly from Let Grow. The program concept is that once a month each student is assigned homework to "do something on your own with your parent's permission but without parental help." Gradually, over the course of the school year, these cumulative experiences nurture a child's agency, confidence, and emotional resilience.
4 ways to extend the IRL fun and play - invite friends, neighbors, or classmates!
Schedule regular "unsupervised free play" as you would any after-school activity or sport! In coordination with parents of your child's friends or neighbors, schedule one day per week for your kids to free play together unsupervised. They can meet up at the end of the school day, walk together to a nearby park, play for a few hours, and then all head home by, say, 6pm. No adults needed! If your group of kids needs some extra support while getting started, borrow any of our "free play agreements" - we refined these in recent years as we have found since the pandemic many kids are less familiar with how to free play without adult direction. Gotta meet them where they are!
Build community on your block - make your street or local park a place to play and gather!
Encourage your child to knock on the door of neighboring families to see if they can meet up to play. Explore these fun resources to help get kids out to play in your neighborhood.
Get inspired to host a block party that gathers all ages and builds community on your street. Or find more regular ways to make your street a place where kids can play!
Send an impromptu text inviting kids to meet up with your child for "pop-up free play" that's unsupervised. We can vouch that every parents loves getting this text and sending their kid out to play with friends! Every group needs a mobilizer - could it be you?
Bring more free play to your school! Organize a Let Grow Play Club at your school - before or after school. Even opening the school yard 30 minutes before school starts is a great way to squeeze in extra play. Sign up directly at Let Grow to receive a copy of their free Play Club implementation guide.
Organize a campout for your child's grade or class! This is a really great way to build community among families and it's a huge dollop of IRL fun. Here is a how-to document we've created from our team’s personal experiences.
7 ways to reduce screen time as your child's default activity at home - less URL means more IRL!
We've all been there. Check out some of our go-to resources to redirect your child to IRL alternatives that are a better use of their time. With a bit of advanced planning, and guiding your child towards the activities you value, you can avoid unintended screen time:
When you have some bandwidth, brainstorm with your child 20 screen-free activities they can do at home. Hang the generated list somewhere visible, and then next time your child asks for screen time, you can joyfully respond, "Not now - go find an idea from your list instead!" Download it here.
Put together a restaurant or waiting room “survival tote bag” with screen-free items to occupy your child. Leave the tote bag in your car or by the front door. Find ideas for tote bag content here.
Send your child OUTSIDE! (Watch this video for parents for inspiration!)
Print a fun tracking chart that may motivate your child to begin the journey towards 1,000 hours outside. Set a goal (e.g., 2 hours outside every day) and kick them out of the house!
Need ideas for backyard fun? Print nature play activities and things to do in the backyard from Nature Play Queensland. Or get ideas from this list of 73 backyard activities for kids. If you have access to a trampoline, print this list of trampoline games and activities to shake things up! No adults needed.
Find screen-free fun at What Do We Do All Day: hands-on activities, simple yet clever games and brain teasers, and thoughtfully curated book lists by theme, age, genre, and more! Gather some book ideas that will resonate with your child's interests so you get the most out of your next library visit!
Help your child proactively brainstorm fun IRL things to do with their friends so screens don't crowd out potential face-to-face interaction and play. Download it here.
Create more barriers between your child and screens - so screen time isn't an easy step away! Set restrictions on when and where screens are allowed. For example, set daily time limits on gaming platforms or downtime on any Apple device. Consider removing access to YouTube on a smart TV. Create physical barriers by stowing iPads or remote controls in a drawer out of sight.
Embrace a messy (creative!) home during these childhood years. Leave tactile items, puzzles, or art supplies on the kitchen table so they beckon for your child's attention. Lay musical instruments on the sofa so you have to pick up a guitar in order to sit down - and suddenly your child is strumming. Make IRL activities just as easy to slide into as screen time is!
