Welcome to your Screen-Free Play Toolkit

Your kids are lucky to have a parent like you. It's never been easier to do nothing, or to chuck on the TV. But you know your kids deserve better.

We understand the irony of sharing screen-free play ideas online, but here will be a growing collection of fun and free storytelling and play ideas for you to connect with your little ones.

"Tell me a story..."

Don't get us wrong, we LOVE telling stories with our kids. But after a long day (or week), sometimes we just don't have it in us. Our storytelling brains are just... empty.

So when burnout strikes, try this - tap the button below for a random story idea:

Story Inspiration Starts Here.

If that was helpful, we're developing a brand new card game to help you with screen-free storytelling. Watch this space...

Moving your body is HIGHLY underrated.

Getting your kids off the couch is great for their physical health, mental health, social connections and problem solving skills.

When kicking a ball at the park sounds like too much effort, here's some fun and easy (and free!) ways to get your little ones moving:

  • Dance Party!

    Our favourite way to get moving is by showing our kids classic dance bangers (they LOVE One More Time by Daft Punk). And it gets us up and grooving too.

  • Obstacle Course

    Indoors or outdoors, set up an age-appropriate course for your kids to jump, climb, crawl and balance. Once set up, they'll love doing laps, and you can time them for extra competition.

  • Keepy Uppy

    We hope that name isn't copyright, but you already know how fun it is to keep a balloon off the ground. The bigger the balloon, the slower it falls and easier to play.

  • Animal Parade

    You call out an animal and your kids move it across the room. Kangaroo hops, birds fly, elephant stomps. Extra points for sound effects.

  • Tickle Monster

    I learnt this one from my Dad, and now it's so fun to chase our kids around the house threatening to tickle them. Not sure if their screams are real or not...

  • Shadow Tag

    On a sunny day, head outside and play tag. But they can only tag your shadow. It's easier said than done and indoors use a torch to create moving shadows for them to chase.

Floor Is Lava games

Whether you have a set of Floor Is Lava play mats, or you prefer using couch cushions, there are plenty of ways to play.

Play Floor Is Lava

  • Lava Path Challenge

    Simple: create a path without touching the ground, but make it as far as possible. When you start running out of places to stand, you'll have to rearrange to stretch even further.

  • Lava Island Rescue

    Scatter a few toys or 'treasures' for your little ones to save from the lava. They'll need to get to them and back (add a time limit for extra pressure).

  • Lava Monster

    Use a blanket over your body to be the Lava Monster globbing around on the floor. They are safe when they're on the play mats, but if they touch the carpet - wrap them up and tickle them!

  • Lava Tag

    Best outdoors - play tag but only step on the play mats or safe areas. When tagged, they freeze and can be 'unfrozen' by someone else.

  • Morning Routine

    Sounds silly, but sometimes we set up the play mats while we need to get ready in the morning. Brushing teeth, finding shoes and getting out the door is more fun when you can't touch the ground.

  • Dangerous Delivery

    Give your child things to deliver (toys, socks, paper) to designated places without touching the lava. Bonus points if they help putting things away (plates back to the kitchen, toys in the drawers).
Play Floor Is Lava

Coming soon...

We're working on more screen-free play tools for you, including storytelling card games, new themes for play mats, printable colouring pages and video demos of the games above. When we make a significant update, we'll shoot you an email to let you know.