With the day-to-day hustle and bustle of activity facing families everywhere, many of us can use a little help keeping the kids busy so we can check some items off of our lengthy to-do lists.
How to get it all done without relying on TV and video games as your main source of diversion?
Guilt-free screen time (Yes, it’s a thing!).
We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite Epic! books and videos to keep the young ones entertained, while promoting fun learning experiences both on and off the screen.
1. Secret Pizza Party
Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
Animated by Illustrate IT
Ages: 5-8
Racoon loves pizza! He loves the gooey cheesy-ness, salty pepperoni-ness, sweet sweet tomato-ness, and of course the crispity crunchity crust. But someone is always chasing poor Raccoon away from his favorite food with a broom! What’s a hungry raccoon to do? Plan an elaborate secret pizza party, of course!
Your child will laugh out loud at this quirky animated video from hilarious creators Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri.
2. Ready Set Draw! How to Draw Bad Kitty.
From KidLit TV
Ages: 6-9
Bad Kitty never speaks, however it’s very clear what she’s thinking. In this video from Ready Set Draw!, author and illustrator Nick Bruel shares his secret to drawing the perfect surprised, crazed and adorable Bad Kitty. You’ll be amazed at what a difference the placement of a circle can make!
3. Origami Dragon
From Tavin’s Origami
Ages: 7-12
There’s nothing like origami to get stir-crazy kids obsessed with a fun activity. This video from Tavin’s Origami will show your child how to fold a cool dragon from just one piece of paper.
4. Wiggle It Dance
From The Kiboomers
Ages: 3-6
Now, here’s a video that’ll actually get your child moving off the screen. Tune into the “Kiboomers! Wiggle Song” to help them dance those wiggles out.
5. Bink & Gollie
By Kate DiCamillo & Alison McGhee
Read by Kate Micucci & Riki Lindhome
Ages: 5-8
Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls—one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.
This fun audiobook is chock full of imagination and adventure!
There you have it. Screen time can be used as a force for good! For more on healthy ways to enjoy positive tech time with your kids, check out our post: Tech Time: Quality or Quantity?. You can also find some of our best picks for online reading in our post “Best Kids’ Books to Read Online.” All are available on Epic!
