Real-life activities that can win against a screen, by age, budget and weather.
Forest parks, national museums, OPW heritage sites on the first Wednesday of the month and your local library are all free. Here's what each offers families and what to check before you go.
Let them lead, lower the stakes and use what's already near you: youth clubs, Scouts, Gaisce and local sport. Practical ideas for getting a teenager into something off-screen without a row.
Little and often, their choice of book, and a free library card. Practical, no-nag ways to help children of every age enjoy reading, with ideas that suit screen-loving kids.
Go out with them, keep it short and fun, bring other children along and build outdoor time into the school run. Easy, free ideas by age, plus what the HSE says children need.
Free, low-effort indoor ideas for toddlers to teens, from living-room sports to library trips, plus how to make them more appealing than the tablet.
